Last week we discussed another principle that all of us (as His brides) can adopt and incorporate into our lives: Not leaning to our own understanding and hearing Him speak to you at each turn. This week I’d like to share with you something that I believe we all struggle with that my HH helps me to shake off, “Adding fear to the mix.”
Over the weekend I felt the Lord leading me to move outside my comfort zone in regards to where He wants me to live. At least 3 times since Encouraging Women was founded, He’s asked me to let go of ALL my belongings and follow where He led me to live. The first time I lived abroad in several different countries, moving every few days, sometimes moving several days in a row, never staying in one location for more than a week. He also trained me spiritually by leading me to pack my one suitcase (with everything I owned), go to the train station and simply wait there until He said, “There’s the train, get on it” often not knowing where it was headed.
Why He did this is simple—because He was honing (sharpening, refining) and training me for following Him regarding this ministry He’s called me to head up for Him. Also, I believe because I am the matriarch of my family (though I have not been called to lead the family to date), He wanted me to be certain I knew how to do this.
The last time He asked me to let go of everything was a little over 3 years ago. I gave just about everything I had to my son and DIL to keep or sell (they would keep any profits). Then when He led me to move into a “home” again, I had nothing but clothing. Yet little by little a few special things began being returned to me.
Once again, He’s asking me to let go of everything. But because I have such a comfortable home again, I found it hard to get really excited. I did at first, but the more I began thinking of all the details and logistics, plus the utter finality of this step He was asking me to take, the more I began “leaning to my own understanding” stopping just short of panic.
This is when I heard Him say (not for the first time) “Don’t add fear to the mix” and I envisioned the buttermilk biscuits I just made and envisioning me pouring black ink into the mixing bowl, then mixing it in!
Any time we add “fear” to the pain we’re feeling in our body or we add to a decision or a thought we have, we are essentially adding black ink—making it dark, horrible and more difficult to deal with.
So each time I sense this happening, I mentally shook it off just as we see the Apostle Paul doing in Acts 28:5. Then, following the principle in Matthew 12:43-45 regarding replacing what’s been removed. I replace it with and embrace the excitement I felt when I first envisioned what I believe to be His plan for where and how I am going to live for this upcoming year.
Yet, there is one more key component that also can help keep fear at bay. It could very well be that He is not going to have me live like this at all. Instead, He just may be testing me to see if I would be “Willing to go” and that’s what we will explore next week when we look at Abraham and Isaac. Until Next week, begin to shake it off and don’t add fear to the mix.
Fear was always something I struggled with, fear of failure or fear of the unknown. If I have to think back to the times that I faced the most fear but was also my biggest faith builders, I would without a doubt say it was the divorce and the custody case.
Both times fear gripped me at the onset of these two trails, pouring black ink into the mix.
But only when I came to a place where I was able to surrender and lay down my will for His, I was able to face these trails with peace and joy, knowing that He has a plan and will turn it around for good.
Not only did I obtain the Abundant Life after the divorce, I also gained back my children after a bit more than a year as a weekend mom, and I am now homeschooling my children!
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Fear is something I have struggled with as well. My family has moved across the US again and we sold most of our belongings before moving. I understand a little of letting go of belongings and being willing to move even if it’s not something I eagerly want to do. However after reading this lesson, I see how fear can ruin what God has planned for me. Little by little as I turn to Him, I feel my fear decreasing and my hope is increasing because I trust that He wants best for me.
I can relate to having fear. For my whole life I attempted to control others and things, because of it. When I left my EH and left all of my belongings, I knew He was telling me not to ask for anything back. I had the clothes on my back, but He was so faithful to replace everything. looking back, I can see how perfectly He provides and it’s removed the fear that once ran me!
