Face Your Fears
Have you ever faced uncertainty and just wanted to crawl up in a ball and hide in your “turtle shell”? Does it feel like the deck is stacked against you? Do you think you are the only one who can imagine what you are going through? Does FEAR grip you and keep you from reaching after God and becoming all you were meant to be?I hate to say this, but…I can totally and completely relate…(doesn’t that stink?)
I want to be strong, have faith, and fight the good fight, but sometimes it just feels as if the world is banging down my door and all I can do is just sit in the corner, all curled up in my shell, just waiting, watching, and waiting some more.
Did you know that Moses felt that he was inadequate to do what God had called him to do? He asked God, “Who Am I?”….whoa, I mean seriously…Moses did a mighty work for God, and even he was afraid…then, when the time came for him to hand the baton over to Joshua, Joshua was FACED with HIS FEARS as well.
I love this…in Joshua 1:5-9 God tells Joshua, “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6”Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Can you believe it??? Three times (bold and italics mine) he was told to BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS!!!! You know what that tells me? It tells me that God knew that he would face fear and uncertainty in his ministry, in his life, and in his calling.
Whew…what a relief…I am NOT the only one who has to FACE MY FEARS!!! You know it has been said that most people, when faced with fear tend to do three things…1) Flee, 2) Fight, or 3) Freeze…I am not sure that there is a right or wrong answer here, but what I do know is that God has made me who I am…I am growing in Him, I seek to be more like Him, but at some point I have to stop and FACE MY FEARS and fully rely on Him.
I don’t know what FEARS you are facing right now, but I do know this…you are NOT alone…
Deuteronomy 31:6 says: Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (bold and italics mine)
I want to leave you with the lyrics to one of my MOST favorite songs…I pray that it encourages you to be “BRAVE”.
The gate is wide
The road is paved in moderation
The crowd is kind and quick to pull you in
Welcome to the middle ground
You’re safe and sound and
Until now, it’s where I’ve been
‘Cause it’s been fear that ties me down to everything
But it’s been love, your love, that cuts the strings
So long status quo
I think I just let go
You make me want to be brave
The way it always was
Is no longer good enough
You make me want to be brave
Brave, brave
I am small
And I speak when I’m spoken to
But I am willing to risk it all
I say your name
Just your name and I’m ready to jump
Even ready to fall…
Why did I take this vow of compromise?
Why did I try to keep it all inside?
I’ve never known a fire that didn’t begin with a flame
Every storm will start with just a drop of rain
But if you believe in me, that changes everything
Nichole Nordeman, Brave
If I can pray for you please let me know…it would be my honor to partner with you in prayer! 
THANK YOU!!
The worst thing for me is that my shell is so comfortable and familiar. Stepping out and trusting is not only scary, but soooo NEW and UNKNOWN!!
Thank you for leading the way. Having your support and encouragement has made my walk less scary and more comfortable just by knowing (trying to remember) that I am not alone – HE is always with me and HE has blessed with me AMAZING friends who wrap their arms and love around me and let me know that all with be fine – just have faith.
That was amazing. I am feeling very fearful, for I do not know where I am going. I am working on finding Juliana again, little by little. I just know that I have to wait,in prayer, for He will lead me to the right place and at the right time. It is very easy to hide and stay in the turtle shell. I have been hiding for 3 weeks. Thank you for sharing your heart with us and to show that we are not alone. Love, Jules
Thanks so much for this. I am facing a lot of challenges (the abuse thing, getting of my meds, new job, book, and now a trip to Africa!) ALL TOTALLY NEW and SCARY!
I could use prayer for all the above…and appreciate the willingness for you to do that. AND I think you just inspired me to ask how I can pray for my blog readers…THANK YOU!!!
Jennifer…
Believe me, I know…the Turtle Shell is “safe”, but how GREAT is it to realize how big and great our God is!!!
Jules…
You have so many gifts and talents, you just have to BELIEVE that HE is using you each and every day!
Anne…
Humbled and honored! You are one tough chick who has been through a lot..but each step you have taken HE has been there with you and the cool thing is…He is using you in a MIGHTY way for so many people!
Melissa