I was afraid. I finally launched a little project that I had in my heart for a while, but I never imagined that attempting to step out into what God called me to do could paralyze me. Let me be clear. God’s not the one doing the paralyzing. So, what’s happening here? And when I’m so afraid, what do I do? From infancy, it is our nature to cry out for our parents in a time of need.
We are dependent. In the natural world, we learn that growing up directly correlates to independence, but in the Kingdom, nothing could be further from the truth; in the Kingdom, we never stop being a child. It’s good and right to grow up, but I can’t say it did much for me in preparing me to navigate my adult-sized fears with God the Father. We may move out of our parent’s homes, even start our own families, but when I’m afraid… I still need my Dad.
The family model reveals the nature of God very specifically. God’s intention from the beginning was for the family dynamic to bring great blessing to the people He created, with God Himself being at the head of that family. Children who are well fathered feel protected and empowered simultaneously. This combination is the right mixture for children to successfully grow without the fear of being harmed or hindered as they become who they are meant to be. That is the promise of God to us as well, even as we grow old and gray.
We can do great exploits in the Lord because we know He is on our side, ever-present to help us, and always fighting for us. In Psalm 91:4, we see that these “faithful promises of God act as our armor and protection” against our fears. Without these promises, it would be extremely difficult to step out in great faith. But because of God’s great ability to Father us, we can take risks without the fear of failing beyond restoration – this is a type of empowerment that paralyzes our fear, not us. Even the bad cannot conquer us (Romans 8:28), so we are safe to try.
With all this in mind, we take a step of faith. Beyond our fears lie the sure arms of God. We can depend on Him forever. He will never abandon us, and He is worthy of our trust as we take the leaps into what He has called us to do. We may not always feel a sense of certainty, but as we remind ourselves of the truth of what kind of Father we have, we will be emboldened to jump out of our comfort zones and into His power for us.
Today, I want to encourage you: if there is something in your heart to do, the world is waiting for you to step out! We need your God-given gifts and purpose to be fulfilled on Earth so that the world might know Him more. You can do it! I believe in you, and most importantly, so does your Father.
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
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