Fear is one of the most debilitating forces in our culture and it is an equal opportunity offender. In order to gain victory over fear, the first step is differentiating if it is a “good fear” or a “bad fear.” Fear in the short term can be good and is an instinctive reaction to protect us from danger. Fear in the big picture and in the long term is bad. It wears us down and constantly plagues us with all the “What ifs.”
The next step is externalizing bad fear. We tend to internalize the lies of fear believing all the “worst case scenarios” about ourselves, others, our future and our abilities. By seeing fear as an external entity and not a part of our identity we place it as an opponent on a level playing field. Singer/songwriter, Zack Williams, is spot on with his description of fear in his song “Fear is a Liar.”
“Fear, he is a liar
He will take your breath
Stop you in your steps
Fear he is a liar
He will rob your rest
Steal your happiness…”
The third step in overcoming fear is responding with truth. Webster defines truth as “that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality.” Truth at its core is the antidote to fear. As a child sleeping in the dark can be scary. When you worried a monster was lurking under your bed or in the closet, what did your parents do to help you feel safe? They turned on the light and looked! The second they revealed reality, fear dissipated. Fear desires us to operate in negative future thinking when we actually have most of the evidence right at our fingertips to defeat it. Next time fear tries to sideline your thoughts, emotions, and actions with a potential worst-case, list off other probable outcomes, personal experiences, or scientific evidence-based facts to counter its lies.
