God promises you a forever, free from all fear, worry, and anxiety. And he also gives you promises to live out so that you can live life here and now, free from fear. It’s time to repent of fear and claim those promises!
Psalm 23:1-6 NRSV
[1] The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. [2] He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; [3] he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. [4] Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff- they comfort me. [5] You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. [6] Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long.
Confession: I can preach an entire series of messages called FearLESS and still come face-to-face with my own glaring problem with fear.
In fact, while I don’t fear danger or death as much as I probably should, I do fear other things that ultimately hold me back from pursuing my purpose with all the passion that I could.
- The fear of being “found out” (that I’m not as awesome as I hope everyone around me thinks I am.
- The fear of failing to meet the expectations of others.
- The fear of getting hurt. Or getting hurt again.
- The fear of judgment and criticism.
Fear will hold you back from pursuing the purpose, the freedom, and the abundance God desires for you!
I find myself asking a question that you’ve probably asked yourself, too…
When will I finally be FearLESS?
Here’s the promise of God about your eternal outlook…
You WON’T live in fear forever, so you don’t have to live in fear now.
When you follow and trust the Shepherd, your eternal fate is set. Your ultimate destiny is an eternal life, free from fear. And God wants you to start living that out right now!
But you’ve gotta know HOW to deal with fear in the moment, and the way we deal with fear is to sort out what is true and worthy of caution and what is false, irrational, or unhealthy and unhelpful.
Walk in your new relationship.
That is, in your new identity, your new calling.
1 John 4:18 GW
No fear exists where his love is. Rather, perfect love gets rid of fear, because fear involves punishment. The person who lives in fear doesn’t have perfect love.
Walk in your new gifting.
2 Timothy 1:6-7 NLT
This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
Walk in God’s protection.
Psalm 27:1-3 NLT
The LORD is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident.
Walk in supernatural power.
Hebrews 13:6 NLT
So we can say with confidence, “The LORD is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”
Imagine what life would be like if you really, really lived in this new identity as God’s child, under supernatural power and protection, under God’s blessing, with nothing to fear.
Imagine dropping the fear of man, of failure, of exposure, of the future…
Here’s a good practice – face each new day, each new conversation, and each new opportunity in life by completing this sentence…
Since I don’t have to be afraid anymore, I will…
Now, what commitment do you need to make TODAY in light of this new way of living?