Living on the Other Side of Fear by Matt BromleySample

HOW DO WE FACE OUR FEAR?

David and Goliath’s story shows how to win our battle with fear

Fear can cause us to live small, conservative lives.

It can chain us down and cause us to feel heavy and burdened... and most importantly, can keep us from growing into the men and women that God created us to be.

We are born to live a life that shines, that makes an impact and that brings the kingdom of God to earth. And we need to face fear if we want to live with SIGNIFICANCE.

Imagine yourself as David at 15. Your parents have asked you to take bread to your brothers in the army and you arrive on the scene of Israel lining up to fight the Philistines.

And then you see this giant of a man, a champion fighter who stands almost 3 metres tall, over 9-feet high, with a massive bronze javelin, shouting for someone to come and fight him.

All the warriors that you look up to, the fiercest men in your land, are beyond terrified of this man.

And then you say, “I’ll fight him!”

You sling a stone that kills the giant and Israel fights to victory.

This story is not a mythical tale – it really happened in history. Was David a superhero? No! He was a humble shepherd boy.

HOW WAS DAVID SO BOLD?

David saw the battle lines that were drawn. David heard the threats. David witnessed the fear in the eyes and hearts of the men that day. He saw the size and strength of Goliath…

But David knew in his heart… that THE BATTLE BELONGS TO THE LORD (1 Samuel 17:47).

When we can trust, like David did, that THE BATTLE BELONGS TO THE LORD, it’s a huge weight off our shoulders. There is such FREEDOM when we know the outcomes belong to Him! THE RESULTS BELONG TO HIM.

Our job is to be prepared and bring our best… and the rest belongs to Him!

So many of us are burdened. We need to hear this. We walk heavy with fear and worry, but He offers for us to have freedom from this! It’s incredible!

When we trust that THE BATTLE BELONGS TO HIM, as David did, we can have freedom from worry and courage to face our fear.

Questions/Reflections

1.Does fear hold you back? Do you find yourself holding onto all the “What Ifs” instead of just going all in?

2.Can you remember a time when you “cast your burdens” onto the Lord and felt freedom?

3.As you go into your day, is there a ritual or something you can do to help remind you that “The battle is the Lord’s”? (Something I like to do before I enter a big situation: I simply look up…and in my heart I say, “The Battle Belongs To YOU!”)