Week 24 Devo | Fear Not

Fear is one of the most powerful emotions that we have, and it is one of the worst feelings. Fear can stop you in your tracks, freeze you in place, and keep you from doing what you want to do or need to do to be successful.

My first year as a head coach, I would get so nervous and fearful right before tip-off that my fingers and knees would start shaking, and I would want to walk off the court and into the stands to watch the game with everyone else. I would ask myself, “How can I be a coach if I am so afraid to coach?”

I am now about to begin my 15th year as a coach. I made it through the fear. I did it afraid until I wasn’t afraid anymore. I still get nervous before almost every game, but it is now a healthy nervousness that is manageable.

Through my journey, I learned that courage isn’t the absence of fear. Courage is doing what you want to do or need to do in the face of fear. You can’t wait until you don’t feel fear because fear is always going to be present and trying to stop you. Fear is like a thief roaming around looking for people whom it can stop and keep from moving forward and achieving their dreams.

On my journey, I have also learned how to seek God first when I feel fear. The Bible is a powerful weapon that we can use to fight fear. The Bible tells us how we are supposed to live our lives. The Bible says that God did not give us a spirit of fear because He doesn’t want us to have fear. God gave us a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.

After giving His famous Sermon on the Mount where He included some of his best-known teachings like the Beatitudes and the Lord's Prayer, Jesus spent time demonstrating His power by healing many people, including a paralyzed man, men with demons inside of them, and two blind men.

He then called his twelve disciples together and gave them the same power and authority He used to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness, and He sent them to announce that the Kingdom of Heaven was near and to heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, cast out demons, and to give freely.

Jesus told them that He was sending them out like sheep among wolves, so they need to be as shrewd as snakes while remaining as harmless as doves. He told them they would be arrested and beaten because they followed Jesus, but that would just be another opportunity to share the message of Jesus with the rulers and non-believers.

He told His disciples, “Don’t be afraid.” Jesus said that not even a single bird can fall to the ground without God knowing it. God knows so much about you that He knows how many hairs are on your head, and He cares more about you than an entire flock of sparrows, so He will protect you and take care of you.

One of my favorite verses is when Jesus said:

“When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” Matthew‬ ‭10:19-20‬ 

This verse tells me that if I seek God first and stick with Him, God will give me the right thoughts and words at the right time.

‬‬Fear is no joke. Fear kills action, plans, hopes, and dreams. But we don’t have to let fear kill any of ours. Learn how to seek God first, learn how to have courage, and learn how to do things afraid. Know that God has great plans for you. He has plans for you to prosper and for you to have joy that overflows. God has hope and a future for you. Know that all things work together for the good of those who believe in God.

Know that no matter how afraid you might feel, if you keep moving forward with faith in knowing that no matter how hard or far you fall, God will be there to catch you.

THIS WEEK

1 - What is one thing you are facing or one thing that is coming up that you are afraid of?

2 - What tools or resources or friends do you have that can help you be successful or keep moving through fear?

3 - What is one thing that you have done in the past that you were afraid of but ended up doing anyway?

4 - What is a Bible verse that you can go to or lean on when you feel fear?

My three Bible verses for this week are:

“'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. '” 

- Jeremiah 29:11.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

- 2nd Timothy 1:7

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

- Romans 8:28

For a Google Doc version of this Devo, click here: Fear Not