Fear is unexplainable

During my recent movie-watching experience, I found myself feeling completely comfortable, with no strong emotional reactions. I tried to recollect a film that had left me angry at its conclusion, but I couldn't recall one right away. However, I remembered "Me Earl and the Dying Girl" and how it had a somewhat frustrating ending. Perhaps you've seen it? The film was good overall, but the way it concluded left me saying, "What just happened?" The narrator, who happened to be the girl, revealed that she was dead all along, and it was a bit perplexing.

Then, I attempted to recall another recent movie that had made me quite upset to the point where I almost walked out of the theater. Struggling to remember, I wondered if it might have been "Lucy". However, upon further reflection, I realized I wasn't actually mad at that movie. There was another film, "Limitless," where the protagonist gained extraordinary abilities, controlling physics and transcending beyond human capabilities. While it didn't infuriate me, I just didn't connect with it on a deeper level.

Switching topics, I discussed my evolving fear of spiders. Although I used to be quite scared of them, I've become more tolerant lately. There was a recent incident during a Zoom call when I noticed a spider crawling on my cluttered kitchen table. While I was still slightly uneasy, I didn't want to kill it, fearing judgment from others on the call. So, I let the spider roam freely, embracing my newfound courage towards these creatures.

"I have a little saying, and it's 'Step out and find out.' Sometimes, we're just not sure. I mean, we really think something, but everybody knows that we don't hear from God perfectly, and people are so afraid of failure. But failing at something and being a failure are two different things. You are never a failure as long as you refuse to quit. We have to practice what we preach, and sometimes, we have to do it afraid.

I'm a little afraid right now because when Joyce and Lori get together, oftentimes, I fade into the background, and that's okay. 'Do it afraid' is what we're talking about. Joyce, this is your brand new book. It is thematically a part of some of your highest-selling books, or the most in-demand content that you do. 'Do it afraid' is a brand new book where, in 2020, with all the challenges like the pandemic, racial tensions, murder hornets, and dust clouds from the Sahara Desert, there are plenty of things to be afraid of.

Now, how do you want to start opening this door? This is something that is, you know, a word in season. Right? This is something I had no idea when I wrote the book that it would be coming out at this particular time. Isn't it amazing how God knows so much more than we do?

The thing is, 'Do it afraid' is different. I've been teaching on this for years and years and years, but people think that when the Bible says 'Fear not,' they're not supposed to feel fear. So, I spent a lot of years wasted, praying for God to make the fear go away. But it's not going to go away. You may overcome it in one area, but it's going to come back in another area.

The word 'fear' in the original language means to take flight or to run away from. For example, when God told Joshua 'Fear not,' He wasn't telling him not to feel fear. He was pretty much telling him, 'You're going to feel fear, but when you do, don't run. Do what I've told you to do, because I am with you.' The only reason God ever gives in the Word for us not to fear is, 'Fear not, because I am with you.' He doesn't tell us what He's going to do or when He's going to do it. He just wants us to trust Him enough to believe that He loves us, and therefore, we don't have to be afraid because He will show us what to do. So, the only antidote for fear is faith. When fear knocks on your door, send faith to answer. You have to step out, and then faith steps out. It steps out into the unknown.

You know, think about when Joshua was told to cross the Jordan, and he had to put his foot in the water before it parted. You guys have spent your life doing that. Your mom and dad did, Dave and I did. When we look back to the beginning of our ministry and the things that we did, I think, 'How in the world did I have the courage to do that? Why would I even have believed that God could use me to do what I'm doing now?' When God gives you a dream or a vision for your life, it's not something that you can just get away from. It's there to stay, and you're either going to do something about it, or you're going to be pretty miserable.

This whole message came about as a result of a story that I heard, something I read many years ago when I was still trying to pray fear out of my life. I wonder how many people watching today are just like, 'Well, if the fear would just go away, if this fear would just go away.' But God doesn't want to take your fear away. He wants to give you courage to go ahead and do what He's telling you to do while you still feel afraid. That you never get victory over anything by running away from it. The only way you get victory is to face it, confront it, go through it, and conquer it. Then, when you're on the other side of it, you find out that a lot of the things that you feared, first of all, they don't even happen. Or, secondly, if they do, they weren't nearly as bad as the devil had it played up in your mind that it was going to be.

I heard a story about a woman who was a Christian, talking to a Christian friend of hers, moaning about the fact that she had been paralyzed by fear all of her life. She wouldn't go out at night, she wouldn't drive a car, didn't want to be in crowds, I mean, fear just absolutely controlled her. So, she was kind of wanting some sympathy, some ministry, some comfort, and the woman just looked at her and said, 'Well, why don't you just do it afraid?' And when I read that story, all these things came together for me at once. I thought, 'Well, before I start teaching this, I got to make sure I can back it up biblically.' So, when I studied the word 'fear' in the original language and saw that it meant to take flight or to run away from, I knew that was my backing. Because that's what people do when they're afraid, they run away from things.

I can talk about my mom, even though she knew my dad was sexually abusing me. What mother doesn't rescue her children from something like that? What she did was harder for me to understand than what he did. When she finally did apologize to me, which was 30 years after I left home, she said, 'I was afraid. I didn't think that I could face the scandal, and I didn't think that I could take care of you and your brother.' So, she let the fear that she felt give her all kinds of wrong thinking. How many people watching right now, they're doing that? They're running from what they should confront, or sometimes we try to pray away things that God wants us to deal with, and He's not going to get rid of it. He wants us to deal with it.

So, that whole principle of 'Do it afraid' has become a very big thing for me." I stayed home for a few years when the kids were little, and there was an annual bonus at work that we would save.

We became overly reliant on that savings account instead of trusting God. My husband and I had different views on money, and it caused conflicts. He encouraged me to stop depending on that little bit of money in savings, and I got mad and spent it all to prove a point. It turned out to be a mistake, and I learned that we should trust God and not depend solely on our own plans.

I used to be extremely frugal, almost to the point of being overly cheap. God challenged me to step out in faith and make purchases without worrying about the price. I learned that God wants us to enjoy life and not be fearful about spending money.

In the past, we relied on little miracles from God for our needs, and it strengthened our faith. It's essential to step out in faith and experience God's provision before we can fully trust Him with bigger things.

If you find yourself fearful of the unknown or uncertain about the future, it's essential to remember that God is always with us, and we can trust Him. Stepping out in faith and experiencing God's faithfulness will help overcome fear and anxiety.

For those who feel inadequate or disqualified, remember that God's goodness doesn't depend on our abilities. We need to trust Him and ask for His help, and He will be faithful in our lives.

In the midst of the current pandemic, I had to adjust to new circumstances and do my conferences without a live audience. It was a step of faith, and God enabled me to adapt and find new ways to minister to people.

I believe that God is with us every step of the way, even in challenging times. We need to trust in His goodness and rely on His help in all situations.

When we look back at our lives and see God's faithfulness, it becomes easier to trust Him in the present and the future. The more we experience God's provision and care, the more we learn to do things afraid and step out in faith.

I encourage you to have faith in God's goodness and not be afraid of the unknown. Whether you are starting a new journey or facing difficulties, trust that God is with you, and He will provide for your needs. Remember, we may not have all the answers, but God holds the future in His hands, and we can find peace in Him.