We all have certain fears. However, when it comes to living authentically, living mindfully, and living out a genuine spiritual life – there is an inherent fear of stepping out in faith and living completely and totally surrendered to God. In fact, one of my biggest resentments I’ve held against God is asking Him to draw me near to him and seek him.
Now, why would this cause grave consternation and resentment? Because, whenever I had sincerely desired to seek God and truly know him – something in my life is completely turned upside down. Loss of employment, loss of housing, loss of significant relationships. Yet, instead of having to turn to God and seek His divine counsel and wisdom? I relied on my own intellectual understanding.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths
~ Proverbs 3:5-6, KJV ~
I also had a habitual need to seek out those who are willing to come to my aide and rescue me. It almost felt as though I am standing on the end of the dock and asking God to draw me to himself and suddenly I am kicked in the rear and find myself flailing in the water.
Hindsight being 20/20, these circumstances were apparently my call to action. Meaning, most of my young adult life spent in some form of naive cocoon of many varying false beliefs and illusions. Having this, proverbial, swift kick in the ass was a means of getting my attention to focus on seeking God and coming to rely on him. What I greatly feared was leaving my own sense of comfort and stepping out with faith and courage to seek an enriching and divine relationship with my Heavenly Father.
Don’t get me wrong, I grew up with, what I believed, a faith and testimony about God. However, it had never occurred to me that I had not developed a strong sustaining faith that was based on a true and authentic relationship with Christ and my Heavenly Father. And, realizing this, I have come to recognize the many missed opportunities I had where God truly was calling me out of my place of comfort.
Yet, if anything I have learned in life is this: God never gives up on us. His promise is definitive in that:
Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
~ Deuteronomy 31:6, KJV ~
As long as we are strong and have courage, not fearing, not being afraid – God will go with us and will not ever fail us. However, when we are at that precipice of wanting to be courageous, strong, and not wanting to be afraid – we have a tendency to shrink back. Fear becoming the more powerful influencer of our inaction to follow through and stepping out in the faith to walk with God.
I see this in those patients that I work with. They fear leaving a toxic lifestyle that has brought nothing but misery and distress in their lives. I see this in my own life. I see this in the life of my friends who are struggling. And, it is not that we fear the unknown. It is the fact that we fear the reality of our own inadequacy to cope with the situation that we are suddenly thrust into.
Going back to the visualization of being on the dock and then suddenly being pushed into the water. For a moment, we are floundering around, struggling to get ourselves stable. Yet, we eventually get ourselves stable and start swimming around. At the moment, the shock and panic is there. However, it soon dissipates. This is because our circumstances we are faced with do not change. We change and adapt to our present circumstances.
Genuine and authentic spiritual growth is where we are challenged and brought out of our comfort zone. Our faith is going to be tested. We either react in fear and miss those opportunities to increase our faith and move further toward spiritual maturation; or, we surrender ourselves and adapt to the circumstances and seek God’s wisdom and counsel as we move forward with courage.
Today, I have come to embrace those seasons of challenges, because I have now learned that true faith rests in relying on God’s wisdom and counsel for my life and that I am called to step out in faith, having courage, and being of a sound mind where there is no longer the need to fear – or be afraid.
So, what is your greatest fear you are wrestling with today? Share your thoughts on where you are at in life, what you are struggling with, and what your fears are in moving forward.
Mindful Latter-day Saint Apologetics 
I just re-read this, and want to say something about at the end of that dock.
Jump off, what? Yes let go to God, yes,
But I will be uncontrolled and have let go of me trying not to do, and left to uncontrollable circumstances, won’t I
Maybe, yet hear what God says, what you just thought about letting go is true, IF I, God we’re not real.
But I, God am real, And when you do let go and jump off, I, God Father of risen Son for you, will catch you in the palm of my hand, and lead you all around this land.
That I see is what is the most fearful to do is let go to God Father of risen Son for you, at least for me this I saw, and jumped off, sometimes trying to live and swim to shore.
And learning, learned and learning again just to float, in trust to go wherever Father taskes me to. In Risen Son given me, you and all in belief too.
Not easy when we all do go through our own personal journeys here on earth. Yet, belief only and to stand in this is not hard.
To say whenever in adversities, Okay here am Lord, I do not know how you are going to get ne through this, but that does not matter, I trust you will as promised,
Thank you in thanksgiving and praise, I see all sin now is as far as the east is from the west, and not for me to figure this out. That be where doubt enters in again and messes me up again.
As this doubt has so many times in past stupid ignorance on my part. Even as when Eve had doubt, then Adam after her, caused this big mess here on earth.
