Different Kinds Of Fear
Fear Of Rejection
There is a deep fear that people will reject us or think we are crazy if we say the wrong thing or act a bit foolish.
We are raised from our earliest moments to look for approval from others.
It is helpful to remember that Jesus was "despised and rejected by men" (Is 53:3).
If we allow the fear of rejection to keep us from speaking up, many who desperately need Christ, and secretly in their hearts want peace and forgiveness, will not find Him.
"in the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence" - Proverbs 14:26 NASB
There is a difference between experiencing rejection because of the way we say something and because of the message we share. If someone rejects us because we are belligerent or insensitive, that is our responsibility. But if we simply speak about our beliefs about God, and people reject us, that shows a lack of depth and tolerance on their part.
We must not allow their unwillingness to listen openly to what we have to say keep us from sharing our faith.
Fear Of Losing Our Reputation
The best way to deal with this is to give up our reputation!
Jesus took the very nature of a servant, throwing aside His reputation.
There comes a point when we must recognise that these inner fears that we experience can produce sin. If we allow our fears to determine our actions, then we have become a slave to our fears.
Fear Of Physical Harm
The best way to overcome the fear of physical harm is to acknowledge it, confess it and affirm our trust in the Lord. He is able to give us the grace to face any situation we might find ourselves in.
Do not live in such fear of anticipated danger that you miss the joy of God's love right now.
Fear Of Being Inadequate
This is the kind of fear that makes us afraid that we will not have the right words to say when we talk to someone, or that they will ask us a question that we will not be able to answer.
Reading books on evangelism helps us to overcome this fear. If you had an inadequacy on the job and you had to overcome it to do your job, then you would most likely enroll in a training course offered for your work. In other words, take practical steps to get the tools they need to do the job they have to do.
As we get experience, we begin to learn that most questions fall into a pattern. We can learn to anticipate them and how to answer them.
What most people want to hear though is your personal testimony. They are impressed with joy, peace and a sense of reality in a person's life. That is the one thing that you have that no one can deny!
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God is able to deliver us from all fears. 1 John 4:18 says that "perfect love drives out fear"
One of the greatest ways to overcome fear is by choosing to pray for people and to love them with God's love.
Receive God's love for these individuals by faith. It is an act of faith, not feeling, to lov epeople, especially when they are difficult to love. Ask God to fill your heart with His love for them, and people will begin to see the difference in you.
Stop thinking about ourselves and start thinking about others, and effective evangelism will begin!
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