Fear is a Liar

I went to sleep with fears and questions and awoke to faith and answers.

Monday night I felt fear and doubt right as I was going to bed. I had to make a financial decision on Tuesday morning which would move this blog forward, and the commitment in time and money would be a long-term reality. No turning back. The negative thoughts Satan planted were swirling around in my head. Why are you wasting your time on this blog? No one really wants to hear what you have to say anyway. Is this all about you and your vanity? Are you just being self-serving? What makes you so special that you think God is in your story? Are you really sure this is what God wants you to do? I laid in bed with these negative thoughts in my mind. I should have recognized where they were coming from and stopped Satan in his tracks, but I started to believe the thoughts. I went to sleep with a prayer in my heart. Father, please let me know if writing this blog is what you want me to do. I thought I got an answer from you earlier, but now I'm not so sure.

Tuesday morning I awoke at 3:00 a.m. to begin my devotional. This has been a routine for me for almost three years. It is still difficult to get up that early so, yes, there are some mornings I turn off the alarm and go back to sleep. President Nelson has told us that the Lord loves effort, and for the many mornings I am successful in completing this early morning devotional, the rewards of increased personal revelation have become clearly evident. I spend about 45 minutes in scripture study, the next hour in prayer and recording the answers I receive, and the third hour is spent in quiet meditation.

As I awoke Tuesday at that early hour, I knew I needed answers, so there was no way I was going back to sleep that morning. My heart still felt heavy and my mind still confused by Satan's taunting. I thought to myself that the answer would come during the second hour of prayer. I opened up the Doctrine and Covenants' Come Follow Me study guide and began my morning devotional.

The title of that day's study was "The Savior can lift me up out of my afflictions." The suggested exercise was to look for the Lord's words of encouragement. I opened a book entitled "Your Study of the Doctrine and Covenants Made Easier" by David J. Ridges and began to read verse 1 in section 24. I only got part way through the first sentence of that first verse, and I stopped reading. I was staring at my answer. I probably stared at those words for a full minute. I couldn't take my eyes off the page.

I said a prayer to Heavenly Father. "Father, is this my answer?" Then I heard "liken this scripture to yourself." Words of gratitude were spoken. Fear and doubt left me immediately. I had my answer and the direction was clear. I was to continue in my efforts to write this blog. So, what were the very first words I read that morning? In bold letters were the words, "Behold, thou wast called and chosen to write..." Coincidence? I don't believe in coincidences when it comes to God's work. After I recovered a little from the shock of such a clear answer, nothing doubting, I began reading again, and the last part of that verse also caught my attention - "thou hast been delivered from the powers of Satan..." God is in my story, and I saw Him clearly on Tuesday morning at 3:15 a.m.

I stood up from the table and went to the kitchen and filled the sink with hot sudsy water. I began to mindlessly wash the dishes I had left in the sink from the night before. I was marveling at what just happened when the title of a song came into my mind: "Fear is a liar." Fear comes from Satan, and Satan is the father of all lies. So yes, fear is a liar. I had almost trusted those lies. I had almost been derailed from doing God's will because I allowed fear and doubt to shake my faith; not so much my faith in God, but faith in myself. Do I understand why God wants me to write this blog? No, I don't. I just need to trust that His wisdom is far superior to my own. Hopefully one day the reason why will be revealed. In the meantime, I will continue to write this blog and trust Him. There is a purpose in this. He knows what he's doing.

I'm thankful that Satan's scheme was stopped and God's plan for me will go forth. But it made me think about how many times fear has stopped me from pursuing temporal and spiritual goals in the past. How many times have I lost confidence in myself because I trusted Satan's lies? How many times has he caused me to doubt my abilities? Fear can stop us from fulfilling our dreams. Fear can stop our progression. My new friend, Adam, told me that FEAR stands for False Evidence Appearing Real. I know that I have left accomplishments, goals, higher expectations, dreams and talents dormant and untapped because of false evidence appearing real. But there have been many times when I overcame my fears, took that leap of faith, stepped into the darkness and accomplished those goals and dreams. I'm sure that Satan was very disappointed with me at those times. I'm sure that I have frustrated his plans for me many times, and I didn't even realize it. God is in our story, but Satan can also be in our story if we are not careful. He is very crafty, very sneaky, and he will weasel his way in if we let him.

Do I still have some fear about writing this blog? I do. I'm putting myself out there into cyberspace where people love to anonymously taunt, torment, lash out, hate and cancel you. I expect some of that at some point, and I will have to defend myself against the trolls. But I'm doing it anyway. Satan tormented me with negative and destructive thoughts on Monday night, so I must be doing something that he doesn't want me to do. That's evidence enough that I'm pursuing something worthwhile. Now, I hope Satan fears what God and I are about to accomplish together.

I encourage you to set your fears aside, recognize where those fears are coming from and pursue those goals and dreams you've let sit dormant. Develop those talents and skills that are untapped and waiting to come forth. Bless the world with what you have to offer. People today need your positive influence more than ever. Remember that with God's help all things are possible, even the impossible. You are a child of God, and He is in your story.

Note from the author: I have another page called "My Inspiration" where I have inserted music and inspirational messages. I have had people tell me that they didn't know I had another page on this blog. It is at the very top of the page in the upper right-hand corner. I will also be adding another page in the near future where I will be including the God stories of others. If you have a story that you would like to share with me and my blog readers about how you have seen God in your story, please forward it to me at mhathcock61@hotmail.com. Thank you.