Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13 (NKJV)
Are you struggling with fear in any area of your life? The problem might be who you’re hanging around with or listening to.
You see, for better or worse, the people around you have an impact on your life. And if you spend time with someone who is constantly wringing their hands over everything, you’ll find your own mindset begin to follow suit. Fortunately, the same thing happens if you hang out with bold, courageous individuals.
Years ago, I read about an experiment that scientists performed on a cage full of monkeys. They attached bananas to a rope hanging from the ceiling. Every time a monkey shot up the rope to the bananas, the scientists hosed them down with cold water. This went on and on until none of the monkeys would try it anymore. Then the scientists began slowly replacing the original monkeys with new ones until none of the initial ones who experienced the water hose treatment remained. Guess what?
None of the new monkeys would climb the rope. Why not? As soon as one would try, the others would communicate fear by screeching at it.
It’s the same way in life. Some people spread their fear to others about leaders, money or the future. If you hang around them long enough, you’ll soon find yourself reacting with fear to areas in your life that you should be courageous about.
God wants us to get rid of fear. So be careful whose words you listen to and whose company you keep. Choose to draw from courageous souls who will help you feel empowered to rise up, stand strong and take hold of the abundant life Jesus died to give you!