In Acts 4:29 it says, “Lord, take notice of the threats they have made, and allow us, your servants, to speak your message with all boldness.” (GNT)
We all have fears. Too often, though, I let them rule me and stop me from taking a stand for what I know God wants me to do.
Like Daniel standing in the lion’s den, I’ll face people and situations that threaten to destroy me and my witness for Christ. But I have a choice: Will I succumb to my fears, or will I stand up for God in spite of those fears?
If I want to overcome fear that’s dragging me down, I need to understand the benefits of choosing to stand up for what God wants. And most importantly, I need to see that—when I do what God wants me to do—I’ll earn a clear victory over fear.
On the other hand, every time I give in to a fear, it becomes more intense. Fear grows every time I refuse to do what God wants me to do. And eventually, I’ll feel cornered by it.
So what should I do?
Follow the lead of early Christians. I’m not the first generation to face fear. Early believers faced all kinds of persecution that surely made them afraid. The book of Acts tells how they stood up to fear.
As Peter and John proclaimed Jesus boldly in Acts 4, they came up against fierce opposition. So they prayed, “Lord, take notice of the threats they have made, and allow us, your servants, to speak your message with all boldness” (Acts 4:29 GNT).
Instead of giving in to fear, they moved forward boldly in spite of it.
I can do the same. Stand up to fear. Fear doesn’t respond to logic, so my only chance to get rid of fear is to trust God and face it.
Never, ever forget this: God won’t part the water in front of me until I take my first step (see how God did this for Joshua’s men at the Jordan river in Joshua 3:15). When I take a step of faith, God will show me the path. But that won’t happen if I stand still, wrapped up in my fear.
Take a step of faith today, and watch fear crumble in the process as God guides my steps.
Boldness is not reckless impulsiveness. Boldness requires courage to press on through my fears and do what I know is right. Like the disciples, I can be more bold by praying for the power of the Holy Spirit to give me courage, to look for opportunities to talk about Christ, to realize that rejection, social discomfort, and embarrassment are not necessarily persecution, and start where I am by being bolder in small ways.
Right now is a very fearful time. Too often, I let fear rule my life and stop me from taking a stand for what I know God wants me to do. To overcome fear, I need to clearly understand the benefits of choosing to stand up for what God wants. For doing what God wants me to do is a clear victory over the fear in my life, because fear grows. Fear grows every time I refuse to do what God wants me to do. And when fear grows, my life shrinks. The answer to my fear isn’t to give in to it. It’s to move forward boldly despite it. Stand up to the fear. God won’t part the Jordan River in front of me until I take my first step. So I will take a step of faith, and let God guide me through the right path.
This may sound a bit strange, but one thing I have been fearing is directly calling leads from my coaching practice. I’ve texted and emailed them, and asked for permission to call them but have not received any reply back yet. I feel this is an area that I just need to push through and make the phone call. I will pray for boldness and the power of the Holy Spirit to give me the courage to reach out to two of the four individuals today.
0 comments:
Post a Comment