Say Yes, Part II

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8, NLT).

I love sports. Selecting a favorite player of all time would be hard to do. I’d have to break it down by sport, college vs. professional, and then go from there. That being said, Michael Jordan was, and always will be, one of the greatest competitors of all time. His passion, drive, and intensity was unmatched. He played through injury, sickness, and the loss of his father. Others have done the same, but he always said yes to whatever challenge he faced on the court, and he did it with excellence.

Michael Jordan was actually cut from his high school basketball team as a freshman. I can imagine what the conversation was like when he went home to his parents. Do you think he ever dealt with fear? In his situation I think he had two choices: he could make excuses, or he could put in the work. You know what he chose, because he eventually became one of the greatest to ever play the game.  

You may not be a basketball player. You may not care about sports at all. But I know there’s something you’re passionate about, or praying about right now. We all face fear and failure in our lives. Anything worth doing is worth taking a risk, especially when it’s for Jesus. 

One of my favorite verses is from 1 John 4:18: "Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.” 

This verse was a foundational truth for me as I embarked on my journey of spiritual healing. When fear begins to creep up, we can counter that by remembering that we are perfectly loved by our Heavenly Father. When we remember that truth, we are able to push past fear and press forward into the future.

Is there something you’ve been praying about doing recently? Maybe it’s starting your own small business. Maybe it’s stepping away from your job to pursue something new. 

Are there feelings of fear that are keeping you paralyzed, and keeping you from experiencing the joy that Jesus has for you? Maybe you’re afraid it’s cancer. Maybe you’re afraid of failure. 

It’s hard. Fear is from the enemy, and 1 Peter 5:8 says: Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Fear is from the enemy, and if we aren’t careful, it can swallow us up in a way that keeps us from receiving God’s best for our lives. 

I have two stickers on my laptop, and I feel like both are representative of the kind of life I want to live. The Jumpman logo, which is a silhouette of Jordan jumping mid-air. I don’t want fear to keep me from jumping with Jesus, and reaching for heights that would not be possible without Him. The other reads Say Yes! This was given out at my church several years ago as part of a sermon series that challenged us to have an open heart when it comes to being obedient to where God is calling us to go. 

Like Michael Jordan, I think we have two choices: we can let fear keep us from pursuing the dreams and plans God has for our lives, or we can choose to jump, and say yes to wherever God is calling us to go. And if the Lord calls us to, He will walk through it with us, embracing us with His perfect love.