FACING YOUR FEAR

It's so easy to let fear dictate your life. I know, because so often I find myself doing just that. I let the fear of failure stop me from stepping out. I let the fear of man control my self-esteem. I let the fear of an unknown future paralyse me from enjoying the present. 

fear is our default, but it doesn't have to be. NOT WHEN the god of the universe is in our corner. 

The Bible tells us, “that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of peace, of love and of a sound mind.” God’s desire for you (and I) is to live free from fear. Not because life will always be perfect or there won't be times where you feel out of your depth, but because He is our ever present help and with Him we can boldly do things beyond our natural ability.

One thing I used to be afraid of was public speaking. Most people laugh when I tell them that and they often reply, "You're joking right, I've heard you speak and you come across so confident?" Well, yea, for many years as a Youth Pastor I did speak or preach, but it certainly didn't come easy. It was (and sometimes still can be) a huge fear of mine. The honest trust is, I much prefer writing over speaking.

As a teenager I would often recall feeling viscerally sick at just the thought of having to stand up in front of people. I am actually a total introvert by nature. No one would really know, but in high-school I would often sneak to the bathroom during any kind of prayer time to avoid having to pray out loud. Honestly, even the thought of praying in front of people made me anxious.

But, so often we’re fearful because we put man’s opinion above God’s, and focus on our weaknesses instead of His strength.

I remember my fear of public speaking start to break off my own life around my early twenties and probably still continues to. And the crazy thing is, I’ve spent the last 15 years speaking in some way, either to teenagers as a youth pastor or online through social media.

I LOVE THAT SO OFTEN GOD HAS A WAY OF TAKING our weaknesses and turns them around to be a strength.

Here are 3 reasons to fight fear with God’s help!

1. WE MISS OUT!

If we never take risks, we miss great adventures.
If we don’t step outside of our comfort zones we miss the opportunity to grow.
If we never close doors, we miss new opportunities.
If we don’t listen to His leading, we miss His divine appointments.

Fear makes US miss out on so much of what God has for us. Stop letting it! 

Eleanor Roosevelt said: “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.” 

2. OTHERS MISS OUT.

It’s not just about you. Often times there is another person waiting on the other side of your courage.

A while ago I had an experience that reminded me of this. It was a Tuesday morning and as is my custom I was doing my groceries with my then three-year-old daughter. As we went through the checkout, the guy behind me (a pretty buff and rough Maori looking guy) had his card declined. He looked a little embarrassed and tried convincing the check out lady there was definitely money in there.

All of a sudden I had this thought, “Go and pay for his groceries”.

I ignored the voice and told it to shut up! I continued packing my bags while trying to juggle my three year old who was grabbing for a lollipop.

The voice continued, “Just go pay for his groceries”. Again I replied, “Zip it!”.

Finally I turned around and said, “Hey, I hope this isn’t weird, but can I please pay for that?”

The lady at the checkout smiled and politely took my money leaving the man standing there in disbelief. He was absolutely shocked that a stranger would show him such kindness.

He kept shaking his head muttering, “Are you serious? Are you sure?”

I replied repeatedly, “Yep totally fine. I want to.” I told him it was nothing and just wanted to show him God cared about him and loved him.

Tears rolled down his face as he explained how he was a single dad and the last few months had been really tough. Those simple words “that God cared about him” meant the absolute world. Now this isn’t some kind of humble brag, like I’m just such a good person (because trust me most of the time I am not!) It simply shows how OTHERS are actually greatly impacted when we overcome the voice of fear in our head and GET BRAVE!

So be kind. Show love. Take the job. Make the investment. Start the business. Sing the song. Open your heart and let others in.

And lastly....

3. IT'S WHERE GOD LIVES

When you get outside of your comfort zone, you’ll find GOD there.

Time and time again God has asked people to step out of who they are and step into everything HE IS. We see it when:

David killed a giant.
Moses parted an ocean.
Esther saved her nation.
Samson annihilated a building.
Daniel slept next to lions.
Peter walked on water.

Outside of us, we find Him. So go on, take the leap.