Refuse to live in fear (2)

God has created you for a life of growth, adventure, and acceleration. But you must take bold steps of faith. And you can’t do that if you’re perfectly satisfied to live in ‘the safe zone’. Even when you feel afraid, don’t let it stop you! Feel the fear and do it anyway! You say, ‘Will I ever stop being afraid?’ Yes, when you get to heaven. Feeling fear is part of being alive. You will experience fear when you try something for the first time, or when the obstacles in your path seem insurmountable, or when you feel like your resources are not equal to the challenge. None of this means you’re a coward; it just means you’re human. You are only cowardly when you let your fears control your actions and decisions. Feeling fear is merely the temptation to flee from what you should confront. Feeling fear is not the same as being afraid, because being afraid means allowing fearful feelings to take control of you. But you don’t have to. You can feel anger yet choose not to act on it, and instead respond with forgiveness and love. In the same way, you can feel fear and not let it make your decisions. ‘He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”’ (Hebrews 13:5-6 NKJV). Note those two phrases: ‘He…has said’ and ‘we may boldly say’. So, stand on God’s Word today and declare, ‘I will not live in fear.’