S6 EP8 | Whom Shall I Fear? 4 Tips For Overcoming Fear
Fear is an emotion driven by our belief that someone or something is dangerous, a threat or likely to cause us harm. There are many healthy and necessary applications for fear that keep us alive.
BUT
The majority of fear that we live with is driven by a lack of trust in God being exactly who he says he is. And this type of fear stops us from living the fullness of life God desires for us. It stops us from doing the things God wants us to do - or stop doing.
In this episode, Carla shares 4 tips for overcoming fear and really learning to live an empowered life through the Holy Spirit.
Understanding Fear:
Definition: Emotions caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous or threatening.
Biblical perspective: "Fear not" is a recurring theme; only fear of God is encouraged.
Four Tips for Overcoming Fear:
Get to Know God:
Trust and faith drive out fear (Psalm 56:3).
Analogy: Trusting a stranger vs. trusting God; the importance of knowing God personally.
Encouragement: Dive into God's Word to reveal His character and heart.
2. Speak Faith:
Fear fueled by negative thoughts and words; faith comes by hearing the Word (Romans 10:17).
Action: Choose to speak faith over fear; affirmations of God's truth.
3. Examine Yourself:
Awareness: Evaluate sources influencing fear, such as media and external opinions.
Challenge: Audit what you feed your mind; choose faith over anxiety-inducing information.
4. Decide to Walk in Faith:
Decision point: Choose not to be ruled by fear; empowerment through the Holy Spirit.
Assurance: God's promise of presence in the midst of challenges (Psalm 23:4).
Affirming Truth - I choose to lay down my fear and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Key scriptures:
Psalm 56:3 - "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you."
Romans 10:17 - "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."
Psalm 23:4 - "Even though I walk through the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me."
Psalm 27:5 - "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?"
Connect With Carla:
Inquire about 1:1 coaching ---> carlaagreswellness@gmail.com
Join In His Image Wellness Collective ---> carlaargeswellness@gmail.com
Come hangout on IG with me @carlaarges
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TRANSCRIPT
[00:00:00] Carla: Hey friends, welcome to Affirming Truths. I'm your friend and host, Carla Arges. This show is a safe place to share our struggles, grow in faith, and root our identity in Christ. My hope is that you will leave each episode feeling encouraged in your journey. Subscribe so you don't miss an episode and it would mean the world to me if you would leave a review.
[00:00:30] Carla: I am so glad you're here. Let's get started. Hey friends, welcome to your Monday morning episode of Affirming Truth. I am your friend Carla Arges and I am so appreciative that you are giving me your time and lending me your ear today. Today, we're going to talk about something that I walk a lot of women through in my one on one coaching.
[00:00:57] Carla: And that is the concept of fear [00:01:00] and living in fear and anxiety. But before we dive in, I just want to remind you next week, June 8th. I am hosting a free webinar with two other amazing ladies, Melissa Ralphs and Claire Davey, and it's called Habits for Healing. And we're each going to be addressing a different aspect of healing, um, how we can invite Jesus into it.
[00:01:25] Carla: How we can break free of using food and sugar as a coping mechanism for our feelings and how we can master our mind and practically take control of our thought life. It's going to be amazing. So much good takeaways from it. It starts at 7 p. m. Eastern, but if you want the replay, if you can't make it live, you have to register.
[00:01:50] Carla: Only people on the list are going to get the replay. But, if you can, you want to show up live because we have [00:02:00] giveaways. I am giving away some of my favorite resources. You guys know I love the Daily Grace Co Bible study guides. I'm giving some of those away. I'm giving my book away, my cards. We have, Starbucks gift cards, like you want to be there live, not just for the prizes, but for the amazing content you're going to get and the encouragement and the advice and tips.
[00:02:23] Carla: So, in the show notes, go right now, there's a registration form, register Habits for Healing. You don't want to miss it. Okay. Let's talk fear. You know, the definition of fear is those emotions that are caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or is some sort of threat.
[00:02:49] Carla: Now, now focus on this, listen to this, that it is a belief about something, right? It is our belief about something that [00:03:00] causes us to fear. And yes, there are certainly healthy fears that we should have, right? The fear of running out into oncoming traffic is a healthy fear, it keeps us safe. The fear of touching a hot burner on the stove because we know it's going to cause pain, that's a healthy fear to have, right?
[00:03:20] Carla: But for so many of us, the fears that we live with on a day to day basis are not healthy fears. And it's actually not. The biblical fear either, you know, it says in the Bible, and this is a staff that I read 365 times in the Bible, it says, fear not. Now I didn't go count it myself, but that is a reminder for every day of the year, not to fear.
