Have you ever felt like you had to apologize for stepping into a room before?
Where you can just feel like your presence there changes the whole atmosphere within a room full of people. You know that tension where you step into a room full of people and they notice or sense your presence shifts everything.
There have been times where I have felt like this. In which I allowed this fear over take me where I shrank back to not tip the tables too much in a manner of speaking. It was like this fear held me captive in a place where I had to hide part of myself so people wouldn’t reject me. Yet, in hiding part of myself people did reject me. I was simply afraid if I was fully myself no one would accept me. Now seeing this silly notion on the page I see how silly it really is.
But isn’t it true how we can be so silly about how we want to please people at times. I admit I am a people pleas e'er. Which is why there are times I have stayed in the background to not overshadow others, because I did not want conflict. Let me be honest I truly detest conflict and competition. So much so that I would rather help find peace in a situation than throw more heat to an already lit fire.
The reason I point is out is because in the situations and circumstances where I was more focused on people pleasing than pleasing God I was competing for man’s approval not God’s. I was clouded by the fear of how things appear to others.
In comparison to being focused on choosing to follow God’s leading and pleasing Him. If I had stopped and realized God had placed me in those situations with a purpose sooner I would have seen the authority God have given me to step into that room without apologizing for being there was to bring light to glorify Him not people.
What is it about fear that entangles us to be held captive in its lies?
What I have realized fear is tied to the trigger of where it began. If we find the trigger of where the fear comes from we can stop its hold on us. Fear is a funny thing. It likes to keep us captive so we cannot be free from it. Yet, God has already freed us from fear. So we have to realize and see we have victory in Christ to be able to walk in the freedom He has given us.
Once we realize we have victory in Christ we need to walk in it by believing it.
This is where we have to lay down our doubts and UN-beliefs at the feet of Jesus to walk in victory. We cannot hold onto doubts or unbelief and walk in victory at the same time. It is like the saying you can’t have your cake and eat it too. We can’t hold onto a lie and believe the truth at the same time. We either choose one or the other.
Besides, when we are position ourselves in victory within Christ we can see our authority in Christ to walk into any room He places us in with complete confidence. We do not have to shrink back or compete for man’s approval we have God’s approval already.
I encourage and challenge you to see yourself through God’s eyes instead of through your own. And I hope you can walk into any room with the confidence and authority God has already given you. So you do not have walk hide part of yourself.
I encourage you to throw off your fear and walk in freedom.
Stop allowing fear control you and let God’s love invade the dark places of your heart to bring light where it is needed. Let His love fill the empty places that need filling.
Read 1 & 2 Timothy
References:
English Standard Version Study Bible (2008) Crossway Publishing, Wheaton IL,
Picture by: wix.com
Comentarios