Just Hold On: Overcoming Private Emotions of Fear

By Carla Jackson-Morris MAPC

This book is based on Fear, and how it binds our lives. I am praying this book will help others learn how to deal with the fears and doubts that are placed in our hearts by society and through the devil. Although, we give evildoers power to exist and encompass our lives, this book will help you learn how to conquer those obstacles which so easily trap us. As well as, learn how to overcome any spiritual obstacles that are keeping us from living this life to the fullest. While recovering
from Bells palsy, the Lord placed this book on my heart and prompt me to write it, the fi rst time He spoke to me, I continued to ignore it, however, the second time I was obedient and began to write. Life gives us fear but the Lord gives us the power to Just Hold On. Do not give up; make your
life happen and learn the tools to help you work through your fears.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 16, 2010
• ISBN: 9781453563090

Carla Jackson-Morris MAPC

Carla Jackson-Morris is a forty-eight-year-old African American with a masters in professional counseling from Ottawa University. She was attending Walden University working on her PhD in clinical psychology when she became ill with Bell’s palsy. She was so amazed and fearful about what she would do after becoming ill, and continually being hurt how people turned their backs on her when she become sick; therefore, she would pray to the Lord for guidance. The Lord then spoke to her while she was asleep and told her to write a book on fear, stating to “Just Hold On.” The first night, she ignored the Lord; but the next night, He spoke to her again, and she got out of her bed and proceeded to be obedient. This is where this book stemmed from—the Lord’s prompt to let people know that we do not have to fear anyone but Him. Blessings to all who read this book, and may it give you an incentive to make your life happen in Jesus’s name.

Book preview

Copyright © 2010 by Carla Jackson-Morris, MAPC.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2010912509

ISBN:   Hardcover   978-1-4535-6308-3

ISBN:   Softcover   978-1-4535-6307-6

ISBN:   Ebook   978-1-4535-6309-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

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Contents

Our Deepest Fear

Preface

Introducing Facts about the Contributors

Fear and Its Predecessor

Concepts of Fear

Fear as a Control Factor

Documentations about Fear

Self-Help Talk

Stages of Fear

Overcoming Fear

Expectations

Conclusion

About the author

References

Book Dedication

Supporters-Contributors:

Minister Michael Venerable Sr., Wade L. Jackson,

Obadiah Jackson Sr., and a host of praying family members

This book is dedicated to my husband, Michael Venerable Sr.; parents, mother Charletta Jackson and father Obadiah Jackson Sr.; daughter Crystal R. Morris-Newsom; son Zachary M. Morris; and stepsons and family, who continue to keep me grounded and understanding that life is truly a blessing from God as noted in God giving me them.

Our Deepest Fear

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Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

—Marianne Williamson

Thank you, Ms. Williamson, for permission to copy your poem.

Preface

The purpose of this book is to help those who suffer from fear understand a brighter way to just hold on. The Lord is wanting you to have deliverance, just as He blessed me, according to Psalms 34:4-7 I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. When reading this book, please do not look at it as a cure-all or a self-help book, but a survival book. The intent of the book is to support anyone struggling with the perception of fear on his or her life, find relieve through understanding the concepts explained in the Bible. Please note the pictures; hopefully, they will be helpful in expressing the writing and making the reading easier, at least it does for me. The Lord put this book on my heart after experiencing my own deficit of fear during a low time in my life. I was suffering with numerous amounts of pain and issues in my life, where it eventually gravitated to another level, and I became ill with Bell’s palsy. I can remember suffering and feeling that I had no control of my mind; and the fear of all the awful things of life had become embedded in my thoughts. All I could do is call on the name of Jesus and remember the power of the Lord. As I would experience these feelings of spiritual warfare, these emotions would come to me through embedded feelings of fears, such as thinking that I lacked abilities; was not good enough, that I had became ill because of something I had done wrong, or that I did not deserve to receive the goodness of life. These feelings of fear would come to me and make me feel that no one could satisfy my thoughts with any positive words , all I could do was count, and depend on the promise of the Word of God, which kept me grounded. Fear is overpowering and dilapidating to your psyche and can effect your ability to be productive. This is when I began to hear our pastors’ sermon speaking on behalf of knowing Jesus for ourselves. I also had to develop an understanding that I could no longer depend on my parents to be my stronghold for my connection with God. I had to get on my knees and know him for myself. Our Father tells us that according to Deuteronomy 32:39, Now see that I, even, I, am He, And there is no God besides Me: I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.

God had to let me be broken in order to rebuild me; I had become complacent to the things of this world, and fear propagated by the devil had set in my mind.

