Every morning we have a choice. Fear God or fear the world. And every day at some point I seem to choose to fear the world. I allow worry to overtake my confidence and selfishness to take the place of God on the throne of my heart. Yet we serve a faithful, loving, ever-present and forgiving Father who is jealous for us and longs for us to follow Him whole-heartedly.
One thing I’ve learned in my struggle with fear is that it steals from the life God intended for us to have. Many of you feel called to go on the mission field, to tell your brother or sister about Jesus, or to give sacrificially to the Kingdom of God, but fear has kept you from being obedient. Fear steals from the abundant life God intended for us to live in. There is hope and freedom from fear. There is joy and peace and life lived “riskily” for Jesus. And that, ladies, is the safest place to be–in the center of the will of God.

The fear of the Lord trumps the fears of this world. When we know that HE is God and we are not, that life is 100% about His glory and that He has conquered death, fear seems irrational. When He becomes supreme in our life and more important than our own safety and comfort, we finally found it…we have found Him by losing our own life. 

Amy Carmichael once said “There are worse things than martyrdom…death.” When we give ourselves to the things of this world, we die in life. When we give ourselves to Jesus Christ, we embrace death so that we might live (Philippians 1:21). It’s beautiful. It’s God’s Word.

• If you are struggling with fear of the future, cry out to the God who holds time in His hands. 
• If you fear change, know that Your Creator never changes. 
• If you fear death, remember that Your Savior, Jesus, conquered death!
• If you fear rejection, find your joy in pleasing God alone. 
• If you fear failure, know that true success isn’t measured by money, it is measured by what is done for the Kingdom. 
• If you fear being alone, know that He never leaves you. 

When we fear God, we know that He is greater than our circumstances, He is mightier than the worry that holds us captive, He is more glorious than the troubles that stand in our way, He is stronger than the guilt that paralyzes us from moving. He is God alone. May that truth rest on your heart today with incredible peace and joy. May you be freed from fear to know that you are safe in the hands of Almighty God.

Your Sister in Christ,

Gretchen