God created us to have lives filled with growth, adventure, and momentum. But that involves taking bold steps of faith, and we can’t do that if we’re satisfied with life in our comfort zones. Even when we feel afraid of stepping out of them, we should try not to let it stop us! Acknowledge the fear and do it anyway! Feeling fear is part of being alive. We’ll experience fear when we try something for the first time, or when we’re experiencing change, or when the obstacles we face seem too big, or when we feel like we’re not up to the challenge. None of this means we’re cowardly, failures, or worth less than braver people. It just means we’re human. We’re only cowardly when we let our fears control our actions and decisions. Feeling fear is just the temptation to flee from what we should confront. Feeling fear is not the same as being afraid, because being afraid means that fearful feelings have been able to take control of us. But we don’t have to put up with that. We can feel anger, but choose not to act on it, and instead respond with forgiveness and love. In the same way, we can feel fear and not let it make our decisions for us. ‘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). Notice 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.’
