Fear vs. Phobia
True fear is a God given emotion - it is our basic survival tool that helps us to perceive true threats. The balance of fear can be tipped when fears turn into phobias.
“pho·bi·a
/ˈfōbēə/
An extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something.”
Phobias are unhealthy, and the fear a phobia induces is disproportionate to the threat faced. As humans, I believe that what we think is fear is really just phobia. I’ve begun to replace the word fear in my life with phobia and it has helped shift my mindset. I now say I have a phobia of failure, a phobia of rejection, a phobia of messing up and being imperfect. We let phobias rule our lives by allowing them to keep us in a “what if” space. What if I fail? What if I’m rejected? What if I mess up? All of those phobias elicit us to:
think about what someone else is thinking of us
keep us from ever doing anything
I firmly believe in the motto “fail forward”. If we never fail, we never grow. The worst thing you can do is let a phobia of failure hold you back from trying something new, which is the main phobia that I have let control my life. I don’t want to switch jobs because I might fail at my new one, I don’t want to lose weight because what if I can’t do it as fast as other people and I’m still not likable when I’m skinny. By stopping myself from failing and experiencing new things, I may believe that I am protecting myself; however, I am blocking myself from blessings and the life God wants for me. We all ask for miracles and blessings in our lives, but what do we actually do to fight for them? I can ask God all I want to provide me with a new job opportunity, but I won’t ever find it if I don’t apply for jobs because I’m too afraid.
The fear that God intended for us is the fear of God himself. This isn’t meant in a negative way, but rather a healthy fear and understanding of who God is. Fear of God is respect for God and obedience in following his rules. When we respect and love God and live life as he intended, there is no space for phobias in our life. Without phobias, God can truly use us as a vessel to be the light that we are called to be. I challenge you to evaluate the phobias that you allow to rule your life and say, “no more.” Let the fear of God be the only fear you allow room for and begin to live to your fullest potential.
In the comments let us know what phobia’s you are releasing this week!