Overcoming Fear

1. Overcoming Fear What am I So Afraid of? Am I afraid to fail? Am I afraid of the opinion of others? Am I afraid of the unknown? Am I afraid of success?

2. What Is Your Tyson? • In the 1980’s Mike Tyson dominated Boxing with fear • Fearless top contenders were turned into fearful cowards • Most of the matches were over before they began • The fighters mentality changed from seeking to win to hopefully surviving their punishment

3. Contd. • What is your Tyson? • What has you so paralyzed with fear that you refuse to seek God’s destiny for your life? • Is it worth it to voluntarily give your fear more power over your life than the God who created you? • I ask again what is your Tyson?

4. The Fear Types • The Fear of Failure • The Fear of The Unknown • The Fear of Other People’s Opinion • The Fear of Success

5. Fear of Failure • The fear of failure is eliminated when we make the decision in our mind that our fear of staying in the same unfulfilling situation becomes less than taking a gamble on our God given abilities. • We overcome it when we make the decision that it is better to go for broke trying, than being broke and/or living an unfulfilled life wishing that we would have, could have or should have tried.

6. Fear of Failure contd. • When we pass away how will we explain to God why we were afraid to step out on faith and use the gifts and talents that he equipped us to excel with. • How can we not take the chance to see what we can do? • God loves us too much and he did not create us to fail or to fear failure as well. • To achieve greatness outside of us, we must first believe it lives within us.

7. Fear of The Unknown • We have to trust that God is going to lead us through the dark places that we cannot see. • This is where our faith plays a critical role in helping us maintain the course to our destiny. • Another helper here is education in the particular field in which we would like to be involved in. • There is most likely someone living who is doing what it is that you would like to do. • Study them and seek their recipe for success.

8. Fear of the Unknown contd. • Is it better to be on the path of the unknown or living unknown staring at the path from the sidelines of life? • The more education we attain the more confidence we gain. • Knowledge truly is power. • What types of knowledge will assist me?

9. Unknown fears contd. • The first type of knowledge is spiritual knowledge. • This type of knowledge encourages us to possess a relationship with God, and understand the knowledge of his power and greatness. • The second type of knowledge is academic knowledge. It benefits us by providing us with the ability to earn a living and function within the framework of society.

10. Knowledge types contd. • The third type of knowledge we must obtain is life knowledge. • It is gleaned through our personal experiences and the life experiences of the individuals we observe and/or admire. • It also includes the variable known as common sense.

11. Knowledge types contd. • The fourth type of knowledge that we must obtain is field knowledge. • This knowledge is gained through learning our desired work fields inside and out. • This type of knowledge will help us to become the best workers we can be within our chosen vocation.

12. The Value of our Knowledge • When we acquire the four types of knowledge listed the unknown will no longer frighten us into being fearful and afraid to proceed with our mission. • Our knowledge will equip us with the faith and confidence to meet any challenge that awaits us both within our point of vision or just outside of its scope. • The combination of the forms of knowledge listed will prepare us for success when dealing with any circumstance.

13. The Fear of Other People’s Opinions • When it comes to the fear of people’s opinions a good way to avoid this all together is to keep our dreams and desires to ourselves. • We must remember that our dreams are our dreams. • If God wanted someone else to have the same dreams as ours, he would have placed it in their heart as well. • There is no reason that we should allow ourselves to be disobedient to God in order to please the needs of someone else.

14. Fear of Other’s Opinions contd. • In many cases, the people who we would hope would be our biggest supporters are our biggest critics. • They are often people who mean well, but have never dreamed, or accomplished much in life and would rather criticize and discourage those who are taking action. • Our dream is too big for their box. • It is critical to filter these individuals out and remain focused on our dreams and goals.

15. Other People’s Opinions contd. • Your Dream is a confidential business agreement between you and God. • Our dreams represent the roadmaps to our destiny, and they must be protected. • We must not let the opinions of others prevent us from fulfilling the assignment that God has placed upon our lives. • Mediocrity and misery love company, we must not allow them to be guests in our homes or tourists in our minds. • Entertain greatness and success instead, and I promise things will be better for you.

16. Fear of Success • The fear of becoming successful is one that many people have faced, myself included. • For some of us the thought of actually reaching our destiny can seem a little overwhelming. • The solution that allowed me to overcome my fear was by simply thinking about all the lives that I could touch and improve simply using my God given talents to the best of my abilities.

17. Fear of Success contd. • The fact that you are listening to me speak right now in my mind represents success. • What is being successful about? • It is not just about becoming financially comfortable or being able to just enjoy our lives everyday. • It is about being able to enrich the world to the best of our abilities by using what God placed within us.

18. Why Is My Success important to God? • When we die God will not ask us what we purchased or how popular were we on earth. Those things do not matter to him. • He is going to want to know who did we help with what he placed within us. • How many lives did we touch, and how well did we represent and help build his Kingdom on earth?

19. Success Importance to God contd. • There is no need to fear being successful. • We must take it as a blessing from God that will enable us to then bless his children. • In the book of Second Timothy chapter 1 verses 6-8 it says, “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

20. Look at Me! • Studies have shown that public speaking is the greatest functional fear of most humans. • I do it for a living I must be a madman. • I am no madman, just a person equipped by God to help you overcome your fears. • If I can tackle the toughest fear most people have, what is your excuse for not tackling the others. • God equipped you to do it and life is too short not to go for it.