Last week, we started looking at fear and the effect that it has on us as writers. We saw how truth is one of the greatest weapons that we can use to fight fear. When we fight fear with truth it quickly dissolves and we are able to think more clearly again.
Another powerful weapon that we can use against fear is love.
Now, what do I mean by love?
In this article, I’m not referring to the emotion of love as much as to the action of love. When I speak of love, I’m talking about a conscious decision to trust and obey God and to serve those around us self-sacrificially.
Yes, there is emotion involved in this, but this type of love is much more than emotion.
This is the type of love that shatters fear.
Have you ever wondered what the opposite of love is? I used to think that hatred is the opposite of love.
But in recent years, I’ve come to understand that fear is actually the ultimate opposite of love. (Can you think of an example of hatred that isn’t rooted in some kind of fear?)
In 1 John 4:18 the Apostle John writes, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear.” Now, that verse is talking about our relationship with God and the way that God’s love for us, and our resulting love for Him, drives out our fear of His judgment.
But I don’t think it’s a stretch to apply this principle to other areas of our lives, including writing.
For many, many years, the main motive behind my writing was fear. I didn’t even realize it!
As I worked on project after project, I was afraid that if those projects weren’t “good enough” I’d have to give up writing altogether. Though I believed that I was writing to serve others and glorify God, the motive that was really driving me was fear of failure.
It was fear of failure that drove me to be as historically accurate in my writing as possible. It was fear of failure that pushed me to develop my prose as much as I could. It was fear of failure that drove me to write story after story in the hope that one day I would write something “good.” None of these things were bad, and I don’t regret all the research, study and practice that I did.
But what I didn’t know was that fear was slowly but surely burning me out.
One of the worst things about fear is that it robs you of your joy. Every author has days when they would rather not write, but this “slavish fear” was absolutely destroying any joy I had in my writing. I just did it because I “had to.” The alternative was “failure.”
Through a series of difficult circumstances, God drew me out of this downward spiral. He showed me the truth about my fears and He also began to show me the power of writing out of love instead.
Now, whenever those fears come creeping in, I stop and force myself to think about God and the people I hope to serve with my words.
I no longer try to write well because I’m afraid of failure, but because I love the people I’m writing for and I want to give them the best stories I possibly can. More than that, I write because I love God and know that because He has given me this ability and opportunity, I am obeying Him by using my gifts.
The more you focus on your love for God, and, more importantly, His love for you, the stronger you are when it comes to fighting fear.
When your core motive is love, there is no room for fear. Love sets you free to pursue with joy and confidence the dreams that God has given you.
As I said at the beginning of last week’s article, I do not consider myself to be a fear expert. I still struggle with fear every single day.
The battle against fear is an ongoing one that we will all be engaged in for the rest of our lives.
This brings me to another two weapons that are vital for defeating fear: God’s Word and prayer.
To press forward in this seemingly unending struggle, we must be continually soaking ourselves in the truth of Scripture.
Keep reminding yourself that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim 1:7). Notice that the sentence is in the present tense. It doesn’t say that you might one day have a spirit of power, love and a sound mind. God has given you a spirit of power, love and a sound mind. If you are a Christian, you have the spirit of power, love and a sound mind right now.
Lean on that more and more each day. Step into the reality of who you are and what you have in Christ.
I could write a whole series of articles on prayer for Christian writers (let me know if that’s something you would like me to do) but for now I’ll simply encourage you to regularly ask God for help in this battle against fear.
Also, plead with Him to show you more and more of His love.
The more you grasp the richness of God’s love for you, the stronger your own love will be and the easier it will be to conquer your fears.
Let me leave you with these beautiful words from Ephesians 3: For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:14-21, NKJV)