I know by experience that some fears catch you be surprise. I had no idea that this fear was present until the right circumstances revealed it. Amazingly, it even masqueraded as something good.
The sad fact is, however, that if you give into this fear, it will sabotage your ability to do all that God called you to do.
A number of years ago, I began to pray for people for healing on Facebook chat. Soon, I was seeing miracle after miracle. I am far from famous, but in spite of that, people came to know me all around the world. Oh, the stories I could tell, but they are for another time. Even though I had been a pastor and leader for many years, this was a new experience for me. It sounds GREAT, right?
Then this one fear caught me by surprise. It wasn't a fear of failure, although, I had experienced that in the past.
No, it was actually the fear of SUCCESS.
How could that be? Isn't that what everyone wants down deep inside? Actually, most people have conflicting emotions concerning success. You see, as long as I was not successful, I could feel hidden. When I felt hidden, I felt safe.
I had related fears. I had fears of entering into pride. Even more, I had a fear of someone thinking I was proud. The truth is that someone will always misunderstand your motives.
In Matthew 5:14 - 16, Jesus told us that WE are the light of the world. We are like a city on the hill which cannot be hidden. He went on to ask us what sense it would make to place a light under a bushel. How would that give light to the people around them? In fact, Jesus told us to let our lights shine so that those around us would glorify the Father!
A light that is hidden in fear of being conspicuous gives no benefit to anyone and does not bring glory to God.
Jesus explained this to His disciples by talking about a grain of wheat in John 12:24. He told them that unless you put that grain of wheat in the ground, it produces no fruit. A seed is an embryonic plant in a protective shell. In order to produce a harvest, the shell must come off.
We must break out of that protective shell that always wants to be safe. Yes, we may become vulnerable, but we also become fruitful for the Kingdom.
The truth is that I have, for the most part overcome this strange fear, and so can you. How do you do that?
1. Allow the power of the Holy Spirit to touch you over and over again. Seek God for an encounter with Him. Peter couldn't even acknowledge Jesus to a servant girl before he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Afterwards, he stood before a multitude and spoke of Jesus.
2. Allow the love of God to touch you over and over again. Perfect love casts out fear. Live in the knowledge of His love.
3. Face your fear and simply go for it, obeying God regardless of the cost. Obedience is powerful. As you obey, God will give you grace to do all that He has called you to do.
In the days to come, God is going to take those who are fearfully in the background and catapult them to the front lines. His power and enablement will come with it. Life is about to become even more exciting than it is now!
Go for it!
Sherry Evans
For more stories of overcoming hindrances, check out my book, "Everyday Miracles" available on this website and on Amazon.com.