Fearless
Focus Scripture
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." — Isaiah 41:10 NIV
Introduction
A bold believer is a person who lives in free and fearless confidence. Fearlessness doesn’t describe the absence of fear, instead the freedom from fear. So many people have been imprisoned by their fears causing them to live a life that’s less than thryving. Our goal this week is to help you become free from fear so that you can live fearlessly and together, we will walk through five keys to fearless living.
This Week's Devotionals:
Day 1: Focus on His Presence
When facing challenges and struggles, it’s not uncommon to feel overwhelmed and afraid. A significant cause of these feelings is the belief that we are alone. We feel that we are by ourselves and While this is often how we feel, it doesn’t make it true. God tells us through His word, “Do not fear, for I am with you.” Life may be challenging. Problems may seem endless, but God is always present. And as long as he is present, there’s nothing to fear.
In his book, Winning the War in Your Mind, Craig Groeschel say, “As simple as it may sound, if we don’t remember God is present, we’ll forget that He is present.” I thought this to be over the top, however it was discovered to be true. When we don’t actively acknowledge God’s presence, we’ll forget that he’s with us. Today, I encourage you to focus on the presence of God. Read Isaiah 41:10 again and meditate on the presence of God.
In his book, Winning the War in Your Mind, Craig Groeschel say, “As simple as it may sound, if we don’t remember God is present, we’ll forget that He is present.” I thought this to be over the top, however it was discovered to be true. When we don’t actively acknowledge God’s presence, we’ll forget that he’s with us. Today, I encourage you to focus on the presence of God. Read Isaiah 41:10 again and meditate on the presence of God.
Day 2: Proclaim His Promises
As a father, when I make a promise to our daughter, Elisha, she has a tendency to remind me of my promises because she has confidence in the promises of her father. What's interesting is when she reminds me, something on the inside pulls me to perform the thing that I promised. I'm simply an earthly father, but each of us have a Heavenly Father that cares for you even greater.
In our focus scripture, God makes four promises: His Presence, Strength, Help and Support. No matter where we are or what we face, we can do so fearlessly because we know that God is with us, He will strengthen, help and support us in every circumstance. The Bible is filled with promises that God has made for his children. The best part about that is the promises of God in Christ Jesus are yes and amen, meaning they are undeniable. When God says something, that settles it. His word never returns without completing the very thing it was assigned to do. Therefore, we can proclaim His promises with confidence and live fearlessly.
As you go throughout this day, you will come in contact with something that will attempt to push you back into the corner of fear, but I encourage you to proclaim the promises of God.
In our focus scripture, God makes four promises: His Presence, Strength, Help and Support. No matter where we are or what we face, we can do so fearlessly because we know that God is with us, He will strengthen, help and support us in every circumstance. The Bible is filled with promises that God has made for his children. The best part about that is the promises of God in Christ Jesus are yes and amen, meaning they are undeniable. When God says something, that settles it. His word never returns without completing the very thing it was assigned to do. Therefore, we can proclaim His promises with confidence and live fearlessly.
As you go throughout this day, you will come in contact with something that will attempt to push you back into the corner of fear, but I encourage you to proclaim the promises of God.
Day 3: Pray Continually
When we acknowledge God's presence and proclaim His promises, these are the workings of an effective prayer. If we desire to be fearless, we must pray continually. In his letter to the church in Thessalonica, Apostle Paul gave these instructions: "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV). It's God's will that we pray because in prayer an exchange takes place, we give God our worries and He gives us His peace. The only way we can look chaos in the face and maintain our sanity is that inside we possess a peace that goes beyond all understanding (Philippians 4:6-7).
I celebrate the fact that you pray with us daily. Today, I encourage you to allow this habit of prayer to spill over into your private life and spend specific times in prayer with only you and the Father. He longs for this communion and our spirits do also.
There will be times when you will have fear, but as long as you pray continually, fear will never have you. In prayer, proclaim the promises of God, focus on His presence and you will experience His peace.
I celebrate the fact that you pray with us daily. Today, I encourage you to allow this habit of prayer to spill over into your private life and spend specific times in prayer with only you and the Father. He longs for this communion and our spirits do also.
There will be times when you will have fear, but as long as you pray continually, fear will never have you. In prayer, proclaim the promises of God, focus on His presence and you will experience His peace.
