10 Things I Wish I Knew When I Was 20 – Part 10
August 27, 2005
Dear Friends:
The tenth and last thing I wish I knew when I was twenty is:
#10 – Act fearlessly.
Everybody has fears. The key is that we do not let our fears dictate how we live our live of faith. As Mark Twain said, “Courage is not the lack of fear. It is acting in spite of it.”
The Apostle Paul, in Ephesians 6, after just giving us the amazing account of the spiritual armor, make a request for help in overcoming his fears. Paul requests the brethren to “pray for me to be given an opportunity to open my mouth and fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel of which I am an ambassador in chains; pray that in proclaiming it I may speak as fearlessly as I ought to.” (Eph. 6:19-20 NJB) Paul was a little scared. He also had reason to be. In his day, to preach the Gospel was to risk beatings, imprisonments and possibly execution. In fact, all of these things did happen to Paul which more than proves how rational his fear was. Yet, despite the very real risks, he asked the brethren to pray for him so that he wouldn’t be afraid, but fearlessly do what needed to be done.
Don’t be afraid to stand out for Christ. It is easy to be afraid of what people think about you. Deep down most people don’t want to stand out. Most people want to blend in. While Paul feared for his life, most of us fear for our reputations. Being a believer will make you different than other people. Don’t fear those differences, embrace them.
Don’t be afraid to love. We are told in 1 John 4:18 that “there is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear.” Take this to heart. Give your heart to Christ. Once you do that, you can easily give your heart to others freely.
Don’t be afraid of criticism. James tells us “be ye doers of the word.” (James 1:22) What he doesn’t tell you is that for every doer, there is a critic of that doer. Don’t let that discourage you. Jesus had all kinds of criticism leveled at him, so will you.
Don’t be afraid to fail. Don’t be afraid to step out of that figurative boat as did the Apostle Peter and try new things. Peter failed to walk on the water for very long, but it was only when his fear got the better of him. At least he walked on the water for a little while. The other eleven apostles never even got out of the boat. Get out of your boat. Stretch yourself. Depend on God and Christ to get you through.
Don’t be afraid to fight giants. David fought one and God gave him victory. With faith in God, Joshua led the people into a land full of giants. Forty years before, out of fear, they were unable to take the land. Joshua told the people time and again “be strong and of a good courage.” Ultimately, with God on our side, we can never really suffer defeat. We are all “giant killers” in Christ. We might get knocked down a few times in this life, but in the Last Day, we will stand.
If we can comprehend the love of God, if we can comprehend the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, if we can do these things, we can learn to appreciate the words, “FEAR NOT, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
Have a great week!
