I really struggle with Paul. He wrote some beautiful things, and some things that are very insightful and helpful; but at the same time there are things he wrote that I can't reconcile with my personal experience. The church I was raised in would tell me that personal experience that doesn't align with the Bible is deception; but, if you follow that line of reasoning through to its natural conclusion, it makes no sense -- at least to me.

Fear that is drilled into you from an early age is a difficult nut to crack. I sometimes wonder why God doesn't simply heal me of all this fear I was raised in; but I think it's like any other hardship we face. It's meant to teach us to exercise faith -- which means trust (in a Person), not subscribing to a litany of "beliefs."