41 Will ComeSample

 DAY 6 — SMASH FEAR IN THE MOUTH

Devotion

Most fears aren’t rational. Remember that.

 

As soon as you embrace your vision and decide that you’re going to launch your dreams into motion, the enemy will use anything and everything to immobilize you with fear. Fear can stop you in your tracks. Fear can be crippling. It takes only the slightest bit of fear to crush your faith and derail your dreams.

 

What prevented the army of Israel from accepting Goliath’s challenge?

What stopped the soldiers from defending the honor of the God they served? What terminated their dream of conquering the Philistines and winning the hand of King Saul’s daughter in marriage? What quashed every soldier’s vision of killing the giant and being hoisted onto the shoulders of his fellow soldiers for a victory parade through the streets of Israel? 

Fear.

Let’s break down 1 Samuel 17:24: “As soon as the Israelite army saw him [Goliath], they began to run away in fright.” Israel was God’s chosen nation. They were his people. He had called them to greatness. They were dressed for battle and backed by the Creator of the universe, but they weren’t doing anything . . . because they were afraid. They simply sat on the sidelines, dejected and intimidated.

From a strictly human perspective, their fear was understandable. Goliath was one big dude. And he was mean, to boot. So when they saw the giant, “they began to run away in fright.” That’s what I would have done. That’s probably what you would have done. That’s what we’d all do. When it comes down to fight or flight and there’s a giant involved, flight is the sane and rational play. Fear can talk us out of anything, but it doesn’t have to. That’s where faith and courage come in.

Courage doesn’t mean you’re not afraid. Courage means that, in spite of your fear, you’re going to step out and face the challenge anyway. Courage means you’re going to smash fear in the mouth, pin it to the ground, and force it to tap out!

WHAT FEAR DO YOU NEED HELP OVERCOMING?