[00:03:47] Carla: The only exception that we're given in the Bible, when it comes to fear is to fear. God, in our day to day walk, in our Christian living, the [00:04:00] only thing, the only acceptable fear we are to have is the fear of God. And the fear of God is not being afraid of Him, that's not what the fear of God is. But it's to have this reverence, this awe of His power and glory.
[00:04:17] Carla: And a proper respect for his anger, right? That is the healthy fear. That is the only fear in the Bible that we're told to have. Otherwise, we're told and reminded like in second Timothy, that we have not been given the spirit of fear that has not been given to us. And yet so many of us are burdened with fears.
[00:04:42] Carla: You know, maybe you fear that the state of the world is going to corrupt your children. Maybe you fear that you're not going to have enough money to meet the bills at the end of the month. Maybe you fear that you're not a good enough mother. You know, maybe you fear [00:05:00] sickness or illness. I don't know what it is you fear.
[00:05:04] Carla: I know for a long time, one of my fears was, and I say a long time as if it's past, it's still something I'm working on. I was afraid of the judgments of others. Maybe that one resonates with you. I found myself, even this past weekend, I was speaking at a woman's event. And oftentimes, I don't know the people in the audience, but this was a local event.
[00:05:29] Carla: And I had some of my amazing ladies from my Bible study group who I know well, who I do life with in the audience. And rather than that be a source of comfort, rather than that be something that was, you know, exciting. It actually made me more nervous and I was exploring this. Why am I nervous? And I, and I recognized I was afraid of their opinions [00:06:00] because they had never seen me speak before.
[00:06:03] Carla: I was afraid of their judgments. I was afraid of their opinions. And I think back on that now, how silly am I to be afraid of the judgment of man when I'm doing what the Holy Spirit has asked me to do? It's so silly, but we find ourselves. trapped in this, right? We find ourselves trapped in this. Listen, the emotion of fear may come, but so many of us are not immediately liberated by it.
[00:06:37] Carla: Instead, we are trapped by it. And I think it's because we don't know how. To overcome fear. So I want to share with you four tips for overcoming fear, because like I said, you have not been given the spirit of fear. You are a daughter of the King, the [00:07:00] King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You are a joint heir with Christ who defeated death and the grave.
[00:07:08] Carla: That is your inheritance. You have nothing to fear because the battle is already won and your heavenly father goes before you and yet we fear. Fear really, if we want to be honest, is thinking that our circumstance, our situation, the state of the world, the opinion of man, insert fear here, is greater than
[00:07:42] Carla: And I know that stings to hear because if we were asked, what's greater than God, we would answer nothing. Nothing is greater than God. And yet we don't live that truth out. We don't live out that truth. We [00:08:00] are stuck believing in the moment. That something is bigger than God, or that God doesn't love us enough, or that God doesn't care enough.
[00:08:11] Carla: And those are all lies of the enemy meant to keep you trapped in fear. Because what happens when you're afraid? It prevents you from doing things. When we are afraid, when we are scared, it makes us more cautious of things than we need to be and actually stops us from doing things, from walking where God is calling, to living out our plan and purpose.
[00:08:43] Carla: Imagine if I let my fear of people's judgment cause me to cancel my speaking engagement because I got too scared. That fear would have prevented me from doing the very thing the Holy Spirit was asking me to do. And so many times in my past I have [00:09:00] given into fear. But friend, it doesn't have to be this way.
[00:09:04] Carla: So let's get to it. What are four things that you can do? One, you got to get to know God, because here's the thing. Trust, faith drives out fear. It says in Psalm 56, three, when I am afraid, I put my trust in you. But here's the thing. Do you trust a stranger? stranger's house and get them to take care of?
[00:09:33] Carla: Would you hand over your finances to a stranger that you knew nothing about, didn't know their qualifications to handle your finances? No, trust is built on knowing who it is we are putting our faith in. Trust is believing in the expertise. And the talents and the gifts of who we are putting our trust in.
[00:09:58] Carla: How can we [00:10:00] fully trust God if we don't know him? And there is such a deficit of one on one relationship of truly knowing God in the church. Because for some reason, as Christians, we have become Afraid of opening our Bible, thinking that I don't understand it, believing that I don't have time to do it.
[00:10:28] Carla: And instead we are relying on our pastors on Sunday morning to teach us who God is. And let me tell you, there is a time and a place and Sunday mornings are important, but if you are only a Christian on Sunday mornings, if you are only getting to know God on Sunday mornings, you are not really getting to know God.
[00:10:50] Carla: So no wonder it's hard for you to have faith and trust in him. You don't know him well enough, [00:11:00] but he is so good. And he has left us his word that reveals the character and heart of God. So it is not blind faith or blind trust. It is knowing who he is. So that's the first thing, get to know God. The second thing is we have to speak faith.
