Day Fifteen: Motivation Check No. 2 Fear

I often hear the phrase “fake it ‘til you make it” or “feel the fear and do it anyway.” I do not think either of these should apply to any Christian life. We are not called to fake anything nor are we called to embrace fear. Actually we are supposed to do the opposite. 

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 

(II Timothy 1:7 KJV)

I prefer the King James translation of this scripture because it says “sound mind.” Other translations translate “sound mind” to discipline, self-control, or self-discipline. I prefer the KJV because when I am motivated by fear to do or not to do something I feel conflicted and unstable. The restoration that God brings through his perfect love is the only way to bring soundness, wholeness, completeness back to my mind and spirit. Fear is a bad motivator because it means you are acting without a sound mind ( a distrustful, worried, anxious, and tired mind), which often turns into acting outside of God’s covering.

We live in a culture that tells us that we are to embrace our fears and to act on them, or by some magical feat we are required to act as if our fears do not exist and muster up some inner strength to act in spite of them. I don’t know about you, but I have no special talent for pushing past fear on my own. Nor do I have any desire to live in a state of fear so that I can bounce from adrenaline fueled cortisol rush to cortisol rush. 

When I have days, mornings, nights, moments of fear, I go through the following:

Q: How does God love?

            A: He Loves Perfectly!

Q: What does perfect love do?

            A: It Casts Out All Fear! ( I John 4:18)

Q: How am I loved?

            A: Perfectly!

Q: What or whom have I to fear?

            A: No one and Nothing!

Over and over and over again in my head. Is it a magic spell that dissipates fear? No. I wish to God that it worked that way. However, I have learned that there is a difference between being afraid, acknowledging that fear before God, and ushering in His help by remembering His promises to me. From that remembrance of His promise I act, I move, I decide. I am trying to stop being motivated by fear.

Whether it is fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of the unknown, etc… Before you react and spring into action because you are “faking it ‘til you make it” or “embracing the fear and doing it anyway,” I would encourage you to stop and really check your motivation. Check to see if you are operating from a sound mind that is covered in God’s promises.

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