A Big Brave Adios to Fear & People-Pleasing

For God has not given us a spirit of fear,
 but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7
 {NKJV}




Life's a series of choices, isn't it.  We get to choose how to respond to what's happening to us.  What to do with our emotions and thoughts.  And how we invest our time, energy, and whatever resources we possess. 

Consider some of the decisions you've made recently.  Big ones, small ones, whatever.  Were they well-informed and wise choices prompted by confidence, love, and sanity?  Or was fear calling the shots?

Our natural bent and unfortunate past life experiences easily combine to lead us to believe that something catastrophic is always lurking 'round the corner, that the other shoe's just waiting to drop, that a black cloud hangs overhead with lightening bolts aimed straight toward us.  If that's our story, then chances are that our laced-with-fear decisions will reflect those beliefs. 

And / Or ...

If we're obsessively controlled by what other people want / expect / demand, the choices that spring forth from their manipulation are probably going to end up falling flat or going nowhere fast.  And that simply makes the endless, vicious 'I am such a loser' cycle spin all the more, doesn't it.

We've recently been chatting back and forth about praying that God's will be done in our lives and knowing that something good is in the wind.  But beware!  Those two obnoxious fear and people-pleasing bugaboos are lurking in darkened corners, just waiting to jump out and trip us up every time we head forward in faith.

Make no mistake, they'll do their best to keep us from hearing the victorious freedom song that emerges when we truly desire to hear God's whisper, His direction, His purpose for our lives.  And you can be sure that the enemy of our souls would love nothing more.

Consistently living out 2 Timothy 1:7 is not an easy assignment, is it.  Fear is a tough taskmaster and an all too common default mode.  And people-pleasing always leaves us feeling 'less than' as our confidence continues to ooze away.

Fear?

  People-pleasing?
  
Which one trips you up?

And how do you close the door
 on these destructive decision-motivators?



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