Something a young minister must learn to conquer early is the fear of men. And I mean some men of God whom you just develop unnecessary phobia for, so much so that you are no longer at ease with your ministerial expressions. Men whose thought makes you timid, reluctant and cowardice in that which you feel in your heart the lord wants you to do. So much so, that you have become error conscious, always checking what to say or do for fear that some man or men may not agree with it!

That feeling is not reverence, it is a lethal phobia that is slowly leading you to timidity. It is not of God. Even in mentorship, you shouldn’t have a tormentor in a mentor. See, no one knows or can know or understand your vision, ministry or calling like you do. It is your vision. It is your ministry. It is God’s dealing with you. Hence, it is your dealing with Him. Let no one make you feel uncomfortable with your call, and what you know in your heart you should do and or how you should do it. You will only answer to God and not to man.

And stop this error consciousness thing. It is an error itself. You are not alone; I mean, He that sent you is with you. As you walk in the spirit, you will find an ‘automatic’ fittings of discernment, and what is of the flesh and what is of the Spirit will be very lucid, and you will find in the same walk, the the ability to not gratify the flesh or its lusts but to do divine biddings. This is already inbuilt in you in salvation. Therefore you don’t need fear for error or failure. He is able to keep you from both. He works in you both to will and to do His pleasure.

Nothing stifles the gift of God in a man like timidity, and its root is in phobia.

2 Timothy 1:6-7 KJV

Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. [7] For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

The phrase “I put thee to remembrance” speaks volume. It is obvious that there was a gift of God in Timothy that has become inactive or unexpressed. Hence the charge to stir it up. And Paul Identified the cause of the problem as fear.The Greek for fear here is ‘deilia’ and means timid or timidity, cowardice, fearfulness. It kills your confidence, flow and freedom of expression of divinity. Note how Paul related it with power, love and sound mind. Paul said it is a spirit, and that it is not of God.The same can be seen with the one that received a talent in the parable of Talents.Matthew 25:24-25 KJVThen he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: [25] And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.The Greek translated as “afraid” here is “phobeō” where we have the English phobia. This led him to bury the talent, when others with even more, doubled theirs in equal time and space.

Don’t bury the voice in your heart concerning the plan of God for your life because of the voice in your head telling you some man of God may not agree with it. And don’t be reluctant to express the same. It is cowardice to do so for fear of man! Be free in Jesus name.