How to “Do Nothing Out of Fear”
By
he authors mention a maxim in there, which I like and am trying to live by:- “Talk to God about everything.
- “Do nothing out of fear.
- “Love others deeply.”
Sounds good, doesn’t it? But how do we do it? Especially the “do nothing out of fear” part?
We Are Not Meant to Live in Fear
First, recognize and embrace that we are not meant to live in fear.
Fear does bad things to spirit, soul and body.
In our spirit, fear stunts our spiritual growth. Instead of the right kind of fear of God–awe at his greatness, wonder at his goodness–we can have a fear based on distorted images of God (he is mean, angry, punishing, out to get you–like, perhaps, a parent was?). This will keep us from the Source of love and life.
God does not want us to live in fear! I have heard that some form of “do not fear” is in the Bible 365 times. Once for each day of the year. (Maybe we’re allowed fear only every leap year!)
Fear also stunts our soul. It can cause us to miss our destiny. Jesus told a parable of a man who hid his talent (money) in the ground because he “knew his master was a hard [and unjust] man, so he was afraid” and did nothing with what he had been given. Fear keeps us from fulfilling our potential.
Fear will distort our perceptions and lead to making bad decisions, ruining relationships–you get the picture.
And, of course, fear does bad things to the body. It keeps the sympathetic nervous system dominant, cortisol gets released along with a lot of other stress hormones that do a lot of damage over time.
So how do we “do nothing from fear”?
Recognize and Address the Fears
Look not just for specific fears, but what I think of as “baseline fears.” The kind of fears that are at the root of so many other fears.
For example, a fear of failure may really be a fear of rejection or judgment from others. Heal the fear of rejection, looking for memories of being rejected and/or judged.
Another “baseline” fear I recognize in myself and clients is fear of not being good enough, or worthy enough. Again, look for early memories and relationships where you felt that way. Heal that with The Healing Codes or Immanuel Prayer. Replace the lie that you’re not good enough with the truth that God makes you good enough. It’s not what you do, it’s a grace given that you can receive.
Here’s another baseline fear, one that marketers love to tap into: fear of missing out. Related to that: fear of not belonging. If you tend to succumb to manipulation tactics, one or both of these fears might be making you susceptible. Look for the underlying memories and beliefs that are the source of these fears, and heal those. You will find yourself automatically establishing better boundaries and enjoying healthier relationships.
Infuse the Positive
It’s not enough to heal the wounds, you also want to infuse and strengthen the positive. That’s what I like so much about The Healing Codes. It’s largely about infusing positive images and truths to negate the lies and hurtful memories. Immanuel Prayer is even better, as you invite the living presence of Jesus into those memories.
It’s impossible for our brains to hold a negative and positive thought at the same time. So besides deliberately healing the fears you are aware of, consciously refocus your thoughts when they go to the negative place. Catch yourself, and replace it with a more positive focus.
You might even want to smile. I hear that actually does something in the brain.
This is not the same as “stuffing.” This is self-control. When you stuff a negative emotion or thought, you push it down, you don’t want to deal with it. When you practice self-control, you recognize what’s going on, and you deliberately choose not to give that thought any more time. At the same time, you are regularly making time to deal with what comes up. That’s the difference. With self-control, it’s more of a “not thinking about that now, I’ll deal with it in my healing work” or whenever it’s appropriate. But you do deal with it.
To “do nothing out of fear,” you need to deal with the fears, and practice self-control by deliberately refocusing on love and truth in the moment. I like to deliberately turn my focus to some memory when I just knew God was with me, or to appreciation of something good in my life. I remind myself that God is with me right this moment, and tune in to his presence. If there’s fear, I just talk to him about it, and affirm my trust that he can take care of everything.
Which brings me back to:
Talk to God about everything.
Do nothing out of fear.
Love others deeply.
It’s truly a wonderful way to live!
