Breaking the Cycle of Fear

Breaking The Cycle Of Fear

by Diana Scothorn

I remember as a young child, only seven years old, living in Taiwan, and my parents were out for the evening, and our sitter was with my brothers and myself.  I went into the kitchen to get a glass of milk, and there standing before me was a man all dressed in black clothing, black gloves with a black ski mask pulled over his face to disguise himself.

He had cut through the glass screen door and entered to rob our home…  

I screamed at the top of my lungs, and he ran out the back door.  I believe at that moment in my life, FEAR ENTERED my heart and began to control my little mind! From that point on, FEAR was a powerful weapon that took control.

I thought about the image in my mind over and over. FEAR often begins with a single thought. What if this happens again?  What if I never lose weight? What if I can’t get out of debt? What if I never find love? What if they never forgive me? What if God is mad at me???

FEAR is a tool meant to draw you away from God and His vision for your life, and the earlier the devil can begin to torment your mind, the more control he can gain in your life.

I remember shortly after that fateful night in the kitchen, I began fearing thunder and lightning storms. The FEAR gripped me!  The thunder didn’t bother me, but I feared that lightning would strike and blind my eyesight.  What a strange thing for a small child to fear.  Not the loud, boisterous bang of the thunder but the LOSS of SIGHT!  I would bury my face in the pillow and turn my back away from the window so the lighting wouldn’t be able to strike my eyes.  I  feared lightning all the way through high school.

How ironic looking back even in my young age, the devil knew I would have GOD INSPIRED VISION for His Kingdom, and so he made me FEAR for MY VISION!  The devil knew if the eyes of my understanding were enlightened and if I were able to grasp the hope of God’s calling for my life, he would be doomed and not have any control over me.  (Ephesians 1:18)

Yet, fear followed me into my adult life, and I followed a cycle of fear. FEAR ATTRACTS and BREEDS FEAR. I attracted men who would control and dominate my life, and as a young adult, desperate for love, I found myself in a physically abusive relationship.  When God removed me from that relationship, I then  entered into another physically abusive relationship worse than the previous relationship.  I thought I had broken the cycle, yet ended up in the ultimate verbally abusive relationship that depleted my self-worth!

The devil is on duty twenty-four hours a day to strip you of your worth!  I had no idea why I ended up in these relationships. I loved the Lord and desired to live for Him, yet I could not seem to break the cycle, even though they all appeared to be good men.  

Then I learned a fundamental truth…

FEAR CLOUDS VISION to see the truth, and it destroys the perception of reality!  Whether the threat is real or imagined, the FEAR is tangible.

The devil wants you to think his perception is reality, which is actually a false statement. God’s Word is the highest form of truth and reality!  We can not allow ourselves to go by what we see or feel.

The very foundation of fear is based on loss. Instead of trusting  God for the right man, FEAR of no man allowed me to have any man!

FEAR always SETTLES for LESS!!!

FEAR will drag you up and down and back around the same mountain over and over if you allow it to do so.  It’s a constant battle not to allow FEAR to control my emotions but is a battle worthy of the fight!

I may not feel worthy, but that doesn’t change the TRUTH where God says, I AM WORTHY!  We may not feel healed,  but that doesn’t change the TRUTH of God’s Word where it says, I AM HEALED!

I have found it’s up to me to break the cycle of fear. 1 John  4:18 says, ” God’s perfect love cast out fear.”  God’s love is the controlling factor of all things, and everything that has a Name has to bow down to the Name of Jesus!  I had to decide Jesus alone has authority over my life!!!

I can choose to be controlled by the Spirit of God, or I can choose to be controlled by the spirit of fear.  FEAR produces TORMENT! God’s love produces peace!  I’ve experienced both and discovered when you are filled with the righteous reign of peace, there’s no room for fear.  The faster we break free from the cycle of fear, the faster we’ll experience the victory!