Living without Fear

A few posts ago, I shared with you some videos I filmed about tackling fear in our lives.  It was inspired by a journey that God has recently been taking me on over the last few years.  

As mentioned in my videos, fear has been something that has played a major role in my life and it was not until recently that I realised how much it affected my life.

Courtesy of inlpcenter.org

God has been gradually removing the grip fear has had on my life over the last few years by taking me through some challenges where I have had no choice but to face the very things that I feared.  This process achieved two objectives:

1.  Demonstrated how strongly fear was operating in my life

2.  Demonstrated that I could survive when I confronted my fears.

The process was extremely painful and difficult, and at the same time, amazingly liberating.  Standing on the other side, I am so grateful that God took me through the experience.  

In March of this year, I went on a healing retreat at Ellel Ministries and fear was one of the areas that was tackled.  My experience at the retreat has forever changed me and I can only compare this experience to the time that I gave my life to Christ.  It has been truly life changing and I feel like a completely new person. 

Sometimes, it isn't until you are free that you realise how bound you were!

Whilst my new way of life has been refreshing, it has also thrown up some fresh challenges.  Fear played a big role in my unhealthy desire to please everyone (often to the point of harming myself!).  This "people pleasing" lifestyle was based on fear of being rejected or upsetting others.  Now that I have been set free, I face the challenge of dealing with developing the fruit of the Spirit in my life.

I can almost hear most of you saying, "Huh?!"  Everyone knew me as someone you could always rely on, someone patient, thoughtful and kind, but increasingly I am realising that a lot of that was not necessarily based on me displaying the fruit of the Spirit but rather based on my fear of displeasing others.

So now I am living fearlessly, I am having to learn how to manage the emotions that would have previously been curtailed by fear.  I am learning how to continue to demonstrate love to those who upset me because now I am not afraid of upsetting them.

It has been an interesting journey and I am grateful that God is using it to refine me further.

Until next time,

Cece x