Fear? What Fear?
Fear is the belief in a lie.
Because fear is an uncomfortable feeling, we often deal with it by using denial.
If you encounter a person who is in denial, it is because they are afraid to face the truth. They kind of know the truth, subconsciously, but do not want to take the actions that would be obvious to them once that truth is fully revealed. So they deny it.
So fear, denial, and lies are all interrelated. Find the underlying lie, and you will crush the denial. The truth may or may not be painful, but once it is revealed, the person must deal with it. If he doesn't, he will consciously re-bury the lie and continue living in denial, on purpose.
Some of these lies were told to us by others, like our parents when we were children:
“You’re not good enough.”
“You must earn love.”
“You have no inherent worth, only what you can do for others.”
“You are better than everybody else.”
Some of these lies are from misinterpretations:
God is wrathful
God is vengeful
God is distant and angry
God will not meet my needs
Some of these lies are what you tell yourself:
My body can take any amount of abuse I heap on it
Surrendering my life to God will make me unhappier than I can make myself
I must punish myself or I will never learn
If I obey God, he will bring me what I want
My mate will not abuse me again if I go back one more time
If you want to change your life for the better, if you want to grow in your spirituality, if you want to get to know who God really is, you must begin an archaeological exploration of the lies in your life.
Clues to where your lies are hidden:
Shame: Under every shame is a lie that you believe
Cognitive dissonance: Two things that together don’t make sense
Gut: Your gut is telling you something different than your head
Fear: There is always a lie under every fear
Frustration: No matter how much you try, your relationship or job or situation does not get any better
Hope: Living on hope regarding a situation you cannot control
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