It appeared that I was working for the Lord; however, I was not taking time out to make the Lord first in my life. Learning and reading about the Bible was a last minute function of the day, and spending time with the Lord was always an afterthought. I left myself open for the enemy to step in because I had not armored myself with Jesus. I would try and find a church to attend, but it was not the most important objective on my agenda. Even though after a while I was able to find a church and join it, I did not feel that not being in a church was an emergency, so, it was not an emergency to find a church, just something I needed to do. I would pray every day, but it was an afterthought and not the first thing on my mind, but something I would do sometimes throughout the day—at least that is what I thought.

While working as a therapist, I would sometimes pray before I would have a session with my clients, but I also felt the vainness of my profession and knew I had enough experience to support my clients without prayer. At least that is what I had begun to think, just like we all do, and I became complacent and prideful about my abilities as a therapist. I felt the same way that everyone else does as we began to think that our gifts are self-manifested, and not a blessing and from the grace of God. Therefore, I felt the vanity of having the education and skills to support my clients in finding their way to a curative method, rather than knowing that delivery only comes from faith and Jesus. However, I did not make it mandatory to pray before my sessions because I had the tools and abilities needed in order to find a theory to practice and support the client in finding relief from their problems. Consequently, I was able to see that I was all wrong when the causation of your problem involves spiritual warfare, you need Jesus; I had become of this world and had left my Heavenly Father out, which opened my psyche for the devil to come in through fear. I was truly riding on the works of my earthly father and feeling that I was spiritually protected since my earthly father had laid a foundation with the concept of who Jesus was. But praise be to God, the Lord let me see that my father on earth could no longer be the armor to protect me from spiritual wickedness; I had to gain my own armor with direct understanding from our Heavenly Father. According to the Bible, Ephesians 6:13, Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand wickedness in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

When reading this book, let the Lord have His way with you and open your heart to Jesus, and pray for guidance and direction in your life, by calling on Jesus and asking Him to come into your life. According to the Bible, Ephesians 6:19, And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.

In growing up as a child, we lived around so many hypocrites who judged and condemned based on their own, understanding of right and wrong not knowing that the Bible tells us in Mark 7:5-7 He answered and said to them, Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’" Therefore, you learn to keep your light dim because of the negatives you experienced from the church, as well as learn shame, guilt, and fear from the people who were actually hypocrites in your church and community. Therefore, you believe and follow the Bible, but you also become of this world so that you will not be a hypocrite, at least not the one that is holier-than-thou. Therefore, your connection with God is not as strong as it should be. Nevertheless, because of the experience from the church with the hypocrites, when a drastic occurrence happens in your life, the fear of the world becomes overwhelming, and the seed of Jesus that your parents placed in you as a child becomes your only access to peace and balance. Thanks be to God that your parents set the seed for understanding that you have to call on Jesus for nontangible warfare such as fear. However, if the seed has never been placed in you as a child, this book is to plant the seed NOW! For that reason, you need to know that Jesus is not like the bully or rapist that earth has caused you to fear; a bully or rapist will take over your body and mind and control them. But Jesus is like the gentleman you are told about that will wait patiently for you to ask Him in, as well as help you to get a clear picture about what He has done for you, even before He goes in. Therefore, you do not have to wait another minute, but you can call on Jesus to save your life from the thought of overwhelming fear. Ask Jesus to be the Lord of your life because I, just as Jesus, do not want anyone to perish because of lack of knowledge. The Bible tells us that people will perish because of lack of knowledge. This book is not depicted from a pastor, reverend, or any man of God as such, but a nobody such as myself that was able to learn that God is the truth and the light, and He is able to break down fear and turn any negatives around for the good of mankind. The Bible tells us in Romans 5:1, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is so important to have peace in our lives, and that is what I am hoping this book will help establish. Prior to my illness, I knew that God was real; however, I did not know that I had to have a direct connection with Him. I mean a relationship where I would put Him first in my life. I am truly hoping this book will open doors for somebody to appreciate, respect, and get a relationship with Jesus and His Father so that they will not be left behind battling the concept of fear and the hell that fear offers. Moreover, I am praying this book will help someone learn tools needed to survive if they are hit with spiritual warfare or overwhelming fear so they may be saved or stay saved and know to just hold on. The Bible, says in Luke 13:23-24, Then one said to Him, ‘Lord, are there few who are saved?’ And He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.’

I am also praying this book will support people in learning about fear to help them overcome fear while on earth, as well as direct them to the Kingdom of God. While learning how the impact of fear effects you, you will learn to live without fear and the blame-and shame games that the emotion of fear offers. And vision a better way to have faith an understand the true power of life is love. I have learned that God was trying to show us how to love; I mean the agape kind of love, not fearing the world but knowing and loving Him. The only fear God wanted us to have was the fear to follow His law and commandments, in order to keep us safe.

I then thought about how I was raised in the Church of God in Christ and how fear was the main point for being in church. It would