The King Is ComingSample

FaithFULL not FearFULL

The buzz word these days is “brave”. It’s such a powerful word to rally around—the idea of being unafraid and conquering all the scary things of life. But being brave puts the responsibility on us, leaving it to us to muster up the courage from some deep reserve. It sounds romantic, but it’s not always possible. Sometimes we just don’t have the bravery we need for certain situations, and our fear ends up crippling us. Rather than trying to live unafraid, what we really need to do is live fearlessly.

Being fearless does not mean living with the absence of fear; it means moving forward in spite of our fear. It means walking in obedience to God, even when we’re terrified of what it could cost us. Just like Mary.

Mary said yes to God, even when it threatened to cost her everything. No doubt she was afraid—she could lose her pending marriage, her reputation as a virgin, which would mean she’d probably never marry, and could even lose her life. Surrendering to God in Mary’s situation required incredible fearlessness. Although she was probably terrified, Mary was not paralyzed. Her faith overrode her fear.

Like Mary, we can acknowledge fear without letting it consume us. We lessen the grip of fear on our lives each time we do the very thing that terrifies us. Mary did this by saying yes to God and stepping into the plans he had for her. While they seemed risky and costly, they were in fact good plans. Mary faced the scary things and moved forward anyway. Because of her fearlessness, Christmas came.

REFLECT

Being fearless means moving forward in spite of our fear. It means walking in obedience to God, even when we’re terrified of what it could cost us.

RESPOND

There are 365 Bible verses about not being afraid – one for each day of the year. Let’s remember that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.

Is there an area of life where fear is paralyzing you? What would it look like to face that fear and move forward anyway?

Is God calling you to something that sounds risky or costly? Are you afraid of saying yes? What could saying yes lead to?