It's Tough Being a Woman in the Tight Fist of Fear

As it is written:  "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." -1 Cor. 2:9

We have a choice.

God reserves the right not to force us how we do the what.  Whatever it is that we need to do, we have a choice in how we do it.  Sometimes we can have such a strong desire for self-preservation that we protect ourselves right out of our calling.  No one is born brave but we can become brave; we must overcome ourselves in order to do what God has created and positioned us to do.

We must face the fear.

A line from one of my favorite songs, by Casting Crowns called East to West, says "Today I feel like I'm just one mistake away from you (God) leaving me this way."  God has NO INTENTION of ever leaving us but we may be one mistake away from choosing to be left.  We all play the "what if" game.  Consider for a moment that IF is an acronym for "I Fear" and repeat your "what if's" to yourself replacing "if" with "I Fear."  Then face the fear!  The most frequent command in the Bible is don't be afraid.  Do not deny the problem, deny it's victory over you!  We cherish fear so much that we can't shed it even when we are told to do so!

Proverbs 31:10 speaks of a virtuous wife and Judges 6:12 speaks of mighty men of valor; these words refer to the brave!  All you need to do is ask God to release you from the hold fear has over you; pray to him to help you become a virtuous woman (or mighty man of valor).

Fear of death is the most profound fear among us, even as Christians we fear death.  Hebrews 2:14-15 from The Message: "By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil's hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death."  Don't be so scared of death that you can't really live!  Walking in the shadow of death is as perilous as dying.  Are we to live a thousand deaths fearing the one?

Romans 8:36 - "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep." (NLT)

Galations 2:20 - "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." (NIV)

Colossians 2:13 - "You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away.  Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave our sins." (NLT)

Ephesians 2:6 - "For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in hte heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus." (NLT)

John 17:3 - "And this is the way to eternal life - to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth." (NLT)

Phil 1:6 is "certain that God, who began the good work within you will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." (NLT) Death is not our final destination.  Death is only part of our destiny.  "Oh!  Death, where is your victory?  Where is your sting?" (1 Cor 15:55)

We must take courage.

If we only trust God to never allow us to suffer our greatest fears the enemy will keep threatening us with them over and over again!  Never will God not offer His courage, we just need to take it! 

Mark 6:51 "Take courage, it is I (says the Lord), don't be afraid."

Courage is not the absence of fear but the judgement that there's something more important than fear.  The word courage comes from the Latin word cor which means heart.  (1John 4:18) Take heart, my friends.

So I conclude with this:

Live until you die.

Live like you will never die.

Remember, you get to decide; you have a choice.

You may be one brave descision away from the most important step in your destiny.