Fearless?
Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. Mark 9:24 (b)
Abject obedience has never been my strong suit. I’m a rule questioner, bender, and a lover of loopholes and gray areas. I would have been easy prey for the serpent in the garden. I would have been right beside Gideon helping him drag out a few more pieces of fleece. I am forever asking God, “Are You sure?” I am constantly whining about the things I feel God leading me to do. But, do I believe? Absolutely, I believe. I have my own personal salvation experience with Christ. I love His word, I enjoy times of prayer and worship daily. But, is it hard for me to step out on faith and do something new for Him? Absolutely! Regardless of my love for Him and my desire to follow His will for my life, I feel like I am constantly stopping to say, “Wait… what?”
Why? Well, for one… I’m human. I’m faulty by nature. Adam and Eve’s sin nature has been inherited by every one of us. For me, fear often lurks around every corner: fear of failure, fear of disappointing someone, fear of embarrassing myself or others, fear of misunderstanding what God is asking me to do. Even singing, which for me is the easiest way to publicly praise my Lord, leaves me full of dread and knotted with fear. “What if the song I sing is not appropriate for the sermon? What if my poor vocal abilities cause someone to lose focus on the service and fail to hear an important sermon? What if I trip getting off the dais? What if the mic is too loud?” I could go on and on with the worries that consume me.
It’s no wonder that God’s word addresses fear or anxiety hundreds of times. It assures us that: He is with us, He won’t leave us or forsake us. I can think off hand of many verses that say, ‘Fear not’ or ‘Do not let your heart by troubled, neither let it be afraid’ We are reminded to place our trust in Him over and over again. It’s almost as if (shocker) he has understood from the beginning that fear would be a big issue for many of us.
I’d love to give you some great description of how God’s love has helped me to overcome my fear and that it is no longer an issue for me, but that simply isn’t the case. I’m not sure I’ll ever walk to a microphone to sing in a room with even 1 single other occupant without a surge of fear. I’m reasonably sure I’ll never click the “publish” button on a blog post without breathing a quick prayer and swallowing hard. But what I can give you is this truth: obeying God even though your flesh is afraid is far and away better than giving into your flesh and missing a blessing. I sing, even though my stomach is tied up in knots, but if I sing with my mind stayed on Him, I am blessed. Maybe others receive a blessing from my obedience, maybe not, but without a doubt, I do every single time. If I click publish on a blog that uplifts Him for who He is, and no one reads it, so be it. I am blessed for being obedient to His calling on my life, what happens with my words after that are of little concern to me. I have fulfilled my duty, and done it with love in my heart for a Savior who gave all for me.
So, what are the weapons I use to combat this fear? It never goes away, but I find I can quiet it some with time in the Word, it doesn’t take long to find a passage addressing fear, or reminding me of God’s incredible love for us:
The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe. Proverbs 29:25
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Romans 8:37
I spend time in prayer, asking for confidence that I’m following His will, assurance from the Holy Spirit that what I’m doing or am about to do is what He would have me do. I was not born a confident person, but when I am following what I understand to be the will of God in my life, I can continue on even though I am afraid.
What is He asking you to do? How can you reciprocate His incredible love for you? Is it scary? I’m sure it is… but with His help you can move forward even though you are afraid.