Day 4: Praise in Every Situation
One of the things that fear does it causes us to become silent. This was at least the case for me. There was a time where I was feeling afraid about a challenge I was facing and I became quiet for days. I'd speak when necessary but otherwise I didn't say anything. When worship music would play in the background I'd be silent and just listen but wouldn't sing along. Until one day, I opened my mouth and began to sing and praise God. This caused something to break within me and my praise grew greater as tears began to flow from my face. Immediately I felt better, I had been freed from fear because of my praise.
In his letter to the church at Thessalonica, Paul instructed them to "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). It's not God's will that we would be trapped by fear, but that we would be fearless. This fearlessness is fueled by praises to the awesome and mighty God that promised to never leave us nor forsake us. The God that's causing all things to work together for our good!
Take a moment in this day and identify something that you're thankful for and tell God thank you for it. Don't be a victim of silent fear but a carrier of fearless praise.
In his letter to the church at Thessalonica, Paul instructed them to "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). It's not God's will that we would be trapped by fear, but that we would be fearless. This fearlessness is fueled by praises to the awesome and mighty God that promised to never leave us nor forsake us. The God that's causing all things to work together for our good!
Take a moment in this day and identify something that you're thankful for and tell God thank you for it. Don't be a victim of silent fear but a carrier of fearless praise.
Day 5: Be Faithful
One day Jesus was describing the Kingdom of Heaven through a parable about three servants who had been entrusted with bags of gold by their master. One had five bags, another had two and the other had one. When the master returned, the one with five bags invested his and gained five more and one with two bags invested his and gained two more. Those two, the master celebrated as faithful. The remaining servant spoke about how hard he knew his master was and in fear, he hid his bag of gold in the ground until he returned. The master was furious and called this servant wicked. He took what he had and gave it to the one with ten bags and ordered for the servant to be thrown out of his home (Matthew 5:14-30).
In this story, each servant were entrusted with a measure of the master’s treasure. Two were considered faithful and one was considered wicked. It’s important to note that the attribute that led the one servant to being judged as wicked was fear. It was fear that caused him to hide the treasure instead of using what he had been given. Because he was fearful, he could not be regarded as faithful.
In life it’s easy to look at others and complain about what someone else has and what we don’t. “This person has better opportunities! That person has a greater inheritance! That person is pretty! That person is physically fit!” When God looks at our lives, He’s not concerned with what others have done. God’s desire is that we would use what we have. Perhaps you didn’t go to the most prestigious school. Maybe you don’t have the greatest income. But whatever you have, I encourage you to use it. Don’t allow fear to force you out of your purpose.
Another word for faithful is committed. God is a King and He desires total commitment out of the citizens of His kingdom. We must be faithful in every way, otherwise we would be classified as rebellious and wicked. Like the servant that was thrown out, perhaps we’re unable to live fearlessly because we are hiding our unfaithfulness. It’s easier to celebrate what we’re proud of and hide what we’re ashamed of. However, if we are unfaithful in any way, we must repent and realign our commitment with God. Don’t be fearful. Be faithful so you can be fearless.
In this story, each servant were entrusted with a measure of the master’s treasure. Two were considered faithful and one was considered wicked. It’s important to note that the attribute that led the one servant to being judged as wicked was fear. It was fear that caused him to hide the treasure instead of using what he had been given. Because he was fearful, he could not be regarded as faithful.
In life it’s easy to look at others and complain about what someone else has and what we don’t. “This person has better opportunities! That person has a greater inheritance! That person is pretty! That person is physically fit!” When God looks at our lives, He’s not concerned with what others have done. God’s desire is that we would use what we have. Perhaps you didn’t go to the most prestigious school. Maybe you don’t have the greatest income. But whatever you have, I encourage you to use it. Don’t allow fear to force you out of your purpose.
Another word for faithful is committed. God is a King and He desires total commitment out of the citizens of His kingdom. We must be faithful in every way, otherwise we would be classified as rebellious and wicked. Like the servant that was thrown out, perhaps we’re unable to live fearlessly because we are hiding our unfaithfulness. It’s easier to celebrate what we’re proud of and hide what we’re ashamed of. However, if we are unfaithful in any way, we must repent and realign our commitment with God. Don’t be fearful. Be faithful so you can be fearless.
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