Do It Afraid

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10, NIV).

I really love listening to Joyce Meyer. She’s been a Bible teacher for over 40 years, and I love how she so directly speaks the truth with love. The Lord has used her voice of biblical wisdom in a big way during the last five years of my spiritual journey. She talks a lot about fear and faith. One of her popular phrases, “Do it afraid,” was the inspiration for the title of this post.

How often do you find yourself feeling afraid to do something? Maybe it’s taking a new job. Maybe you’re about to make a move to a new city where you don’t know anyone. Are you about to be a first-time mom? All of these things can incite fear because, as my counselor always used to say, fear lives in the unknown. Of course, when we are stepping into something completely new with limited knowledge of what things will look like on the other side of the decision, it can be scary.

Often, fear paralyzes us to the point of resisting obedience to whatever the Lord is calling us to. A popular scripture verse, Isaiah 41:10, reminds us: So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

The Bible tells us that when Jesus ascended to heaven, He was seated at the right hand of God. When Jesus promises in Isaiah 41:10 to uphold us with His righteous right hand, this means He is doing so while the Father is on His left. What an image! The Father, the Son, and you and me. To call Jesus friend is to have our separation from God, which is a result of our sin, removed for all of eternity. What a beautiful promise. It is because of this promise that we can be courageous enough to step out in faith, even in the presence of fear.

Think about a time recently when you felt afraid to step into something new. For me, that occurred a couple of months ago when I opened Instagram and saw a post by Lisa Harper encouraging women to sign up for her Kerygma Summit, which is essentially a Bible boot camp. Immediately upon hearing the short video message, I felt a nudge from the Lord that He wanted me to sign up. However, that was immediately followed by thoughts that I knew were of the enemy:

I am totally not qualified to attend an event like that. I’m not really in “ministry,” so I’m sure I would be out of my league. Will I be able to keep up with the information? It might be over my head. I would have to go alone. That makes me feel a little anxious.

I closed Instagram and decided I would pray about things for a bit before making a decision about whether to sign up. I talked to several trusted friends, who all encouraged me to listen to the Holy Spirit. Still, I was hesitant. Numerous weeks and potential obstacles later, I finally signed up.

Despite not knowing what to expect and feeling somewhat anxious about going alone, I signed up—afraid. I want to encourage you today to lean into the Holy Spirit, and if the Lord is prompting you toward something, don’t let fear keep you from moving. His promises are true, and He will uphold you always with His righteous right hand.

I am going to end today by asking you to pray, as I will be attending the Kerygma Summit by the time this devotional is posted. I am expectant for what the Lord has for me there, and I am grateful to each of you for all the ways you’ve supported and encouraged me on my journey with The Narrow Path. Let’s all be bold, pray for one another, and lean into the Holy Spirit as He calls us out into the unknown.

P.S. Plans changed. Tune in next week to hear about how the Holy Spirit moved me in another direction.

#trust #christ #afraid #holy #isaiah #thenarrowpath #obedience #spirit #jesus