Be Still: 30 Devotions for the Hopeful HeartSample

Kingdom Builders

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. II TIMOTHY 1:7 NKJV

How often do we give energy to thoughts that deserve none of our attention? We play the “what-if” game, entertaining any and all possibilities of the future. Our imagination gets the best of us, and we forget to filter those thoughts through the truth.

How frequently does our situation turn out exactly as we assumed it would? More often than not, so many of our predicted outcomes never come to fruition, and we are mentally worn out by the unnecessary roller coaster. We imagine how the puzzle pieces will all fit together, and then the Lord blows our minds. Somehow, someway, the resources are provided, the tangible details come together, and it all ends up being okay.

No matter where we are or what we have on our plate, if we continue to rehearse fear, we will miss out on operating in the faith He has instilled in us. The reason it is called a “leap of faith” is because there is a little air in between those steps, a little uncertainty in between those stones. It requires us to get out of our own heads and trust fully in Him. It requires us to remember that while our paralysis feels permanent, we know it is not—we know we must silence the chatter in our heads and trust the One who calms our hearts.

If we think for a moment that those who are shakers and doers, big dreamers, and serious kingdom-builders operate without fear, then we are seriously mistaken. They just have decided that the world is big and full of life and they serve the Creator of it! They have decided that if they want to experience the view, they will have to overcome their fear of heights.

Because when they do? When we do? When we get out of ourselves and stop rehearsing our fears, our mind follows suit. We are capable of far more than we realize. We are eternity shapers who step forward in courage and have the power of a sound mind.

Dear Jesus, thank You for the reminder to focus on You and not rehearse the future based on circumstances and details we do not know. Help us trust You, taking one step at a time, believing You to provide when necessary. In Jesus’s name, amen.