Fear of Man
The one thing that has taken away immense opportunities from me is the fear of man. I remember when I was 14-16 I would pay my younger sister to go order my coffee because I couldn't stomach talking to the barista behind the counter. I was so obsessed with what they would think of me, my order, what I looked like, how I talked, to do it myself. AS A TEENAGER. I laugh about it now, but back then the fear was truly debilitating. I can order my own coffee now (thank goodness), but the fear of man and man's rejection is my biggest weakness. It has dictated how I dress, act, speak, and even what I like. It has deeply impacted my relationships and caused strife and stress in many of them. Worse of all, it has dictated my relationship with God. I have been placing man's opinion of me on the throne where God should sit, and it throws everything off balance. When God is not the most important thing to me, everything is out of sync. 2 Timothy 1:7 says "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." We are not called or created to live in fear of ANYTHING, especially not man.
I woke up knowing I was called to write about this topic today and my heart felt heavy. I prayed, "God, how am I supposed to speak on this when it is still a struggle I am working through?" and He was very clear, that He does not call the equipped He EQUIPS the CALLED. The same way He promised Moses and Aaron that He would give them words to speak in Exodus 4, I know He is faithful to do the same with me. So here is what He has said to me, faithfully and patiently in my journey towards freedom from this fear.
Fear of man will prove to be a snare,
but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.
Proverbs 29:25
The fear of man is a deceptive trap set by the enemy to keep you from stepping into the full freedom found in God. Furthermore, the fear of man is an IDOL and SELFISH AMBITION. This is something God revealed to me a few days ago, and it was extremely convicting. My fear of others is selfish ambition because it is really all about ME ME ME. What others think of ME. Will they like ME. What does it mean about ME if they don't? In the end, my desire for others to love me is selfishness. We all innately desire to feel loved and wanted, but to be obsessed with it is selfish ambition. When the love is meant to elevate me, feel better about myself, or find my identity...it is SIN. This is what the bible has to say about this...
Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
James 3:16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
Selfish ambition brings about disorder and evil. I have seen it bring disorder and sin into my own life and into my relationships. I mourn those moments dearly. Valuing others as God's own creation, and seeing them as God sees them is humbling yourself and letting go of anything you would gain. More importantly, you must focus on the only 'other' that truly matters, God. Humbling yourself to him is saying 'It does not matter if I am loved or wanted by man, in only matters that I am loved and wanted by YOU." We must call out our fear of man for what it is, sin, selfish ambition, and vain conceit. Only when we see it for what it truly is, can we begin to combat it.
The fear of man is a battle fought between your ears. It is intrusive thoughts telling you 'you're not good enough' and 'if no one loves you, you're worth nothing.' This battle must be fought diligently because if you lose to the battle between your ears you're going to be out for the count to fight the actual war. We are truly fighting a war against the enemy that is between life and death. When it comes down to it, the fear of man is small potatoes in the light of eternity. Therefore, we can't let the battle distract or detract us from the war. In order to do this, we much rebuke fear and hold fast to our identity in Christ alone.
One piece of Godly truth that has aided me so much in my battle against the fear of man is the knowledge that relying on man leads nowhere. Jesus said: "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." When we set our 'source' to be the love of man, we are drawing from a well that will dry up. However, when we set our source to be the son of God, we are drawing from a well that will never run dry! Human beings are fallible, even the ones you love and who love you. You will hurt each other and disappoint each other, it's inevitable. So, if we put our value in others we will be unfulfilled and empty. If we look to Jesus for our value, we will never be thirsty again.
This does not mean we must let go completely of the people we love. We just have to love God MORE. Friendships where you are both found in the Father flourish, you are apart of the same branch, the same family. You are still connected through Christ. Therefore, finding your source and worth in Christ alone is imperitive to defeating the fear of man.
Replacing the lies that Satan has whispered in your ears is also imperitive in winning the battle against the fear of man. The only way to replace those lies is to transplant God's holy truth in their place.
Satan's lie: You are unloved
God's Truth: "So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him." 1 John 4:16
Satan's lie: You are rejected
God's Truth: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved." Ephesians 1:3-6
Satan's lie: You are alone.
God's Truth: "No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you." Joshua 1:5
The Bible is truth, and its contents directly combats the lies that Satan will plant in your brain. READ. GOD'S. WORD. Feed your mind truth so there is no room for lies! Spend time with Jesus, let his presence water those seeds of truth and grow them in you. We know that God and His word are the only place where pure truth resides, so do not look anywhere else for it, You will not find it there.
Lastly, we need to remember that we have the power to rebuke fear. Remember 2nd Timothy 1:7...God did not create us with the spirit of fear, it does not belong to us! It is a thief in your house, a squatter. You have the AUTHORITY to kick the spirit of fear out! We have no reason to be afraid, so we must demand fear to leave us. Tell satan he has no power in our hearts and minds. Live in God's truth: The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1.
Let's start living in God's freedom from fear, it's a peace and relief that feels unreal. Here are some God fueled resources that have helped me on my journey, I hope they help you too!
Resources:
コメント