“Terror took hold of them and they writhed in pain like a woman in labor.” Psalms 48:6 NLT
“What I feared most came upon me; What scared me the most happened to me. I don’t find peace or calm; I find no rest, but only agitation” Job 3:25-26
“…—Go! May everything happen just as you have believed….” Matthew 8:13
Every time I have felt fear I have added a higher dose of pain to the situation I faced. In my experience, many times by his grace I have managed to shake off the many snakes that bit me and tried to kill my faith or the miracles that my Husband had for me. The analogy that my Beloved gave to the author is a great example, food ink especially requires a very small amount to give a lot of color, and I think that is the same with fear, it is like yeast, just a little is enough for You are flooded with fear and with it comes pain, anguish, hopelessness… Fear is a paralyzing poison to prevent our progress.
This particular lesson touches my heart because I have had a long battle with fear in a certain area of my life, it is a fear that has not completely left me, that has gone through several ups and downs, but that has refused to come out. full. However, I am happy because my Beloved has given me the strategy to combat it and to continue moving forward. It is true it has not gone away completely, but it has decreased and I can see progress. Although it is a very deep fear, which He has indicated to me is a trauma, He continues to persist in eliminating it completely and I believe that HE will give me total victory. I have to say that his word is powerful and is what has eroded that fear that, although it has been tenacious, is becoming weaker and weaker, while my confidence in the liberating and healing power of my Husband increases.
“I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:4 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalms%2034%3A4&version=NLT
When we add fear to our pain we make things worse. We begin to doubt instead of rejoicing and giving thanks. As the lesson says, when we add fear its like adding black ink to the situation. Therefore they become more difficult to deal with. I want to share a short testimony of something that happened to me related to this lesson.
In September, it is my son’s birthday. It has been more than 3 months that we have been in communication with his earthly father. My son always prays and asks to have a relationship with his father again and for him to come home. In his mind his father is away because he is working. But I know that his heart feels something else. A few days ago my spouse chatted with me. He asked me for my son’s phone number. I gave it to him, but I didn’t say anything to my son because I didn’t want him to be happy and then not contact him. Well, he didn’t contact him at that moment. On his birthday, he chatted with me and I gave my son the phone so they could talk and congratulated him on his birthday and they had a pleasant conversation. And well, my son was happy about that. As soon as that happened, I started to feel, or rather I added fear to that situation, with things like: “What if he disappears again? Or what if he makes a promise to my son and then doesn’t keep it?” “And many other thoughts that come to my mind when he reappears? I gave way to fear. Allowing negative thoughts, like black ink. To cloud my mind and my thoughts, holding on to what could go wrong instead of thanking for his plan that everything was going perfectly. I didn’t even want to talk to him. Because what I had in my mind was that he is going to do the same thing again? Then I realized that I wasn’t thanking the Lord for what He had done by giving way to fear. And I began to thank Him, thank the Lord for having turned my spouse’s heart. And that he reminds him of the days that are important to our child so that he’d call and congratulate him. Eventually, that negative feeling went away.
Beautiful. Let us allow our beloved to enter and create the path that he has designed for us. Let his love invade us. And expel all negative feelings, including fear and doubt. Let us release everything that does not suit us. To let our Great Love enter and fill every empty space. So that there is no room for anything that is not from Him.
Philippians 4:8
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians%204%3A8&version=NLT
I have seen over and over in so many different seasons of my life how fear has gripped me. Yet in the word there is a command ‘DO NOT WORRY”. There have been so many times that l have been caught up in fear and each time it has sucked the joy out of my life, out of my day. l would just feel so defeated.
Matt 6:34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
lt is so important like its shared here in this LL to shake it off like a viper because a lot of the time l allow that fear to take a hold instead of immediately shaking it off!! l have heard that stress causes many health issues but l think its actually our worries and fears that is so debilating to our health.
l have to give my concerns to Husband so that l don’t add fear to the mix.
Each time l have feared l have had no choice but to go to the word and read scriptures that l have saved on my phone or written in my notebook, l have learned that its important to remind myself of his promises. l can say with confidence that each time its gotten me thru ❤
l could add many scriptures but so many scriptures speaks of His Hope, Trust and Love. Look them up and keep them close!