What’s Holding You Back?

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15. The entire chapter 8 of Romans really lays it out for us and forces us to examine what’s holding you back.

Fear will always enslave whoever is afraid and know that fear is not included in our new birth in Christ. A slave will always be scared, the reason being, he is a slave. A slave does not have the freedom we do have in Christ and has no right to anything. He is not sure of what will happen next. We were in that position before Christ rescued us.  

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, Colossians 1:13. 

Why are some people who seem to have all the right information and knowledge from their college degrees still not as well placed in society as you would expect them to be? It is due to fear. Fear stops people from making progress. It has a way of making its victim settle for less.  Fear is a big part of what’s holding you back.

“Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.” Matthew 14:29. 

Peter was not the only one on the boat. Generation after generation has come and gone. Still, his name has not been forgotten; the reason being, he refused to be afraid. There is a better place for everyone, but it takes a brave heart to attain it. Unfortunately, only the fearless are taking advantage of it. Being at the top is a choice, and only the brave has made that choice. As a Christian, being afraid is a sign that we lack knowledge of who we are in Christ. 

Knowledge silences fear

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. Hosea 4:6.

Ignorance is the principal reason many of God’s people are in Fear: Lack of scriptural understanding of God’s Word concerning their lives is why they are afraid. The word ‘destroyed’ has as its synonyms ‘suffer’ and ‘perish,’ so we might as well say, “God‘s people suffer because of lack of knowledge.“

Many Christians have a perfect understanding of every issue of life except that which is most crucial – the Word of God, what God has said concerning them, who they are in Christ, what they can do, and what they have in Him.

Only the Word of God can reveal our inheritance to us. We need to know who we are, what we can do, and what we have in Christ. When you know who you are, you will know how to live. You will realize there are certain things you do not need to afraid about in life.

We were born into the rest of God, but too many Christians do not know this. If you have entered God’s rest, you have ceased from your works as God did. But if you do not know this, you will struggle in life because of fear of what you do not know.

For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Hebrews 4:10.

That is why it’s so vital that you have an understanding of the Word of God. The knowledge of God‘s Word will reveal your identity to you; only then will you live freely, but if you do not know who you are, you can never live freely, and you will be held hostage to fear.

Your life is in your hands. It is up to you to make out of your life what you want. But the devil will never want you to know this; he desires to keep you in ignorance and bondage.

According to God’s will, the Bible says if we ask God’s will, He hears us [1 John 4:17]. That means you should have known His will before asking. How do we know the will of God? God‘s will is revealed in His Word. You never have to worry about the will of God if you know the Word of God. The Word of God, which is His will, reveal to you who you are in Christ. That is, your true nature is seen in God‘s Word.

But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

James 1:22-25.

God‘s Word is our spiritual mirror that reflects our true nature in Christ.

The natural mirror only reflects who we are outward; most times, we believe its judgment and, more importantly, the Word of God, which is our spiritual mirror that reflects who we are, how God has made us, and how He sees us. We find it very difficult to believe it. Don’t let false self-perception and outward judgement become what’s holding you back.

In the natural sense, if you ignore the judgment of the natural mirror, you have positioned yourself for embarrassment, likewise the spiritual mirror. That is why there is a lot of casualties in Christendom.

You cannot afford to lack in the knowledge of God’s Word. No wonder Paul prayed for his converts always that they would understand God’s will. For the Ephesian Church, he prayed that God would give unto them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him and that the eyes of their understanding will be enlightened

[Ephesians 1:17,18].

For the Colossian Church, for this reason, we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; [Colossians 1:9].

You need to pray these prayers for yourself because God’s will is not to be afraid. But ignorance of the Word of God can keep you under the hold of fear and intimidation. It can make you think God wants things that way.

The Word of God will bless you when you know it. The Bible says, Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Proverbs 4:7.

The Holy Spirit has been given to help us understand the things of God. He lets us know the things we have received freely, one of which is to know we are free of fear to walk in boldness.

Now we have received, not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 1 Corinthians 2:12.

Jesus came to set us free, and He said he whom the Son has set free is free indeed

[John 8:36]. He came to set us free from fear and its torment. We should go for the Word and allow God’s Word to dwell richly in our hearts; then, we will walk in it and enjoy its benefits all the days of our life.

How to Overcome Fear

Kick Fear To The Curb

Know your Identity.

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our Spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. Romans 8:16,17.

We are children of God; we have the same right as Jesus. We are not second-class citizens; nope, we are first-class citizens. We are borne of God, created in His image, destined to reign. So with this knowledge, what’s holding you back?

We are God’s duplicate representing Him here on earth. We cannot afford to be victims of fear. Your understanding of who you are in God will reveal God’s unconditional love for you, and your consciousness of this love will free you from the torment of fear.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18.

Am not talking about you loving God; not at all. It’s about you having the understanding of how God loves you, and when you do have that understanding, boldness will come alive in you, and you will realize that God is in you, with you, and for you.

Be Courageous.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9.

Courage is what you need if you want to get to the top. It takes courage to activate the promises of God. Remember, they got to the promised land through courage. What’s Holding You Back?

It was courage that David had that enabled him to defeat Goliath. God had made available provisions for you, but it takes courage to actualize those provisions.

See, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—to give to them and their descendants after them.’ Deuteronomy 1:8.

As light is to darkness, that is how courage is to fear. There is no amount of night that light will not be seen. That is not possible. In any night, introduce light, and you will notice that there is no night in that environment. When the next fear knocks at your door, send courage to open the door, and you will find that no one is at the door.

Be strong and of good courage as God commanded; you will fulfill your dreams to become what you intend to be in life.

Take a step forward.

Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die? If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die.” And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there. 2 Kings 7:3-5.

What’s holding you back?

Fear will always tell you there are no possibilities in what you intend to do and it’s often times what’s holding you back. If you read the full story of those four leprous men, you will be impacted with bravery heart and see no reason you should excuse yourself from taking a step forward. Everyone at the top you admire was one time at your level, but they refuse to remain at that level. One thing others did that you don’t want to do is risk-taking.

David, the little boy, took the risk to challenge Goliath and liberate the entire kingdom. Moses took the risk to lead the host of Israelites through the sea, not being afraid of drowning. Joshua led the whole nation into the land that was first reported as being occupied by their enemies. These men never mind what will happen, just like the four leprous men.

The names continued, not just in the history of the Bible. Even in our societies, everyone you think is successful took a risk at one point in their lifetime. It is risky not to take a risk. Risk takers will always be at the top of any affairs in society.

Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.