How I Became Fearless
I don’t know how God does it, but this became a book. Here’s how it all began.
It was the third week of December 2017 when I heard something on the television about the Bible’s saying 365 times to “fear not.” I had heard that before, so I dismissed it. A day later I was having coffee with a friend who also mentioned that fact to me. I brushed it off as “cool stuff” and a coincidence. Then I noticed my daily Bible readings all that week had “fear not” in the Scriptures. When Sunday rolled around, and the pastor mentioned that the Bible says “Fear not, have no fear, and do not be afraid” a total of 365 times, God finally had my attention! That day I had a big, old, ugly cry in church pew twelve. I also received my next assignment from God.
Ironically, as I first sat down to write Fearless 365, I was scared. “What do I know about being fearless?” I cried to God. “I don’t know a thing about being fearless. I’m the girl who wrote the book, More Jesus More Joy 365. I know peace, love, and joy; I don’t know fearless.”
God quickly answered my plea for His leading and said, “Yes, you do. Every time you trusted Me with your life, your sadness, your spirit, you were fearless. Come with Me now; I am going to show you the rest. I will show you how to be completely fearless—leaving it all behind.”
So I followed Him quickly, wide-eyed, and ready to learn every last detail from the fearless King. I quickly did as He asked. I read the Bible in six months, exploring, writing, and holding on to every last word. God showed me His awesome and majestic power, and then He showed me how to use it. Through this process, He showed me 365 ways to be fearless and how to live fearlessly.
First, I dug in and got serious, and let the Almighty God give me the lessons of a lifetime. Through my time spent with Him, I learned what fear is and how to become fearless in my everyday life. I learned to roar like a lion because I had the power of God available to me and running through me. I also learned how to deal with the evils that create the things I fear.
I learned to find my voice and roar. My roars were little at first—much like a baby cub testing her boundaries and her mother. Then I learned to really roar from the gut of my being. I belted out joyful, therapeutic roars against evil—even silent roars that pushed back evil and made the Devil shake and tremble.
Yep, me—the joy girl—learned to give a fearless roar and live a fearless life.
Living a fearless life is hard to do when we see fearful and disheartening reports every day in the news. I surely don’t need to list them all here. We’re all well aware of the evils we see daily. But seeing and hearing about the evils in this world every day creates a fearful nature in us, and that is right where Satan wants us—fearful in our day and filled with dread of the days to come. To understand the tragedies we’re seeing weekly and sometimes daily on the news, we have to understand who Satan is. To understand fear, we first have to look at the character of Satan to see how evil operates.
Satan creeps into the weakest parts of our minds; nobody is exempt from his slithering access. For me, this starts with the way I talk to and think about myself. After I’ve allowed all the horrible things Satan calls me to become my truth, he has made his home. For me, his words become a familiar mix of melancholy and hatred. Then the evil moves from focusing on myself to the way I think about others. I sit in that mindset for a bit, and then it comes out of my mouth in hatred as gossip or slander of another, usually a close friend whom I love. Bam! Satan is in control!
When I realize I’ve given in to evil, I call it out fast, telling God all about it and confessing my wrongdoings to Him. Then Satan no longer has power and hold over me. I ask God for forgiveness and for Him to change my heart and my mind. He always does! But not everybody has a relationship with God, and that is where Satan’s playground begins.
Let’s look at those who are committing evil acts in this world, like the multiple mass shootings that make the news. Has the gunman allowed Satan into his hurts, pains, shortcomings, wrongs that have been committed against him, and the things he’s done wrong to others? If so, he has given full reign over to Satan’s evil power and has allowed Satan to confirm again and again all of the hatred that he’s feeling. Life no longer is precious or special because Satan is in control.
No place is exempt for evil to enter after Satan is in control. You want to be upset and angry; good, you should be, but direct your anger at the real source—Satan. The Bible says in Romans 12:9 that we should hate evil but love one another. Don’t point the finger at another to claim blame, just love. Put all the blame on Satan. When we truly and deeply love one another, Satan loses power. That is how we win this battle. We can conquer fear with love. We can clearly see Satan is coming after God’s people. The truth is that we have free reign to choose good or evil. We have the ability to manifest our life’s wounds or to release them to Jesus.
We have free reign to choose Jesus and be released and freed from Satan’s hold on us.
Evil will always exist in this world, and that is scary, but I don’t have to fear it. Whether I’m at a movie theater, a grocery store, a concert, school, or at work, if my life is taken, it was a life well-lived and well-loved because I’ve known Jesus. And I know who is waiting to accept me in Heaven. This world is not all there is; it will come to an end, but God is eternal and offers eternal life. When we understand that this earthly life is not all there is, we become excited for what will be and fearless for the time we live in it.
Knowing that, here’s how He changed my view of fear. I know how the end of the story goes. A day is coming when Jesus will walk the earth in final victory. I know that no evil will exist in the new world. I know that the battle of good versus evil was already won long ago when Jesus chose the cross for us—all of us.
Since I know how the end of the story goes and have accepted the teachings of Jesus, I can remain fearless, knowing God has already gone before me and is fighting my battles. God is working out His plan.
God is just and will make things right. He will reward His faithful believers and punish the evil. When we’re faced with trials and fear sets in, remember that God is in control; nothing surprises Him. I pray for the families who’ve lost loved ones due to the evils of the world. We, the believers and followers of Jesus Christ, know that their saved loved ones aren’t really lost. They can be found in the waiting arms of Jesus in Heaven where there is finally no more pain and no more suffering.
In this life, God wants to use you and specifically designed you to make a difference in the world. He wants to strengthen you and give you the desires of your heart, but He can’t do that if you remain in fear. When the hammer comes down, the gauntlet is thrown, and the rooster crows, He will not say, “I never knew you.”
I can’t wait for you to find your roar! Let's follow the fearless King and turn these pages daily to fear less and become Fearless!
Let’s Roar!
