Fight of Our Minds Part 3
Stomping on fear.
When we think about stomping, we think of someone who is angry and is powerfully stomping on something they don’t want to be a thing anymore.
But a couple of weeks ago my anxiety hit all the more and it showed me a new aspect to stomping on fear.
I contend that stomping is also choosing to stand even when the ground beneath you feels like quicksand, and all you want to do is run to anyone or any place other than where you have been told to stand.
Now for my situation when it comes to getting in a car to go on a road trip, the fight of my mind is not new (more explanation on that in an upcoming blog), plus it was raining which just exacerbates my anxiety to get in the car.
However, this time I wasn’t stomping alone. This time, I had my whole small group praying for me and I knew I wasn’t alone in fighting this battle for my mind.
I had people holding my hands on both sides, so I could stomp on fear.
That is another aspect of “the fight of our minds”.
We aren’t called to do life alone, we are called to let other people in.
So why don’t we?
Why don’t we let other people hold our hands and tell us, they will help us fight?
Why don’t we let ourselves be vulnerable?
I will tell you why I don’t.
The story I tell myself is that I am going to wear people out.
This is a fear with some deep roots (that I know) and I am working through, but at the core of why I don’t reach out or I don’t let people into the raw/vulnerable places, is because I am afraid if they see me at my worst, they will walk away.
I fight this lie and the Lord has brought very special people into my life to show me that there is nothing that could happen that would make them walk away.
This is why for me:
To stomp on fear is to reach out to others.
To stomp on fear is to get behind the wheel while it is raining.
To stomp on fear is to be in circumstances that require me to put my heart on my sleeve and let others speak truth and do spiritual battle for me when I am just working on taking my next breath.
To stomp on fear is to do the work of showing up when it would be easier to not.
To stomp on fear is to say, “God, I gave up the right to myself and my life long ago, so I will keep standing and moving forward.”
To stomp on fear means that I am one step closer to having my heart look more like my Heavenly Father’s.
Don’t forget though, to stomp on fear looks different for every person.
For some it might be speaking in front of people, for others, it may be hiking a mountain.
We all have our own fears that need to be stomped on.
What fear will you stomp on today?
How to stomp on fear:
Acknowledge that you are experiencing it, no one is ever healed from something they don’t first acknowledge
Pray about it
Bring someone in to the journey, this can be one person or your small group. Tell someone today about your journey with fear (in whatever capacity you experience fear).
Find 3 bible verses about how God says to handle fear and either write them out or do something creative so you remember them
Keep breathing and praying
Stomping on fear is not a one and done thing, but when you have a system in place and people at the ready to do battle alongside you it makes the stomping easier.
Fight for your mind by stomping on fear, one day, one hour, one moment at a time.