Dream Warriors and Becoming A Good Gardener

I want a life without fear...I would go so very far! I could do anything!

Why is it that something so small can stop us?

Fear.

Such an ugly word. It's like a little troll, sitting under the bridge terrorizing us as we pass by. It is nothing, but yet, it is something that we hand power to all the time. I do it...you do it. We all do it...

So what do I fear?

I fear change deep down, especially since my life is everchanging. But it's not the changes around me that scare me, it's the ones that change me on the interior. The ones I don't fear are the ones I've gotten used to--the tumultuous and tyrannizing ones. The shuffling. Constant change. Feels like a paradox, doesn't it? A constant change.

Why should I fear change? I suppose this is irrational. Change is good! Change is revolution!

No, instead, I fear making changes in my life to succeed because I fear falling...Falling from the top.

Truth be told, I'm holding back on myself and my true potential and what God called out, set aside, for me to do and achieve. So, I can't succeed and achieve those dreams until I kick fear's big ugly butt! 

This goes for you too! You won't be able to succeed until you conquer fear!

"Don't let fear stop you from doing what you want to do! Instead, use it as fire beneath your butt to get you motivated!"~ME

So I've been asking myself a question: What do I want to be? The question warrants many, many responses, all including a list of strong adjectives to describe a personality that I want to have... (i.e.: "strong" and "leader" to name a couple). 

There are only two things stopping me from achieving my goals. Fear and myself. Yep. It's not always the enemy! Naturally he doesn't want us to succeed either, but he isn't going to step in the way when he knows we are going to do a better job of stopping ourselves...why would he waste his time?

First thing I'm going to do to overcome this irrational fear is to not let it overtake me anymore. Fear and anxiety go hand in hand. Anxiety is the deep, rooted fears, while fears are supposed to be temporary. Another definition of fear that I like to use is that fear is the absence of truth. I guess this defines the best model of fear... 

Fears can become rooted if we water them. For some of us we need to find the roots, dig them up, bring them to the light, exposing them, looking at their very core. Then we need to cast them out. In order to do this, we must be able to dig deeply within our hearts. Denial won't help, but instead, keep them rooted. You have to be honest with yourself. You don't have enough room for all the bad-rooted fears and the good things--the dreams God wants to plant inside you. Sometimes we have those little shrubs growing in the beginning. And they are the good dreams--but a seed of doubt enters unknowingly and it begins to sow itself, digging deeply into the roots of the dreams, severing them and stealing their nutrients. This turns a heart into a cold, hardened, calloused, dead vessel. It no longer has life!

Where does this all start? In the mind....Thoughts enter in... Ephesians 4:18 says, "Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him..." Everything starts in your mind but ends in your heart. Fears. Depression. Elation.

If you don't know what you're thinking, then you can surely find out! Just find a journal...nothing too fancy, but write down what you've been thinking and feeling. Be honest! If you need to you can burn them afterward if it makes you feel more comfortable, but I recommend keeping them for years to come so you can see where you were years down the road. I still have all my old journals and it's nice to reflect where I was mentally so I don't repeat the same thoughts and paths. 

When you start releasing fears and have arable plots in your heart, God will begin to plant His life into you. "Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong." ~Ephesians 3:17. 

For if our hearts are dark, it cannot nourish the tender leaves of Christ's trees. We become one with Him when we accept him in our hearts. Our roots, for our hearts are merely branches extended from each of our bodies, will be rooted in the Tree of Life--the tree God has become, and we will be nourished through Him.

If we are to be part of a tree, we should be the best kind--one that produces. A tree in production will produce fruits--and even better, will provide it for others to eat--nourishment and sustenance for other life. When we bear fruits, we are able to give and give from an overflowing tree...

STEPS TO OVERCOME FEAR

1. What do you want to plant there? Recognize who you want to be. Write down your goals and dreams--all of them, big or small. Everyone. When you hesitate or feel a little ting in your heart, you know you have a wilting branch. It's a dream that hasn't been fulfilled--it may be due to improper nutrients and poor growth; forgotten; or starved, beaten by fear. When all are written down, think about their significance in your life. Meditate on this briefly.

2. Start digging into the dirt, playing with everything. Ask yourself why. Why not? Where did you begin to stop striving for these dreams? What stopped you? Keep asking questions--why can't you still achieve them? Don't give answers just yet--just think about it. Trust me, you might find some excuses popping to mind.

3. Decide to be a gardener. Make the decision to work on overcoming your fears. Once you decide, it will become more obvious to you just how important it is to achieve your goals. Execute a battle against your fears. You can't instantly get rid of them, but you can give them to God, who knows exactly what to do with them. 

4. Find your garden tool supplier. Give your fears to God. The admission--the roots...everything. He will give you the tools you need to fight the roots, to uproot them. You've got to trust Him and obey Him and He will teach you how to prevent those roots from coming in again. The reason you must give them to God is because only He knows your heart inside and out. He can see how He created you to be and furthermore can differentiate the weeds from the flowers....

Here are some scriptures I wanted to share with you:

Hebrews 13:6 "So we can say in confidence, 'The Lord is my Helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?'"  He will HELP you. He is a wise gardener. 

Hebrews 11:1 "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." Because you can't see what is in your heart, you need God to help you still. Have faith in His abilities as a gardener. 

Deuteronomy 1:21 "Look! He has placed the land in front of you. Go and occupy it as the Lord, the god of your ancestors, has promised you. Don't be afraid! Don't be discouraged!" Your heart should be arable and He wants to plant beautiful things in it. He says that you can claim it for Him and that you shouldn't be afraid to go for those dreams you have!

2 Timothy 2:5 " But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. don't be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News and fully carry out the ministry God has given you." God said that He wants you to fulfill your dreams and overcome fear and a confused mind. You have the authority through Him--use it!

1 Peter 4:10 "God has given you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen." 

So, basically God can and will help you remove the old and grow the new. All you have to do is ask Him. What are you waiting for?

If you need prayer, send me an email or comment. I pray that each of you who read this today have hearts open to fulfilling dreams!

A sword, a shield, and strong boots for the dream warriors,

Emmy