Some of us may be afraid of ghosts, zombies, and vampires, (especially at Halloween time… especially when they’re in 3D), but everyday many of us struggle with fears that paralyze us and keep us from being the man or woman God has created us to be.

Some of these questions might be the ones you dread answering:

Are you afraid of letting go of certain friends, behaviors, or lifestyle choices because it’s too difficult to live a life of chastity, holiness, or faithfulness?

Are you afraid that if you break off a relationship you know you’re not supposed to be in, you will be lonely or you will hurt the other person?

Are you afraid that if you have high standards and don’t settle, you won’t ever find a spouse?

Are you afraid of letting someone know a hidden secret or sin about you because you think they won’t love you once they find out?

Are you afraid of tithing your money (10% or otherwise) because you don’t think you’ll have enough left to provide for your own family or keep the standard of living you desire?

Are you afraid of leaving the security of your job for one you really desire because you might not succeed?

Are you afraid of standing up for your faith on Facebook or Twitter because people might criticize, mock, or even “un-friend” you?

Are you afraid of stepping out of your comfort zone for fear of rejection or humiliation?

Are you afraid of taking time away from social media to retreat to silence because you might be forgotten?

There are many more questions that could be asked in relation to our fears, but the main question is, “Why are we afraid?”

Do we not have a God that says, “Do not be afraid” over and over again in scripture (Lk 12:7, Is 41:13)? Does it not say, “The Lord Himself will fight for you, you have only to keep still” (Ex 14:14)? Does it not say, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love” (1 Jn 4:18)?

Our Father in Heaven is the kind of Father who does not abandon us in our time of need. Rather, it says in Matthew 7:7-11:

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asks for a fish? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.”

And another testament of how God provides for His children in Matthew 6:25-33:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat [or drink], or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.”

And yet another passage of how much God loves us from Jeremiah 29:11-14:

For I know well the plans I have in mind for you—says the LORD—plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope. When you call me, and come and pray to me, I will listen to you. When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me—says the LORD—and I will change your lot.

Fear comes not from who God is or what He has done, but rather our lack of trust in who God is and what He has done. God has created us to be children who will shine like lights in a world that is crooked and perverse (Phil 2:15). He has created us to declare His glory and proclaim His praise (Jer 31:7-9). God did not give us a “spirit of cowardice, but rather of power and love and self-control” (2 Tim 1:7). Do we know this? Do we believe this? Or do we hear it in our heads and fail to let it dwell in our hearts?

One of my favorite quotations is from Nelson Mandela’s inaugural speech in 1994 where he quoted a passage from Marianne Williamson’s book Return to Love: Reflections on a Course in Miracles:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond imagination. It is our light more than our darkness which scares us. We ask ourselves – who are we to be brilliant, beautiful, talented, and fabulous. But honestly, who are you to not be so?

You are a child of God, small games do not work in this world. For those around us to feel peace, it is not example to make ourselves small. We were born to express the glory of God that lives in us. It is not in some of us, it is in all of us. While we allow our light to shine, we unconsciously give permission for others to do the same. When we liberate ourselves from our own fears, simply our presence may liberate others.

If you want to apply this to your life and live this out, I invite you to pray a dangerous prayer. I invite you to know that God alone can satisfy the desires of your hearts and He alone can help you with every fear. God is the end and the beginning who created you and gave you every gift and talent, so you may brilliantly shine as the saint you were meant to be. To paraphrase St. Irenaeus, “Be fully alive and you will declare the glory of God!” or, as St. Catherine of Siena said, “If you are what you are meant to be, you will set the world on fire.” I invite you to pray the Litany of Humility.

I used to hate saying this prayer (most likely because of my pride). Over time, however, it allowed me to see that God is and should be my greatest desire and I have nothing to fear with Him at my side (Ps 23:4, Dt 31:6). If I place my trust in who God is and what He has done, I shall never be afraid–even if a ghost, zombie, or vampire come knocking at my door or popping out of my TV screen.