Fear feeds off of the unknown. All good filmmakers know it. It’s the thing behind the closet door that scares us the most. It’s that person out in the dark just beyond what we are able to see. When we can’t see what  out there to get us, our imagination takes over and fear floods our minds.  The only way to send the fear scattering…..is to turn on the light. When we see what we are up against, it’s not so scary. The deepest fears that haunt us, however,  aren’t generated by what’s under the bed or in the woods or behind that closed door, it’s inside of us. The things that we’ve hidden deep inside of ourselves, the doubts and insecurities, the assumptions about life we’ve made because of how we’ve been treated by others. That stuff is truly scary, and we very rarely turn the light on to have a good look.

If you really want to be free from the fear that has been beating you up for so long, here’s a few things to remember:

Most of us don’t take a close look inside of ourselves because we are afraid of what we might find. Your imagination is actually part of the problem. When you think about you, you almost always spend more time thinking about the bad stuff, the words you shouldn’t have said, the relationships you shouldn’t have held on to. Most people assume that God is the little voice in your head reminding you of all the bad you’ve done. In truth, it’s just the opposite. He is there to remind you that He has better plans for you than you could ever imagine for yourself.

We pay people to fix our cars, to wire our houses with electricity, and to clear those viruses out of our computer that makes Facebook run so slowly. But, when it comes to the incredibly complex inner working of our minds and bodies, we feel that we have it all figured out. Not even close! Getting help, whether from a close friend, counselor, or mentor is a life-line that should not be ignored.

When you turn the light on and have a good look inside of your heart and mind, you will realize that God is there to face whatever you fear with you. God does not ask us to solve our own problems or conquer our own sins. We’ve all tried, and we’ve all failed. God wants to work with us as we deal with our junk. He loves us fully as we are and at the same time He never forgets all that we can become.