I Don’t Know Why I Am Afraid!

Fear is one of our most primal emotions. It was given to us for a reason. Healthy fear is a preserving part of who we are. The adrenaline rush that follows the sudden triggering of the fight or flight mechanisms in our brain leaves us in a momentary state of heightened awareness and sensitivity with increased heart rate, blood pressure, and other autonomic responses few of us could sustain for any length of time. It is actually an amazing phenomenon that teaches us powerful lessons for our own protection.

Interestingly, the most powerful processes in the brain related to fear take place in the areas of the brain associated with feelings and emotions and not thought. Research has shown these emotion areas of the brain have their own memory that creates conditioned responses based on feelings and not thinking. This is why simply telling yourself not to be afraid is not enough.

Have you ever been in a situation that caused you fear or anxiousness, and you told yourself over and over not to be afraid? Did it work? Probably not. You are negotiating with your rational brain, but your emotional brain is feeding the fear. Are you dealing with fears that embarrass you because they seem so irrational? Well, they probably are irrational, since rationality seems to play a limited role in what makes us fearful. Do you see how this can be debilitating and paralyzing as we walk through life?

When people think out of the box or step out and show initiative only to be shamed or criticized by someone they respect or someone in authority over them, a sense of anxiousness and fear can create a conditioned response that will keep them from ever trying that again. Every time an opportunity to lead or influence comes along, they get a paralyzing anxiety that has no basis in rationality. The fact that they cannot explain why their gifts, talents, and abilities are not being used only magnifies the conditioned response that is now lodged deeply in their emotional being. Does this describe you?

Only the Holy Spirit can address these issues in our lives. The Spirit both renews the mind and heals the heart. Breaking free of the conditioned responses that keep us in an unproductive cycle of repeated behavior requires us to cry out to Jesus with a deep and sincere humility and a willingness to be healed in our emotions, not just in our mind. Failing to do this ensures tomorrow and the days to come will only be a repeat of today. Pray specifically that the Holy Spirit will reveal the fears that have taken root in your heart and emotions and then be courageous enough to act on what is revealed. God is not asking you to break a secret code to be free of debilitating fear. He wants to make what is holding you back crystal clear so tomorrow can be the first step on the journey of effectiveness and kingdom productivity He created you to walk from the day you were born.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future  (Jeremiah 29:11). If your mind gets excited about this, but your heart is filled with doubt that it is true, ask God to remove the conditioned responses that fear has created.