“What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”

So yesterday, Dave and I went into the prison, and within the first 2-3 minutes, I bluntly addressed dealing with issues of fear. Two inmates were mildly shocked and began chuckling. I asked what was going on and they said, “Just thirty minutes ago, we had a very candid conversation about our current, deep, personal fears. But we didn’t know what to do. Now here you are, sent by God, telling us exactly what we needed to hear.” (We all were tickled and amazed at the Holy Ghost.)

Just previously, I had shared with the men that everyone deals with issues of fear. Men, primarily with questions of adequacy and strength, “Do I have what it takes? Am I strong enough? What if I fail?” I had asked them, “Why do we fear?” Simple answer: Because fear is in us! Fear is in our flesh. It’s part of our fallen, sinful nature, and it needs to be purged.

With Christ, genuinely confronting our fears sets us up for rapid, deep maturity. I remembered something profound my brother-in-law (DBW) taught me. I briefly shared the story of the Hebrews found in Numbers 13. After forty days of spying out the promised land, the twelve spies returned with their report. Two (Joshua and Caleb) had a good report, but the other ten had an evil report. The two said, “Let’s go, for we are well able.” However, the ten said something like, “The inhabitants of the land were giants and we saw ourselves as grasshoppers compared to them.” And something in the people (fear) agreed with the ten, and they did not go into the land promised to them by God. (Numbers 14)

Without getting too much deeper into the story, I asked the inmates, “Today, the giants we face come in many forms — our futures, our pasts, bitterness, unforgiveness, anxieties, pleasures, pains, people, ungodly beliefs, etc. Let me ask you, in life, is your biggest challenge killing giants?” Many of the men immediately responded yes, to which I quickly disagreed. I submitted, “Your biggest challenge in life is not killing the giants! Your biggest challenge is killing the grasshopper!” I asked, “Who’s the grasshopper?!!” Many of them clearly understood and pointed to their own head — self.

I summed up dealing with fear in three points:

One. “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”  Simply put, you would do “it.” Let that sink in. Remove the fear and you’re free to do “it.”

Two.  “How long will you be afraid?”  Seriously, give me a time-frame. A week? Maybe a month? It’s cool. I’ll let you deal with it, but when that time is up, it’s time to get busy.

Three. “Sometimes you just have to do it afraid.”  Do you trust God, or not? Did He promise to be with you always, or not? Stepping out into your fears, and personally witnessing the deliverance of God will change you. Dramatically!

So, identify and acknowledge your fears. Deal with your fears. And, overcome your fears through bigger faith in God. Stop procrastinating! Stop coming up with excuses! Stop walking in fear! And, stop being a sissy Christian! (With Christ, you can do this!)

In closing, we need your help. Being full-time missionaries in Japan is physically and spiritually demanding, and financially expensive.  We’re genuinely about The Father’s Business, but we simply cannot fulfill these ministries without financial support. Please consider partnering with us through financial gifts and offerings. Donations can be made online at  Christians In Action.