[00:11:25] Carla: So many of us speak fear and fear is fueled by our words that we speak and the negative thoughts we cling to. So we have to get proficient in speaking faith. When that fear comes, I choose to speak faith over it. So, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. That's Romans 10, 12. We gotta speak faith, so our fears get choked out.
[00:11:59] Carla: If we're not [00:12:00] feeding our fear, With words and thoughts that are fearful, it will get choked out. You gotta speak faith, you gotta speak truth, you gotta affirm who God is. The third thing you gotta do is examine yourself. How are you fueling your fears? Besides speaking faith, you have to intake the right stuff.
[00:12:28] Carla: How are you fueling your fears? Are you listening to all the conspiracy theorists? Are you listening to everyone chattering about vaccines or voting polls or Chinese interference or whatever is the latest headline? Are you fueling your fears? And listen, I get the argument, I just want to be informed, but here is where you have to be honest and examine yourself.
[00:12:58] Carla: Are you being [00:13:00] informed with, uh, the shield of faith, or are you feeding your fears and letting fear and anxiety rule? I know for me, it's better that I look at the headlines less. I look at the headlines less and I look at my Bible more. If I have 15 minutes, am I going to read the paper headlines? Am I going to Google search what's going on?
[00:13:31] Carla: Am I going to go to the Instagram affiliate that Shares the news. Or am I going to get into the word? I have a choice to make there. And I will always choose to get into the word. Because that fuels my faith. Listen, the headlines are going to come and go. There's always going to be a disaster. There's always going to be a conspiracy.
[00:13:55] Carla: There's always going to be something that the world wants you to be afraid of. [00:14:00] You're actually not missing out on anything. If you look at the headlines and newspapers a hundred years ago, it's the same thing, the same tactics. Nothing has really changed. Seriously. I can pretty much tell you what's going on in the world.
[00:14:18] Carla: Having not read the headlines in the last few weeks, because it's the same stuff. And am I going to allow that to drive me to fear? No, I'm going to monitor and audit what I'm feeding myself. And what I'm feeling. The fourth thing is you have to decide that you are going to walk in faith empowered by the Holy Spirit.
[00:14:48] Carla: And yes, friend, this is a decision. You have to draw your line in the sand and say, I will not be ruled by fear anymore. That doesn't mean you're never going to feel, [00:15:00] feel, feel fear. I'm not saying you're never going to have an anxious thought. I'm not saying you're never going to have a fearful moment.
[00:15:09] Carla: Yes, they will come, but you will decide that you will not be ruled by them, but instead you will be empowered in your faith by the Holy Spirit. It says in Psalm 23, 4, even though I walk through the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me. Even though, even though the fear comes, even though it looks dark, even though the world seems like it's falling apart, even though I got the cancer diagnosis, even though my child looks like they're wayward, even though I am walking in the wilderness, in the dark, in the pit, I will fear no evil.
[00:15:54] Carla: Why? Because God is with us. He has promised to never leave or [00:16:00] forsake us. And God is true to his word. This is why you have to know the word, so you know who God is. God does not lie. He is true to his word, so if he has promised that he will never leave me or forsake me, I am never going to be alone. I don't have to fear.
[00:16:19] Carla: I don't have to fear. Friends, are you getting this today? Get to know God. Speak faith. Examine yourself and then decide you are going to live a life of faith empowered by the Holy Spirit. My affirming truth for you today is I choose, I choose to lay down my fear and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.
[00:16:48] Carla: And the verse we're going to look at is Psalm 27, five. The Lord is the, my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the [00:17:00] stronghold of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? No one friend. Those are rhetorical questions. The Lord is your salvation. The Lord is your light. The Lord is your strong tower.
[00:17:15] Carla: He is your stronghold. He is your portion. He is your cornerstone. He is your defender. He is your protector. He is your provider. He is your healer. He is your Redeemer. There is nothing and no one that you should fear as a daughter of Christ. And so, friend, I want you to be empowered today and emboldened to start putting these things into practice, getting to know God, speaking, faith, examining yourself and deciding on how you will live because you can do it because God says you can do it with the power of the Holy Spirit.
[00:17:56] Carla: And if you struggle, you don't have to do it alone. Book a [00:18:00] discovery call with me. Let's see how I can come alongside you and help you live this out in your life. You are more than a conqueror. And if you're living anything less than you are missing out on the power of the Christian life. And I want you to have that.
[00:18:18] Carla: You can always book a discovery call with me in the show notes or heading to my website. All right, friend, be blessed in Jesus name. Bye guys.
[00:18:35] Carla: Thanks for joining me today. I hope we're already friends on social media, but if we're not, come find me on Instagram at Carla Arges or at Affirming Truth. Can't wait to see you back here next week. Bye friends.