I talked a little bit the other day about how decisions made based on fear can be detrimental not only to ourselves, the impact is far reaching. In Exodus chapter 1, the Israelites had increased in numbers over the years and became so numerous that the Egyptians became fearful of them. They were afraid that they would be able to overpower the Egyptians or form allies with their enemies and defeat them. So they decided they would oppress them. They turned them into slaves.
But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied.
It’s interesting how the more you and I are pressed the more fruitful we often become. In response to this, the Egyptian’s became harsher and more ruthless. Eventually, the king decided that the only way to cripple them was to kill their baby boys.
The impact of insecurities and fear can be monstrous. When we allow the Devil to intimidate us based on what we see, we imagine all kinds of scenarios and become hasty in trying to protect ourselves from perceived dangers. Fear is far more dangerous then we imagine.
Today we can look at many lives that have been lost due to fear. How many home burglaries have turned into murders because the perpetrators feared that their identity would be revealed and they would rightfully have to suffer the consequences of their actions? How many people have been killed because someone feared they were a threat when they weren’t?
The fear you and I face may not have life-threatening implications like it did for the Israelites. We may not have killed anyone because we were fearful, but how many times have decisions we made out of fear caused harm to somebody else? That’s a hard question to ask, I know.
Not all fear is bad. There are times it has served me well. In many cases, caution is necessary, but what I am learning to do is to investigate my fears and get to the root of each one. I now ask God to confirm whether a particular fear is founded on a real or imagined threat. And sometimes, It may be masked as safety.
The fear of starting over has prevented many of us from accepting God’s very best because He is calling us to step outside of what we have always known.
A few years ago, we ran a story about a woman named Tecla who had lost both parents at a young age and was misguided by friends. She became a teen mom and her life spiraled out of control for a while, but she was determined to keep fighting for a brighter day.
“The process was tough but l persevered. Lots of tears were shed, but l never gave up until l completed my ordinary level [high school] in 2018. Discouragements l got from family pained me but l refused to back down because l knew l could do it.”
I love that Tecla refused to allow fear to hold her back. She went back to school and is better today for it. Read her story below and tell us what fears you have learned to overcome?
Vimbai E. is a content marketer, ghostwriter, and the founder of The Weight She Carries. With hundreds of articles and stories publishing online, in print and for broadcast, her love of language and storytelling shines through every piece of writing that bears her name.