The Fear Factor!

Numbers 13:33 (KJV)
33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

Mark Twain once said, “Do the thing you fear the most and the death of fear is certain.” I love that quote because it suggests in order to overcome our fears, we have to be willing to take a risk. Our lives can be summed up by the risks we have taken. If we look at our lives, many of us are at the place we are in life because we have not taken a risk. When was the last time that you have taken a risk? Does your fear of the unknown prevent you from taking a risk? Does fear paralyze you and hold you captive? There is nothing to fear but fear itself. All of us have a fear of something. What do you fear? Have you faced your fear? Fear is a tool the devil feeds off of and uses against us to make us underachieve. Sooner or later, we have to face our fears if we want to reach the destination God desires for us to reach.

In the text above, Israel is at a critical point. God’s vision for them is to make it to Canaan. Moses is ordered by God to send twelve spies into the land to scout out the land and bring back a report of the land. The twelve spies brought back evidence of the fruitfulness of the land. Despite the fact they brought back evidence, they allowed fear and the lack of faith to make them miss out on a golden opportunity. When you look at your life, what opportunities have you missed out on because of fear and the lack of faith? Ten of the spies gave a fearful report and two of the spies gave a faithful report. Fear always leads to doubt. When doubt sets in, it makes us look at things from the wrong perspective. It also makes us question where God is leading us. The ten men that brought back the fearful report focused on Giants in the land. It is interesting how fear makes things look bigger than they really are.

What are you facing that looks impossible or too big for you to face? There is nothing too big that we face for God or that God can’t get us through. Fear also makes you feel incapable of achieving whatever task has been assigned to you. It makes you doubt yourself and view yourself as insignificant. They had a bad view of themselves and they were worried about what others thought of them. You will never be able to achieve anything great in life and for God with low self worth. God has uniquely made everyone of us. Stop allowing others to define you and to determine how valuable you are to yourself. Self confidence comes from having faith in God and knowing he has equipped you with everything you need to accomplish whatever task he has assigned to your hands.

When I played football in college my coach used to ask us if we were afraid to be great. Are you afraid to be great?

God bless and keep you is my prayer.