Most the time, we know how to recognize the obvious manifestations of fear – worry, anxiety, terror, fear of man, fear of the future, and so forth. But fear has other forms also, such as those of hesitancy, apprehension, and timidity. We may hold ourselves back from doing things that take courage and faith, and not believe with certainty that the Lord will back us up if we step out and take a risk.
Our outward confession may be one of unreserved trust, and we may have committed many scriptures to memory about who God is. But our current experience is one where the truth of these words have not fully taken root in our hearts and transformed our mindsets – where we have confident trust that He’s absolutely with us and we are immersed in His loving kindness and goodness.
A bold fearlessness that inspires courage in all things, both great and small, is one that is rooted in knowing His astonishing love towards us. We believe that in Christ we can now boldly access the throne of grace, and receive help in our time of need.
Fear is only displaced by love, and by being confident in the Lord’s incredible love towards us. So living from fearlessness is where we know that we are absolutely accepted and loved, and empowered by grace to live an overcoming life. We feel we can launch into the impossible, try again after making mistakes, believe our dreams can be reality, and knowing with confidence the Lord is with us the whole way through.
In Qualities of a Spiritual Warrior (p94), Graham says this:
“The only antidote to fear is perfect love [1 John 4:18]. A love from the Lord that has matured into a place of complete confidence. Mature love has a settled nature to it that cannot be overcome. This is the root of fearlessness.”
The kind of fearlessness I am eyeing up, is where I trust wholeheartedly for the Lord to see me through my mistakes and shortcomings, calling me up higher, and being so enveloped in His love that I’m further inspired to call others into that place of boldness and courage also. I am moving past the notion that there are others more gifted, more capable, more confident, and better suited to pioneering the territory the Lord has for me. Because the truth is, there is territory set aside for me in the Spirit that is mine possess and where I can create pathways for others to walk in. I can be confident that the Lord already has provision and promises for me to navigate my way in the process.
For this introvert here, I am learning that I can step out into a place of boldness and confident trust, and although the increasing visibility is uncomfortable to my natural bent, I can still do so without being held by fear. I’m still allowed my preference for the quiet and solitude to re-energize, but it cannot be my excuse for holding back and avoiding the emergence of my true identity!
So today: allow the Lord to bring you a continual experience of His love that displaces fear. He will put a radiant view of who Jesus is there in its place. When you know just how adored you are, how wrapped up in His affections, and how brilliantly He sees you, you will be unstoppable in this life!
Victoria Boyd
Member of The Warrior Commission
