Momspirational Life

Part Three of my “Lost in the Detours” Series

Fear has a strange way of showing up when we least expect it (at least it does for me). It doesn’t always arrive loudly or dramatically. Sometimes, it slips in quietly, wrapping itself in logic and what-ifs until we hardly recognize it for what it is. It whispers about everything that could go wrong and convinces us that staying still is safer than moving forward.

I have walked through many seasons where fear dictated nearly every choice I made. I told myself I was being cautious or “waiting on clarity,” but deep down, I knew I was just afraid. Fear had disguised itself as wisdom. I prayed for peace but listened more to my worries than to God’s voice.

When Fear Feels Familiar

There’s a type of fear that becomes comfortable. We learn to live with it as if it belongs. We make our plans carefully, not realizing that the safety we are chasing is often just another form of control. I used to believe that if I could plan every detail and anticipate every outcome, I could prevent disappointment.

But that is not faith.

Fear is often the sowing of doubt by the enemy, who preys on our weaknesses and insecurities. He listens when we speak words like, “What if I don’t get this job?” “What if I am unloved?” “What if I fail?” He takes those words and twists them into deeper uncertainty, feeding on the very things we were never meant to carry.

Sometimes, we even mistake fear for discernment, which has happened to me on many occasions. We tell ourselves that hesitation is wisdom, when in reality, it’s avoidance; an attempt to stay comfortable rather than step into the unknown. Yet, comfort is the quiet opposite of faith. I often tried to plan everything down to the smallest detail to protect my concerns and emotions. But, when my “plans didn’t plan” the way I envisioned, I was humbled in the midst of my disappointment. God knew better than me, even in the discomfort.

Fear in the Middle of a Blessing

It’s strange how fear doesn’t always wait for a storm. Sometimes it shows up right in the middle of a blessing. Satan looks for moments when we are “off guard,” when joy is blooming, when doors are opening, and when we’re finally stepping into the very things we once prayed for. He whispers, “What if this doesn’t last?” or “What if this isn’t really from God?”

Fear tries to make us question what God has already confirmed.

More recently, I faced a season of fear that ran so deep. It wasn’t about external storms; it was about provision. I felt God nudging me to step away from the workforce and into a new season of writing and creating. Yet, the fears of finances and missed opportunities gripped me tightly.

What if we don’t have enough?

What if I fail?

What if this isn’t really You, God?

That fear took root and began to affect everything. My health, my peace, even my joy. I had grown into a woman I had not recognized and one that I did not like. Anxiety grew heavier by the day. Eventually, I realized that I couldn’t live divided between faith and fear. Staying in that place would teach my son that his own spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being didn’t matter as long as he had a job. That’s not the lesson I wanted him to learn. Trading fear for faith meant surrendering my illusion of control and trusting that God would provide what we needed in His way and His timing.

When Faith Rises Up

One morning, as I was reading my Bible, I came across Isaiah 41:10:

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

That verse didn’t instantly erase my fear, but it shifted my focus. Faith began to speak louder than my doubts. I realized that my hesitation to write, the very calling God had placed in my heart, was not humility, but disobedience. By delaying, I was also delaying encouragement that someone else might have needed in their own time of waiting or worry.

And then it hit me: what if fear is really our Nineveh? Like Jonah, we run from what God calls us to, thinking it’s safer to stay in the familiar. But God’s call doesn’t fade; it follows us, waiting for us to trust Him enough to go where He’s leading.

A Shift in Perspective

Faith didn’t remove my fear; it redirected it. My focus shifted from what could go wrong to Who would still be with me if it did. The storms I once resented became reminders that God was near. Every step of faith, no matter how small, became an anchor in uncertainty.

Fear, translated in Hebrew, is yirah. One of its definitions is reverence. If I may be bold to point this out, when Scripture says to “fear the Lord,” that kind of fear isn’t bad. It’s a posture of awe toward the One who can do what no human can. But when I thought about fear on its own: fear of failure, fear of loss, fear of (fill in the blank of whatever is in your heart).

I realized something.

Those “fear ofs” can become a kind of reverence toward something other than God, a subtle form of idolatry we never meant to make.

When we fear God, we allow the Holy Spirit to lead our decisions. But when we live out of earthly fear, we let the flesh take the lead. We act too soon or too late. We speak out of turn or to the wrong person. And those choices plant seeds that eventually bear fruit—sometimes in our own lives, and sometimes in the lives of those we love.

Fear may still knock, but now I recognize it for what it is—a counterfeit voice trying to drown out truth. As Mark Twain once said, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.”

And I’ve learned that true courage is choosing to obey God in spite of it.

Reflection

• Where has fear been shaping your choices or pace lately?
• Have you mistaken fear for discernment or “wisdom”?
• Are there areas of your life where the enemy has planted “what if” questions?
• What step of obedience might you be delaying because of fear?

This post is part of the “Lost in the Detours” series. You can read Part Two [here].

Love,
Tabitha