Ya’ll, I’m a visual person. Sometimes when I’m letting my fears hold me back, a picture pops into my brain. Please humor me here, but this is a glimpse of what I see sometimes. I have a feeling I’m not alone.
You have a goal. You have a dream. You feel a calling. But, fear has kept you from moving forward. Here we go, ring the bell…
Round 1.
Fear steps out of its dark corner. Approaching the center of the ring, its chin is held high and it’s eyes are wide open. Fear is a champion. It’s beat you before. It’s wearing a big, shiny gold belt to let you, and everyone else around you, know, that it’s got your number.
Fear has faced you down before. It knows your weaknesses, your insecurities, your past regrets, your circumstances and your companions. It has a history of simply walking your way just to see you slink back to your corner.
If you are a Christian, it knows your potential. If your owner is God, it knows your resources. If your trainer is the Holy Spirit, it knows your strength. If your eternal fate has already been sealed, it knows deep down, you have nothing to fear.
But it comes. It tries. It makes an effort. A great effort. It is standing between you and your dreams. Your goals. Your calling.
You want to go back to school, but you’re afraid you’re too old for that.
You want to change careers, but you’re afraid of the shift in income.
You want to reconcile with someone, but you’re afraid of rejection.
You want to learn to play an instrument, but you’re afraid you’ll stink.
You want to give to the poor, but you’re afraid you can’t afford it.
You want to expand your family, but you’re afraid you’ll lose your mind.
You want to start a business, but you’re afraid it will fail.
You want to start writing, but you’re afraid you’ll look stupid.
Fear approaches and you run back to your corner of the ring.
Round 2.
You’ve had a moment to catch your breath. Your nerves are on the very edge.
Your trainer has loosened up your shoulders and wiped the sweat off your brow. He’s reminded you that you’re bigger than your fears. He’s reminded you of your previous wins against this very same opponent.
Your owner has already paid a price for you which guarantees that you can beat fear.
Guarantees!
What stands on the other side of that fear is something that you cannot even imagine!
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,”
Ephesians 3:20
What stands on the other side of that fear is a better understanding of God’s love for you!
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11
What stands on the other side of that fear is confidence!
“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 1:6
Stand up! Look it in the eye!
Round 3.
The bell rings and you’ve decided to believe what you’ve been told. You’re going to believe that what is waiting on the other side of that fear is something so great, so wonderful, that it’s worth the temporary feeling of nausea. You make up your mind that once your bottom leaves that stool, you’re in the match.
No. Going. Back.
Leaving the comfort of your corner, you come out swinging! Spit flying, sweat dripping, heart racing, feet shuffling-all of it!
That’s it!
Suddenly you realize that you are the only one left in the ring…
Kind of anticlimactic huh?
Listen, I’ve been a Christ follower for a long time and I am still learning this concept.
When we feel a call or have a Christ honoring goal that has gripped our hearts, sometimes all we have to do is MOVE.
It is that easy.
Seriously.
The Lord honors a willing and obedient heart.
“So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”
Isaiah 41:10
The devil uses fear to keep us from our purpose. To keep us from growing our confidence in Christ.
When we sense a call from God that involves facing a fear, we’ve got to move. Even if we do it with fear and trembling. Even if we do it with one eye closed.
And each time we do this, God’s faithfulness will grip us with such force and assurance that we will learn to trust Him a little more than we did before.
We’ll have experience to draw from.
We’ll know that we know that we know that the fear that kept us from striving towards our goal or calling was just a trap to keep us from the plans that Christ has hand drawn for each of us.
confidence
Simple Definition of confidence
: a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something
: a feeling or belief that someone or something is good or has the ability to succeed at something
: the feeling of being certain that something will happen or that something is true
” So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.”
Hebrews 10:35
This is our prize.
Confidence.
Not in ourselves, but in the One that put that dream in our heart.
In the One that called us out of the corner.
Confidence that nothing can keep us from God’s plans for us if we will only move.
I’m facing a couple of fears of my own right now.
I’m in the ring with fear.
Are you in it too?
Can we step out of the corner?
We’re in this together. Same trainer. Same Owner. Same guaranteed total KO if we will only trust Him.
I’d love to hear what some of you may be facing right now.
Praying for you all,
Kellie
Simple Faith 