Take Back Your Life: Thinking Right So You Can Live RightSample

Run Toward the Roar

When you run from things that scare you, you move toward danger, not away from it. When you feel that panicky fight-or-flight sensation and you want to run away, do the opposite. Run toward the roar. You have come into the kingdom for just “such a time as this” (Esther 4:14 NASB). 

When Jennie and I lost our daughter, we decided that we would go through it running toward the roar. It is excruciating to go through the process of grief, but as we faced it all, we then pushed on into the future. I pray you never have to go through what we have, but like it or not, we are all going to have to confront our fears or abandon our destinies. 

The only path to the life you are meant to reach is to launch out into the deep and sail through things that are scary. God calls us to go to places that frighten us so that we will fully trust Him. The only way for you to do the kinds of things He desires is to run toward the roar again and again and again.

Often what keeps us in the shallows of life is our fear of failure. The only way to get to victory is to be willing to make mistakes on the way there. Enduring something you are afraid of, and still exhibit bravery, has everything to do with your attitude and outlook. God isn’t scared of what you’re scared of, but you don’t have to pretend like you’re not frightened. Naming your fear is part of getting through it. It’s also important to remember that Jesus is always with you. He gives you the strength to face your fears. 

Strength also comes from getting people to pray for you. You can have people around you to be your backup as you face your fears and purge those things that keep you from God’s purpose for your life. Spend time in God’s Word, honestly talk to God throughout the day, listen to worship music, allow others to disciple you, and serve in your local body of believers. Each of these strategies opens the door for God to doHis cleansing work in your heart.

As a child of God, you have an arsenal of power at your beck and call. The power that leads to victory is not in us or from us; it is with God and comes to us from His hand. But having it and using it are two completely different things. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to try to do God’s work without God’s power. There is power in using the name of Jesus as you pray, and that power is completely available to you; all you have to do is use it. 

Run toward the roar! When the Enemy tries to come at you to smother you, rise up in faith, relying on the power of the Holy Spirit. When you’re full of anxious thoughts and worry, and spiritual warfare and peer pressure from the world come, don’t back down; double down. In Christ you can do this. It won’t be easy or fast or pain-free, but you can do this. Do not give up. We have a living hope, because we have a living Lord. 

Respond

What fears, anxieties, discouragements, or losses do you need to confront in your life? How can God and His people support you in doing this?

How have you seen the Enemy try to smother your forward progress of faith? How have you used the resource of prayer to face challenges? 

What strategies can you use to open the door for God’s cleansing power and victory over the Enemy?