Don't Let Fear Decide

Have you ever been so afraid that it stopped you from boldly doing the right thing, the thing you know you should have done? I think we all have. And having been there, knowing the shame and disappointment in ourselves that ensued, I'm pretty sure we each hope that next time we'll show a bit more courage. On December 1st, 1955, Rosa Parks boarded a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. She was tired, but not just from work. She was tired of the injustice. Segregation laws required her to give up her seat to a white passenger. Fear gripped her: the risk of arrest, violence, even death was real. But Parks quietly refused. Her act of defiance sparked the "Montgomery Bus Boycott" — led by a then little-known pastor, Martin Luther King Jr. That became the catalyst for the entire American Civil Rights Movement. Rosa's courage changed history — not because she wasn't afraid, but because she didn't let fear decide. We're often called to do things when we're afraid. Following the death of Moses, the second-in-command, Joshua, had to lead Israel into the Promised Land against entrenched resistance. Man, this was life-and-death scary. The future of Israel hung in the balance. So God said to him … Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." (ESV) And that's the truth. In doing good, in going where God's called you, He is with you wherever you go. So don't shrink back in fear. Don't let fear hold you back from what's good, what's right. Don't let fear decide. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. That's His Word. Fresh … for you … today.