Thursday, January 12, 2017

Overcoming Fear with Faith

The other day I was researching this topic of  Fear vs Faith and came upon this great talk given by Gregory Clark at a BYU Devotional.  I had been searching for the root of my fear.  What was causing me to fear so much.  I wanted to put a face to it so I could fight it head on.  This is what he said about the source of fear:
"What is the source of fear? I think it is rooted in the assumption (one that comes all too easily to me if I am not paying attention) that I must solve all my problems and face all my challenges alone, using my own resources. That is frightening, because deep in my heart I know how limited those resources are. So when I am fearful, I am also hopeless. And without hope, I find myself paralyzed. Knowing that I am not capable of changing myself or my circumstances for the better, I stand frozen in fear.
That fear is a failure of faith."
That explains my fear exactly.  That I have to overcome being overweight by myself and that I'm not strong enough to do so.  That is a paralyzing fear!  It has stopped me in my tracks more often then I'd like to admit to.  Changing myself(which is my nature) and changing my own circumstances are the two things I desire most in this world and what I'm most afraid that I wont be able to achieve. 
So how do we overcome that fear?  Well, Bro. Clark tell us:
"The ject of our faith—that which we have faith in—is the capacity of the Savior’s Atonement to bless us, to heal us, to enable us to act beyond our abilities
As I have thought about this, I have begun to think that faith might well be the path that the power of the Atonement must travel if it is to transform our lives. It may be only in the moments when I am filled with faith, crowding out my fears, that I make myself available to the healing and enabling power of the Atonement. It may be only then that I can be comforted, restored, and made able to overcome my problems and to change for the better. Put another way, it may be that acting in faith to keep our covenants, sometimes directly in the face of fear, is the very transformation of our souls that the Atonement promises."
So, there it is.  Faith is the remedy for fear.  Even though at times we are uncertain about our faith, we have to remember those times in which the Lord has been there by our sides and rely on those memories and push forward until we receive and answer to prayer, or the strength to overcome weakness. But who knows how long that may take.  But that is the trial of our faith, right?  To push through even though we feel as though we aren't being heard, or change isn't happening.  We have to be faithful in living the principles of the gospel, prayer, daily scripture study, service to others, attending the Temple.  All these seemingly simple tasks will crowd out fear and help us to change. Although if I'm being honest with myself, service and attending the Temple do take time and effort.  But the more we give to the Lord, in faith, the more he will give back to us.  Sometimes I think we have to prove ourselves to God.  He will never forsake us.  But if we truly want to change, I mean sincerely change, don't we have to prove to God that we want that change enough that we are willing, at all cost, to do those simple tasks, EVERY SINGLE day.  Then I have to remind myself that this life is about learning to be like Christ.  We aren't asked to be perfect.  So if we miss a day here or there are we doomed?  No, of course not.  But I testify that the more consistently I study and prayer, the better my life is and the easier it is to make the right choices.  Even my food choices become easier because I want to be closer to God and what I eat either draws me closer to him, or further from him numbing my feelings to the spirit.  Its amazing how our bodies are so intricately connected with our spirits. 

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