And you by one sacrifice of Son the only exact extension of yourself in flesh for us, has reversed this curse the first Adam brought on us, by unbelief to you that death would take place. As it did to all flesh and blood, Yet by Son’s death, burial and resurrection we are made new by you in your Spirit and Truth you I’ve us to stand in. Not of any work having to be done to have this.
Thank you as in Psalms 100:4. 103:12, Ezekiel 36:26, Job 19:25 and the entire book of Job. to the deepest faith ever Christ’s willing death for us all to get new life in his resurrection, not in his death
As Pentecost happened when Father came here in Spirit and Truth, and spoke to all there in their tongues using the disciples as his vessels to do this truth.
Believe, receive and see, as those 3,000 did that day, the speaking in tongues was for communication one to the other, not that anyone has to speak in an unknown tongue.
For all these tongues spoken then, were not unknown to the others that heard the others speak their languages to them of truth where these heard my Son is risen for you, do you believe this truth.
Those that believed spoke back to the disciples in their language hearing yes I believe, and were saved as confirmed by them.
Note: this was, is Spirit Baptism, over water that is a good Conscience to Father of in risen Son for each one in belief too.
But water Baptism does not do the saving, Father does in Spirit and Truth to walk new, not of the old self any more.
Thanks Brother for letting me post here, what I hear
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Fear, what is fear?
F- alse
E- evidence
A- appearing
R- eal
As perfect love casts out all fear. Once one sees this perfect love of God given us through Son, as forgiven, even if one still sins again, one remains forgiven from Father by Son.
Until one sees this perfect love, revealed to them by Father, one fears no longer, except by old habits of fear that are now waking away.
Fear of death is the top of my list and I see is the top of everyone’s list, whether in belief or not to Father of in risen Son or even just the death for us,
I and many are taught to do good or not be saved, so as children one either tries their best, or not in rebellion as I see I have had in past and might again being in this body of condemned flesh.
So being in this flesh body, I am in fear of death, that is false evidence that is real, all one day die to flesh and blood.
Until I saw those truth of God Father by Son for us to us, to give us new life, one learns what this perfect love does.
It casts out all fear, which includes death.
Therefore one might now reckon themselves dead to this flesh body that is not redeemed, it has to die, because of sin.
The only one that did not die because of sin in his flesh body was is Son’s, born perfect, not of man kind
For Father was not ever known as Father until the perfect one, Jesus, Born of Woman not of Man.
So yes to you Brother about FEAR, man throughout the first Testament feared death.
Jesus gave us this verse written to us by Apostle John in John 16:33. Where Jesus said this before his death ever took place for us to reconcile us before Father, to give us this forgiveness once and for all to now by this done work for us, we get new life in the risen Christ to take over these bodies of ours first born in as dead now.
Then He the Risen Son takes over in leading us in Father’s Spirit and Truth onto everyone, encountering them, with the love, peace and joy, beyond human flesh understanding
In this risen Son and when we get revealed this truth, there is new learning of
Ezekiel 36:26, a New Heart, a New Spirit, truth resides in us to learn to not fear as were used to in past, having now bad habits of those fears waking away, by continued trust to Father and Son as WON for us.
John 4:23-24 still stands, and never will leave us, once in us. As we do, I do have gone astray of Faith given me from the King, Father of Son as Son today is High Priest now to not ever die again.
Can one put themselves in his shoes to walk for us, and see to not scramble around in doubt any more?
Father does and will carry on the work he starts in each one of us, from the very first day of belief to his love and mercy offered us by Son. This two married as ONE (Won) for us to reside in even in troubles to say, I do not like this adversity I am in. Yet, butt I know not how, but Father will see me, you, you, you and you too through. So stand in this truth Col. 1:21-23, Romans 5:10 read it from verse 1
It is finished for us to just trust in him! even if and whenever in adversities too, for God has overcome this world for us to be overcome too.
And will listen to us even in our disgust over stuff, How else can anyone be trained new, unless anyone can vent to him and not be wiped out over it.
This is my story and I am sticking to it, not letting go of belief to he does just love us all, ALL I said.
So why not respond in Thanksgiving and praise, as David saw in Psalms 100:4, and then saw all sin taken away as far as the east is from the west
Ps. 103:12
So if fear still resides, okay, I know this fear, and chose not to, for by it, I get slayed.
When truth is, Father by Son gives new life to reside in by Spirit and Truth, not of flesh and blood
For all sin today in Christ’s one time death condemned sin once and for all to flesh.
Romans 8:3, then went to Heaven preparing mansions for us. So this time here on earth is very short compared to eternity of peace and serenity
And about fear being cast out by God for us is in 1 John 418-19
Thanks as we each grow up as beautiful flowers here today gone tomorrow
Fear is of flesh and blood, not of or in spirit and truth, learning this truth still, not that I have gained, but God has for us all to be safe and secure in his love and mercy given us all by Son first
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