Dawn Klinge Writes…
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence
by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived
through this horror. I can take the next
thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” -Eleanor Roosevelt
Fear
is completely natural. It serves a
purpose. It’s there to warn us when
we’re facing something that could harm us.
While
listening to our fears might be a smart choice, when we operate from a place of
self-sufficiency.
But,
if we follow Christ, we understand that we are called to something more.
We are called to lean completely on Jesus.
Trusting
God, no matter what our life circumstances look like, gives us courage because
we bear the name of Christ and He is in us.
We face fear with faith.
A typical example would be…
As
Christians, we are blessed with the good news of the gospel. God’s love for sinners is something that we
must not hold back on sharing.
But
for many of us, fear holds us back. When Jesus asks for obedience, as he has
when it comes to sharing the gospel (Mathew
4:19), his command does not stand-alone.
We are not left alone to carry it out by our own strength. Jesus is the source of our strength.
“…And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will
be catching men.” -Luke
5:10
When
we are following Christ, we can look fear in the face and do the things we
think we cannot do- not because we are so strong, ourselves, but because we
place our trust in a God who is completely sovereign, infinite in wisdom, and
perfect in love. He is our source of
courage.
I
think back on my own life and some of the decisions I’ve made. I would say that some of my worst decisions
were made out of fear. Those were the
times I didn’t pray about what God wanted me to do. Instead, I took the “safe” route, relying on
myself. As a Christian, I don’t have to
live that way.
Looking fear in the face does not mean we ignore our
fear.
It
means we use our fears as prompts to ask God, in prayer, what He would
have us do- and then we obey.
How do you
know what God is calling you to do?
Well, for starters, He won’t ever ask you to do anything that contradicts His
Word.
So
if you are confused, go to the Bible.
Some things, like sharing the gospel, are very clear. Other things, like where to move, or what job
to take, for example, aren’t always as easy to discern. I believe, in times like these, God will
often place desires on our heart- and he will use other people to confirm those
desires. Ask God. Listen.
He will make himself and his will known.
“Ask,
and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be
opened to you.” -Mathew
7:7
Fear
is natural. But you, Christian, are not
alone. You can take courage because you
are in Christ. You can trust that He’s got
you, safe in His love.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
She writes about
Christian faith regularly at Above the
Waves, drawing on her experience as wife and mom to two. She holds a degree in education from the University
of Idaho.
A pastor’s kid and a church
girl her entire life, she’s still trying to figure out what it looks like to
put her trust in Jesus. Dawn and her
husband, Derek, live near Seattle, Washington.
You can also find her on Twitter,
Facebook, and Instagram
Dawn's book is excellent resource for women book clubs and bible studies. Read my review on Good Reads Here. Please grab your copy here.
If you like this devotional and resource, have access to lots
more by subscribing below. * indicates required
Labels: Devotions, My Awesome Guest
Conversely,
some of the best decisions I’ve made were the times when I was following what I
felt I was led by God to do- even if I was scared. I shared some of these stories in my new book
called, Look to Jesus: How to Let Go of Worry and Trust God.