God has not given us a spirit of fear, yet it somehow weasels itself into various areas of our existence (2 Timothy 1:7). One such area is that of our career and/or business life. Ever had a great idea, for example, but were crippled with doubt and didn't speak up in a meeting? How about receiving an idea from God as a result of prayers, but then couldn't proceed with it because all the 'realities' set in to raise questions about the idea's feasibility?
Yet, the Lord has repeatedly made it clear that His children must not fear anything but Him. Indeed, we are instructed in Isaiah 8:13 - The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread. And we try very hard to not allow fear to disable us, yet somehow, we face triggers that slow or stop us from achieving one thing or the other.
When it comes to career/business, just like any other aspect of our lives, we must release all fear to God. The question becomes, how? How exactly are we to defeat fear?
One key way is to focus on it as a prayer point. We must turn to God in petition and in faith, call on Him to help us overcome that spirit. Another approach is to combine our prayer with the spiritual exercise of fasting, for we are told in Mark 9:29, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”
Add to both of these the power of scripture. Proclaiming the word of God is essential for believers as His word is the weapon that goes ahead of us to destroy all manner of opposition. Then, there's the basic act of rejecting the fearful ideas that intrude our thoughts, uninvited. This requires each of us to proactively catch those evil seeds before they take root. We must pronounce scripture against them, or simply say, "I reject that lie, in Jesus name, Amen."
Most importantly, we must submit to the Lord and commit to obeying Him no matter what. God knows all and letting Him guide us will always be the best strategy for saving time, money, and emotions. Combining these Kingdom Keys helps each of us place fear at God's feet, casting our burdens onto Him and effectively gaining the victory.
Then there are some non-spiritual levers we need to pull. Consider the need to gain knowledge. To understand SEO or some other intricate aspect of our field, for instance, we may need to take some time to study up on it. We are told in Proverbs 18:15 - The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out. Additionally, we should seek out wise counsel from those who have the experience we lack. This may be through mentorship or hiring that right person for a task. The Lord Himself stated in Proverbs 1:5 - let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance... There is also the need to prepare, in advance, for whatever task you are getting into. Establishing a solid foundation and plan first, will always be profitable (Luke 14:28-30)
Taking such steps will limit the potential of fear's debilitating effects. And be aware that fear will in fact come. It may dress itself up as the voice of 'reason' that is in fact unreasonable once we extract the negative and ungodly emotions involved. The spirit of fear may also act as a reminder of all the other times there was failure. No matter how it is packaged, as long as we've taken most of the steps above, we can silence that foul spirit. And we move with the confidence that the Lord we serve will bless the works of our hands. For that is our inheritance as His children.
The Lord will help each of us overcome the voice of fear through Him, IJMN, Amen.
What have you done to overcome fear? How have you successfully or unsuccessfully tackled this issue?
To learn more, please read: