Living Courageously: You Can Face Anything, Just Do It Afraid (5 page)

While I was watching a program about people being treated for phobias, I realized that the doctors attending them were trying to find the root of their problem, reason with them and get them to the point where they would do what they were afraid of in order to get over it. I thought how amazing it was that these people had spent thousands and thousands of dollars to get advice that God gives us in His Word—free of charge. Don’t be afraid to face the real problem behind the phobia. The man who is afraid of beautiful women is actually dealing with a deep-rooted insecurity in himself and a belief that no attractive woman would be interested in him. He is not actually afraid of beautiful women; he is afraid of himself, or afraid that he doesn’t meet the standard of what he imagines he should be. The woman I heard about who exercised her infant’s tiny arms and legs in an effort to be sure the child never became overweight was actually afraid of her own large body size.

The only way to conquer fear is to confront it and to do the thing you are afraid of. Let me add that it should be something that actually needs to be done. If you are afraid of flying and you never need to fly anywhere, then just forget it. But if your fear of flying is adversely affecting your life, do it afraid and get beyond it. If you’re afraid of pigs, then just don’t go in a pigpen, but if you’re afraid of open spaces, you will need to go out… even if you have to do it afraid. If you don’t, you will be a prisoner all of your life. When we do confront things, we always find that the worst part of the fear was in our minds, and that the reality of the thing wasn’t as bad as we had imagined.

I once heard a story, which I told in my book
The Confident Woman
. It was about a village where the children were told,
“Whatever you do, don’t go near the top of the mountain. It’s where the monster lives.” One day, some brave young men decided they wanted to see the monster and defeat it. Halfway up the mountain, they encountered a huge roar and a terrible stench. Half the men ran down the mountain, screaming. The other half of the men got farther up the mountain and noticed that the monster was smaller than they had expected—but it continued to roar and emit such a stench that all but one man ran away. As he took another step forward, the monster shrank to the size of a man. Another step and it shrank again. It was still hideously ugly and stank, but the man could actually pick it up and hold it in the palm of his hand. He said to the monster, “Who are you?” In a tiny, high-pitched voice, the monster squeaked, “My name is fear.”

Just as the monster got smaller and smaller with each step the man took toward it, so our fears will become smaller and smaller the more we confront them.

Wrong thoughts lead to wrong actions and reactions. If you are dealing with fear in general or some specific fear, I encourage you to examine your thought life and you may quickly find the source of your problem. Fearful thoughts will never produce a fearless life! I had the joy of writing a book many years ago called
Battlefield of the Mind
. It is about the warfare that goes on in our mind that is induced by the devil as he attempts to build strongholds in our thinking that will eventually control our behavior. This book has been used by God to set many people free from irrational fears and other addictive behaviors. It teaches us how to think properly and when we do, improper thoughts find no entrance or place to take root and grow.

I recall one woman who testified that she had dealt unsuccessfully with bulimia for years. This disorder causes a person to eat excessively and then make him- or herself vomit in an effort to not gain weight. If this process is repeated often, it can do tremendous damage to the individual’s health. She had been in many treatment programs unsuccessfully, but testified that upon reading
Battlefield of the Mind
she gained insight that she had not previously had. She realized her thoughts were controlling her emotions and knew that only right thinking could help her gain freedom. When she felt the urge to make herself vomit after eating, she took her
Battlefield of the Mind
book to the bathroom with her and read it on her knees in front of the toilet. She shared that the truth she found in the book’s message gave her the strength not to give in to the addiction that was stealing her life and health, and she was eventually set completely free.

Anytime you feel afraid, you should change your thinking. You don’t have to think on whatever falls into your mind, but you can choose your own thoughts and should do so very carefully. Many people do not realize they can cast down one thought and choose another, but they can, and they must if they ever hope to control their actions. God’s Word teaches us that as a man thinks, so does he become (see Proverbs 23:7). Right thinking will lead to right living!

The symptoms of fear, both emotional and physical, that people experience will end up controlling their behavior if they don’t recognize them for what they are and confront them. When fear is present, we might experience a variety of symptoms ranging from a mild feeling of nervousness, to anxiety and panic attacks
that require a hospital visit. People shake, sweat, their heart may race rapidly, or they may feel weak physically. If their breathing is affected, they may start to hyperventilate, making them feel they are suffocating, and that turns into a panic attack. These symptoms make us want to run from whatever is causing the fear. In fact, part of the definition of fear is to take flight or run away from. In short, fear does bring torment on many different levels.

Most people experience the milder symptoms of fear, and it would be easier for them to decide they are going to “do it afraid” no matter what. For those who experience more serious symptoms, they might need to do what they fear a tiny bit at a time, and each time they see progress it will encourage them to believe that they can do even more the next time. The Holy Spirit knows us intimately, and we can trust Him to never move us along any faster than we are able to go.

During the years I was being healed from the sexual and emotional abuse I endured from my father, I was set free in tiny degrees. As the Holy Spirit led me to confront one issue at a time, I experienced freedom. On some occasions I seemed to get over huge obstacles in one leap of faith, but at other times freedom came so slowly that admittedly it often seemed that I was making no progress at all even though I was. The Word of God speaks often of “walking” in faith, or “walking in love,” or “walking in the Spirit.” Walking is the slowest mode of travel known to man. Walking requires one step after another and another and another, but eventually we get where we are going if we don’t give up along the way. It may take some time, but I encourage you to keep “walking” toward total freedom from fear.

Before we begin discussing the various types of fear we often have to confront in life, I think it is important to discuss the answer to all fear, no matter what type it is. We only overcome fear by believing that God loves us unconditionally, placing our faith in Him, trusting that He is with us at all times, and letting that give us the confidence to be courageous.

Perhaps instead of praying for our fears to go away, we should pray to be courageous enough to press past them. Satan gives us fear, but God gives us faith, and anything God gives is always more powerful than what Satan offers. My point is that even when fear is present, if faith in God and courage are also present, those things will defeat fear—every time.

Courage is not something we wait to feel before stepping out on it, but it is a force we believe we are equipped with because we believe that God is with us. We should pay more attention to what God has said to us in His Word than we do the lies of Satan. Courage is what enables us to look at the things we fear and “do them afraid.”

One summer morning as Ray Blankenship was preparing his breakfast, he gazed out the window and saw a small girl being swept along in the rain-flooded drainage ditch beside his Andover, Ohio, home. Blankenship knew that farther downstream, the ditch disappeared with a roar underneath a road and then emptied into the main culvert. Ray dashed out the door and raced along the ditch, trying to get ahead of the foundering child. Then he hurled himself into the deep, churning water. Blankenship surfaced and was able to grab the child’s arm. They tumbled end over end. Within about three feet of the yawning culvert, Ray’s free hand felt something—possibly a rock—protruding from one bank. He clung desperately, but the tremendous force of the water tried to tear him and the child away.
If I can just hang on until help comes…
he thought. He did better than that. By the time the fire-department rescuers arrived, Blankenship had pulled the girl to safety. Both were treated for shock. On April 12, 1989, Ray Blankenship was awarded the Coast Guard’s Silver Lifesaving Medal. The award is fitting, for this selfless person was at even greater risk to himself than most people knew. Ray Blankenship can’t swim.
¹

Ray Blankenship would have surely been afraid had he taken time to think about what he was about to do, but courage from within motivated him to do what would have seemed impossible to him had he thought about it. I believe we all have courage, but sadly we think too much about the things that frighten us, and those things prevent us from being our best. We are all capable of great things if we will live courageously.

Courage takes a chance and tries to do something rather than passively sitting by and doing nothing. At times a fine line exists between courage and foolishness, and I certainly am not
advocating foolishness, but at times we must at least be willing to take a chance if we are ever going to do anything courageously. I have often been told that I cannot do this thing or that thing, yet I have felt that God wanted me to try, and I did. I have attempted to live my life motivated by what I feel in my heart, not what I am told by others. It has worked well for me and although I have made some mistakes, I have had more successes than failures, and that is what people remember. I am admittedly not overly educated or amazingly creative, but I have cultivated faith in God and have chosen courage as a way of life, and you can do the same thing.

When Peter stepped out of the boat to attempt to walk on water as Jesus was doing, I am sure he felt a mixture of fear and courage, and courage won out. He surely knew that he could end up looking foolish in front of the other disciples, but he took a chance. Peter didn’t think about the fact that he could not walk on water, he just got out of the boat and tried. He did indeed walk on water for a short distance and then as he saw and thought about the storm he began to sink (see Matthew 14:28–31). The story is not repeatedly told today so people will remember how Peter sank when he tried; instead, we tell it so we remember he DID walk on water. We can see from this one biblical account that heroism and courage is remembered and celebrated. If you believe you are supposed to do something, go for it! Even if you only partially succeed, you will still be better off than those who didn’t even try. The worst thing that can happen is you will fail; but if you don’t even try, you have failed already.

If miracles were being sold in cans we would all run to the store and buy as many as we could, and the truth is that miracles do come in “cans”… they come as we believe that with God, we can!

When God told Joshua that he was to finish leading the Israelites into the Promised Land after Moses had died, I am sure Joshua felt fearful about the task. God wasn’t telling him not to
“feel”
fear, He was telling him to face the fear with courage. We see the phrase “fear not” repeated over and over in the Bible. It doesn’t mean not to feel fear, but it does mean not to give in to it when we do feel it.

The Word of God is filled with stories of men and women who did astonishing things by faith, and we are never told that they didn’t feel fear. In some instances we are clearly told that they did feel fear. Moses was afraid when God appeared to him in the burning bush, Elijah was afraid of Jezebel, surely Abram felt fear when God told him to leave his home and all of his relatives and go to a place that would only be revealed to him after he was on his journey. Esther spoke of her fear of being killed by the king if God didn’t give her favor when she went before him to plead for her people. Surely Daniel felt fear when he walked into the lion’s den, but he courageously did it afraid. Whether you are familiar with these Bible stories or not, let me assure you that they are accounts of normal people just like you and me who were prompted by God to face their fears and do amazing things.

Joshua was facing a huge task when God told him to fear not and be courageous. What are you facing right now, or what might you face in the future? Whatever it is, you need not fear it, for God has promised to be with you, just as He promised to be
with Joshua. Although we may not be equipped to handle some of the things we confront in life, God is. There is nothing too hard for Him! On more than one occasion, God told Joshua to be strong and courageous and keep going forward. We not only feel fear at the beginning of our journey, but it also shows up unannounced at various intervals along the way. The answer to fear is always the same: “Be strong and courageous, for God is with you.”

The need for courage is the reason we should encourage one another. Fear runs rampant in the earth and seeks to hinder all progress, but God has given us the Holy Spirit to encourage us, and He exhorts us to encourage one another. One right word of encouragement from you at the right time may keep someone else from giving up.

God told Moses, before he died, to encourage Joshua.

Moses also told the people to encourage Joshua.

God knew that fear would attack Joshua and that he would need encouragement all along the way. Are you good at encouraging people? It is a vitally important ministry and one that none
of us should ignore. When I stepped out to obey the call of God on my life, I had many who discouraged me, and only three who I can remember who encouraged me. Thankfully, by the grace of God, I was able to confront the many fears that came against me with the courage of God, and you can do the same thing. Even if you have no person on this Earth who is encouraging you, you do have the Holy Spirit, and He will encourage you if you will listen to Him. When all men fail us and we feel terribly alone, God is with us just as He has always been. The apostle Paul said, “At my first trial no one… [even] stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me…” (2 Timothy 4:16–17). Just as the Lord stood by Paul and gave him strength, He will do the same for you.

You can be assured that anything God leads you to do, He will equip you to do it. You may not feel or see the abilities and courage that you need, but they will arrive the moment you need them. In God’s economy, we must believe first and we will see later. When we trust God and take the steps of faith He is leading us to take, He never fails to provide what we need.

When do we get what we have asked for? After we believe! Sometimes we must even remain steadfast in believing for a period of time before we see what is already ours by faith.

God called a man named Gideon to deliver His people. In the natural, Gideon was a huge coward and he even referred to himself as the least in his father’s house and of the poorest clan. He told God that he was not able to do what God was asking (see Judges 6:15). Gideon was talking based on his mind and emotions, but he should have been listening to God and repeating what He was saying to him. God had already sent an angel who appeared to Gideon, and the angel said, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of [fearless] courage” (Judges 6:12). I think this is amazing. God didn’t call Gideon what he was; He called him what He knew Gideon had the ability to be! Gideon didn’t see it yet, so he still referred to himself as if he were a natural man without God. It is good to take some time to ask yourself what you truly believe about yourself. Do you believe that God loves you, and that He is with you right now? Do you believe that you can do anything God asks you to do? Stop looking at what you think you are and start listening to God, who is in your heart, trying to encourage you to be courageous and do great things instead of living in fear and taking a backseat in life.

You can do whatever you need to do in life through Christ who strengthens you (see Philippians 4:13). If you will believe that, then an adventurous future awaits you with unlimited possibilities.

I do many things in my ministry that I am not qualified to do in the natural. What I mean is that I have had no formal training to do them, but God has equipped me. I have preached thousands upon thousands of messages and yet no earthly person has ever taught me how to put a sermon together.

It is exciting when you see yourself doing things that you know you couldn’t possibly do unless God was doing them through
you. God equips us with His anointing (His power). He gives us supernatural ability, by taking our “natural” and adding His “super.” God is looking for people who are available, not necessarily those who are able. Gideon knew that in the natural he was not able, but God equipped him for the task.

Our equipping comes in various ways. God divinely equips us with gifts that enable us to do His will. The Holy Spirit distributes these gifts (abilities) as He wills and for His purpose. It is useless to be unhappy with the gifts we have been given or, for that matter, not given. Some people spend their life wishing they could do things that they are not gifted to do, while ignoring the things they can do. But let me reiterate that God does definitely equip us to successfully do what He leads us to do. We are not equipped to do according to our own will, but we are equipped to do God’s will.

We are also strengthened and equipped for our task through diligent study of God’s Word. Taking the time to do this is something that we can and must do if we want to be fully prepared for whatever comes our way. Regular study of God’s Word keeps you strong spiritually. God’s Word says that the strong spirit of a man will sustain him in bodily pain and trouble (see Proverbs 18:14). If you do what you need to do to stay strong, you will experience more victory.

When we have knowledge of God’s Word that has been tried and tested in our life, it gives us confidence and courage, and that is what we need to confront the spirit of fear.

Another way that we are equipped for our task in life is through the experiences we have. At times we don’t understand why God permits us to go through some of the difficulties that we go through, but He always has a purpose—He can use our difficulties for our ultimate good.

Look at what these Scriptures say about Jesus’ experience during His years on Earth: