As women, each day brings new adventures, new challenges, and new opportunities to do and be better than we were the day before. Every day when we open our eyes, we understand from the Word of God that mercy (God’s compassion and forgiveness) is new and available for us as well as His grace (His divine favor that abounds in and toward us).  

Jesus said in Matthew 6:11, “Give us this day our daily bread.” This means that every day God has something for us to feed on, to grow by, and strength to help us accomplish all that life requires.  

As I mature, I’ve come to grips with the fact that life really is short and although we can plan to live to be a ripe old age, we only get one shot so we must make it count. David said in Psalm 39:4, “LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is.”

Because our time on earth is short we can’t be afraid to live life to the fullest. We can’t be afraid to give, go, be, or do. Most importantly, we can’t be afraid to love.

Too many of us live in fear, and as a result, we have short-changed ourselves from experiencing all that God desires for us. God wants us to have a rich full life, but fear too often grabs us by the ankles and holds us down.

Second Timothy 1:7 tells us, God did not give us a spirit of fear so we don’t have to tolerate it. His desire is that we acknowledge He is with us. In the face of what appears to be a roaring lion, His word encourages us to be bold and brave, and to have faith in Him and His Word. 

Fear is always the enemy to our faith in God. We often don’t understand that fear is really faith, but it’s negative faith. It’s when we have more confidence in something going wrong than we do in God’s ability to keep things right. It’s giving greater credence to Satan’s ability to harm us than God’s ability to sustain us. Faith in God’s Word is the only way to eradicate fear.

At the end of 2015, I experienced an incredible amount of loss. People left the ministry and disassociated themselves from me, etc. However, the greatest loss came when my grandmother, who raised me, transitioned to heaven. With all I had accomplished and overcome in life and ministry, nothing compared with the pain of losing her. 

As 2016 rolled in, fear of failure and loss gripped my mind and I sank into a depression I had never known before. Searching for a solution, I began the year fasting, praying, and seeking the Lord. For 21 days, I separated myself. I prayed and meditated on God’s Word and fear lost its grip. In the recesses of my mind, I heard my grandmother’s voice saying, “Honey, you’ve got to keep on, keepin’ on.” So I picked myself up, faced my fears, and moved forward.

At some point in time, we have all battled fear. We have had some thought, idea, or suggestion that gripped us and held us back—something that hindered us from being all God has called us to be. But in spite of it all, we must know God has and will see us through. 

Life isn’t always fair, but we must choose to be brave and to take courage knowing that God is with us and He’s more than anything that can or will ever come against us.  

Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is “Now” so now is the time to step beyond fear and move forward. Now is the time to move out into the fullness of the things God has planned for you. 

“Keep on, keepin’ on,” knowing there is no challenge, test, or obstacle you don’t have the ability to overcome. Remember what God said in His Word, “Be strong, Be courageous, for the Lord your God is with you.” It’s a command, not a suggestion.

Read:

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV).

Reflect:

• What fears are currently holding you back from stepping into God’s plans for your life?
• How can you actively replace fear with faith in your daily decisions?

Pray:

Lord, I confess that fear often gets the best of me, but I choose today to lay down my anxieties before You. Help me replace every fear with faith in Your goodness and Your promises. Fill me with the strength and courage to face each challenge, knowing that You are always with me. In Jesus' name, Amen.