YOU’RE EQUIPPED FOR SUCCESS!
(By: Neil Gass)  

“I can’t help being timid & fearful. It’s the way I was born. I’ve just got a timid personality!” We’ve been talking about DEBILITATING BELIEFS you may hold about yourself that make you fear pursuing the best in your life & relationships. There’s a verse in 1 Timothy 1:7 that says, “God has not given us an attitude of fear, but of power & of love & of a sound mind (that is, a mind fully in charge of it itself!)” Think about it: God says, wherever you got that attitude of fear, you didn’t get it from me. It wasn’t genetic - not part of your “original equipment.” I didn’t create you with a timid personality! Settle it in your mind; you are not “naturally, genetically or by personality” a fearful person. You LEARNED to be fearful as a result of SELF DEFEATING, SELF LIMITING BELIEFS! You no doubt got a lot of help in this from the people & circumstances of your life. But it is learned behavior & the good news is: IT CAN BE UNLEARNED!

Such irrational beliefs can be crippling for two reasons. (1) Because they DISTORT your PERCEPTION. (2) Because they PARALYZE you in the ACTION department! Remember the story of the disciples at sea in a fierce storm? (Matt. 14) The water’s raging; the wind’s howling; they’re gripped by a dreadful fear. They panic & begin to prophesy their own doom. Suddenly Jesus, who’s been monitoring their voyage from shore, comes towards them walking on the waves. They see Him, but their irrational fear DISTORTS their PERCEPTION & they cry out, “Good heavens, if it’s not bad enough we’re about to drown; now here comes a GHOST! Could things possibly get any worse?” Now get this. He’s the SOLUTION to their dilemma, but their irrational fear makes them perceive Him as a BIGGER PROBLEM than their initial problem! He’s here to RESCUE them but because of their fear they perceive Him to be a THREAT! Their irrational fear-based belief turns the ANSWER into one huge PERCEIVED PROBLEM! It’s not just a story it’s a real life PORTRAIT of most of US!

How many times have you been sent a SOLUTION, but your irrational fears TURNED it into a PERCEIVED PROBLEM & you turned down the solution only to stay stuck in your problem situation? Can you relate to this in your life? For instance, say you’re in a dead-end job; no hope of promotion or salary increase. You’re just not making it financially & you desperately need a solution! Someone tells you of an available position with upward mobility, excellent salary prospects, great benefits including retirement package. It’s just what you need & you know you’d love the work. BUT your FEAR of FAILURE in the event you’re not selected for the job caused you to PERCEIVE the interview not as a solution to your problem, but as a MAJOR THREAT, a potential failure to be avoided at all costs. You don’t show up for the interview & someone else, possibly less capable, less well suited to the job gets the job! Or, say you move to a new community & a neighbor invites you to a get-together to help you get acquainted with other neighbors. However, your FEAR of REJECTION causes you to PERCEIVE the invitation not as a SOLUTION but as an event to be FEARED & AVOIDED! You’re trapped in a DOUBLE BIND of your own making! It’s a real “CATCH 22,” where you feel, “I’m damned if I DO & I’m damned if I DON’T! In the job situation, if I want to SOLVE my professional & financial problem, I have to RISK getting turned down at the interview. If I RISK the interview, I have to FACE my FEAR of FAILURE!” In the social situation, “If I want to be friends with my new neighbors, I have to RISK attending the social event. If I RISK going to the get-together I have to FACE my FEAR of REJECTION by some of them!”

Now, remember the words of 1 Timothy. “God has NOT GIVEN us an attitude of FEAR but (He has given usan attitude) of POWER, of LOVE & of a SOUND MIND.” You were NOT “BORN THAT WAY!” Your irrational fears are neither “natural,” God-ordained, nor genetic personality traits! WhatIS NATURAL, GOD-ORDAINED & GENETICALLY YOURS is an ATTITUDE of POWER (ADEQUACY, “CAN DO!”) LOVE (the ability to love & be loved) & a SOUND MIND (SELF-GOVERNED, with the capacity to THINK rationally, not irrationally or neurotically.)