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"Fear: Our Gateway to Freedom"
Psalm 23 begins by reminding us how good God is. He is our Provider and in Him we lack nothing. Maybe we don’t always have everything we want, like that big beautiful house or that shiny new car, but He makes sure we have what we need. Psalm 23 assures us that we can trust God with our lives. He is faithful to guide us along the right paths of life…“even though I walk through the darkest valley…” While we can trust God to always rightly direct our path, sometimes our path takes us through the darkest of valleys. Walking with God does not guarantee us a direct line to Heaven with no pain or sorrow along the way. Sometimes we walk through very dark situations, and it happens on God’s watch.
What kind of God takes His kids through dark times? Psalm 23 firmly assures us: A good God.
Our human instinct is to shy away from the valley, but sometimes our life’s path leads straight through it. We can’t go around it, can’t go over it. We have to go through it. Cancer, divorce, death, bankruptcy—the valleys are innumerable. But God uses those valleys as opportunities for us to look fear in the eye and declare its power null and void.
When we encounter fear and choose to move forward in spite of it, trusting that God goes with us, fear loses its power over us. And according to Psalm 23, on the other side of that valley is a place of abundance and freedom, a place where we can sit in the very presence of our enemies, yet be unafraid and unaffected. We press on through the valley knowing that freedom awaits us on the other side. Facing our fear becomes our very gateway to freedom.
Reflect
God uses the Valleys of the Shadow of Death moments as life opportunities to face our fear and declare its power over us null and void. Facing our fears becomes the gateway to our freedom.
Respond
- Think of a time in your life that was a “valley moment”. Did you face any fears during that time?
- Did you conquer your fears, or do those same fears still have a hold on you?
- How would your life look different if you weren’t afraid?
- What are ways you can face your fear and move toward freedom?
Scripture
About this Plan
2 Timothy 1:7 tells us that “God has not given us a spirit of fear.” A powerful truth, but not one that is easy to walk in. Sometimes it seems like fear is stalking us, just waiting to take control of our lives. We don’t have to live this way. This week-long devotional from Seacoast Church will encourage you to stand firm in the face of fear. Through God’s power and his promises to us, we can learn what it means to be Fearless.
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