Facing your Fears: How to Deal with People or Things that Annoy You or Cause You to Stumble

Every one of us has encountered hurt, discouragement and disappointment at some point in our lives. But what do you do when that proverbial “monkey-on-your-back” is sometimes a repeat occurrence? You fight it, and it comes back to haunt you. The addiction, the lust, the habit, the fear, and the insecurity that always find you; it may leave you for a moment but it always knows where you live. Jesus spoke about this same issue. He said in Luke 11:24-26 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, I will return to my house from which I came. And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” That unclean spirit could be the “monkey-on-your-back.” Well these types of stumbling blocks, problems or troubles are not unique to any one person, they are just apart of life. Jesus said in John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Zechariah 4:6 further teaches us that “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts.” So from these two Scriptures we can conclude that adversity will come, but we can overcome it with our faith in God’s power. There are many Bible examples that substantiate this claim, so let’s investigate these short synopses, and apply the principles involved in these stories into our own lives.

Abraham

Childless Abraham was promised by God that he would be called the Father of many nations through his male child (Genesis 17:5). The fulfillment of this prophecy took a long time to fulfill (more than 20 years); Sarah, his wife, laughed at the promise (Genesis 18:12-13). When the promise was finally fulfilled, Abraham was commanded to kill his promised child (Genesis 22). What do you do when you’ve waited so long for the fulfillment of your hearts desire to come, only to have it taken from you? You feel like you take three steps forward and get knocked back five. You’re tempted to believe that everytime something good happens to you, bad is sure to follow. These are the times when you have to believe that the promises of God are in Him yes and Amen (2 Corinthians 1:20). The blessings of God make you rich, and they add no sorrow with it (Proverbs 10:22). You have to know in you heart that God is ONLY the author of good in your life, not evil (Jeremiah 29:11; John 10:10; 1 Corinthians 14:33). Hold on to God’s promises; remind Him of His promises to you (Isaiah 43:26). Do your part in the natural and let God do His part in the supernatural.

Joseph

God gave Joseph a dream that he would rule over his older brothers one day. Joseph prematurely revealed this dream to his older brothers; they despised it and threw him in a ditch. The brothers went home and told their father that Joseph was killed. Joseph didn’t die, but went to Egypt and eventually became the second in command under Pharoah. Because of his political influence and authority, Joseph was able to ration enough food to sustain the lives of his brothers and the entire nation of Israel through the famine. Joseph received a sure word of prophecy from God, and had no choice but to follow it. What do you do when you are ostracized for your beliefs, dreams or passions? Do you talk about what’s in your heart? A pregnant woman talks about her baby (that which is on the inside of her) during the pregnancy. What assignment/passion/dream from God is in you that you are pursuing? What are you doing to bring that to full fruition?

Jesus

He came to the earth to eventually be separated from the Father in order to die for the sins of the world. He asked Father God if His plan could be done another way; nevertheless, He obeyed Father God’s desire. Hebrews 12:2 says “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Although there was pain and suffering involved, for the greater good of humanity and with His faith firmly founded in the Father God’s will, Jesus sacrificed Himself for us. Jesus said that He could have called a legion of angels to deliver Him (Matthew 26:53). But He said that His meat (main purpose) was to do the will of Him who sent Him (John 4:34). What is God asking you to be willing to sacrifice for the sake of what’s best for you, your children, friends or family? Obeying may not be fun, but it brings a blessing (Isaiah 1:19-20).

David

The young king who caused a beautiful young woman (Bathsheba) to commit adultery with him, impregnated her, and had her husband killed (2 Samuel 11). As a result of this, evil never left his house. The newborn baby he had with Bathsheba died (2 Samuel 12) and his son, Solomon, became an idolatrous and backslidden king (1 Kings 11:1-4). Are you willing to allow the examples of history to be the warnings for your own actions today? (1 John 2:15-17). We’re all faced with temptations and with it, there is a way of escape in every situation (1 Corinthians 10:13). Let’s use proactive measures to not allow ourselves to be caught in uncompromising circumstances. A positive characteristic of David is that God said that David was a man after His heart (1 Kings 15:4). Even though he did do wrong, he showed genuine contrition (Psalms 51:4), and purposed in his heart to follow after God. Are you quick to acknowledge your faults to God and move forward with Him? If it’s a repeat offense, repeat the repentance. Notice that David’s heart was right before God, not all of his actions.

Paul

The Apostle Paul was originally named Saul of Tarsus. As a religious student under Rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), Saul was very skilled in the religious traditions of his day. Saul killed and persecuted Christians before his historical conversion to Christianity on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). As Paul later became an established Apostle in the Book of Acts, he came face-to-face with the same system he had once advanced and used as a weapon against the same message and movement he was promoting as an Apostle. He had to face his past. Are you willing to be teachable? Are you humble enough to admit and to correct your erroneous ways in order to move forward with God’s plan for your life? Maybe that doctrine you believe isn’t 100% correct. Maybe that relationship isn’t all that you think it is. Maybe that business deal or job isn’t as secure as you think it might be. Are you willing to reassess some of your priorities and readjust them?

Hosea

His marriage and life as a prophet manifested the relationship that God had with the continually unfaithful children of Israel. Hosea married Gomer only to discover that she was a prostitute. Though separation followed, Hosea’s love (like God’s love for His people) persisted and reconciliation eventually ensued. Sometimes we have to do things that we may not initially want to do or understand in order for God’s purposes to be accomplished in the earth. Would you be willing to suffer humiliation and be willing to forgive others, like Jesus and Hosea did, for the sake of fulfilling the purposes of God?

In all of these examples, we see how people were strengthened to overcome adversity for God’s desired purpose. Many times, we are faced with situations that can be characterized as painful, humiliating, embarrassing or degrading. But if we can gain some insight and revelation from these Bible stories, I believe that we can all overcome the struggles that we have. We may never suffer anything to the degree that these men did, but we can still use the principles in which they walked and gained victory to produce victory in our own lives. Principles are laws, like gravity. Gravity doesn’t care if you are in Africa, Canada, or Japan. If you jump off of a building, you will immediately fall to the ground and bust your head open. So use the principles, they work. The examples were given to us so that we can know the result of a certain action without experiencing the pain associated with it. Remember that! There are two ways to learn: through someone else’s example, or trial and error. We as adults and parents must stop perpetuating the same mistakes generation after generation. We need to set the next generation ahead of where we started. We must raise the bar and overcome the obstacles we face, walk in victory, and be a blessing. Review the stories in this article and see yourself and the situations that you encounter in them. How did the Bible heroes overcome adversity, weakness and struggles? That’s what you’re supposed to do, overcome. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Go and be the overcomer that God created you to be (1 John 5:4). You’re a victor, not a victim. Live well!