Are you living life in a way that is worth telling stories about?

If you aren’t, then is it because of fear?

This chapter opens with a story about a young lady who wants to go on a mission trip, but finds herself downright fearful to go. She thinks about all the things that could go wrong and lists many reasons why she thinks she shouldn’t go or the talents that she thinks she lacks. She’s afraid. But, even though she’s afraid, she does go on the trip. And the reason that she goes is simply because she feels she has been called to go. And, you know how it ends. She goes on the mission trip and has the experience of a lifetime. As often is the case, the things that she was so afraid of never happened. And, because this young women pushed through her fears, she experienced everything that God had to offer her on that trip and had an experience that was worth telling stories about.

Are you letting the mental lion of fear keep you from experiencing everything God has to offer you?

FEAR. It is what holds us back from doing great and exciting things in life. And, we must unlearn it if we are going to experience everything God has for us. Research has shown that we are really only born with two innate fears, the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. That’s very encouraging because that means that all of the other fears have been learned and thus can be unlearned.

So, how do we unlearn our fears?

As the author describes, we must rewire our brains. And, as he also describes in this chapter, we must use Scripture to rewire and renew our minds through Christ Jesus. Like he writes in this chapter, “The best way to upgrade your mind is to download scripture” (p. 46). The more we immerse ourselves in His word, the more we will think like Him and have the courage to make the right decisions.

In addition to rewiring our brains and thinking more like Christ, we must use our knowledge to face our fears. And, that comes in decision making and actions. So often we are afraid to do something because we are afraid of the consequences. We’re not sure that we can handle what could happen if we do something that is causing us fear. That is where courage comes in. Courage is putting yourself into defenseless positions and letting the consequences fall as they may. We see this all throughout the Bible. Daniel, Esther, David, and even Jesus himself put themselves in defenseless positions. They made decisions that they through were right, that left them defenseless, and they let God work. Essentially, they stood up for what was right and faced their lions. As it says in this chapter, “courage is doing what is right regardless of consequences or circumstances” (p. 53). When you make a decision that is right and turn the consequences over to God, it sets the stage for God to do some pretty incredible things in your life.

The last thing to take away from this chapter is that Satan uses your fears. The best way to neutralize you and keep you from having everything that the Lord has for you is to paralyze you with fear. If he can keep you inactive, then you will not reap the growth and the many blessings that the Lord may have for you. Do not let Satan capitalize on your fears and keep you from having the most exhilarating moments of your life. And remember, even if you fail, there is such growth that can come from such a situation. You never know what the Lord may have for you in your failures or your dark moments. There could be other opportunities that arise from your failures. There could be profound relationships that are formed in the midst of dark moments. Your life could be unimaginably better if you faced your fears and followed a dream or goal that you feel called to pursue. Do not let fear keep you from having everything that the Lord has for you.

Let your Heavenly Father show you that there really is no reason to fear. That in our successes and our failures, in our greatest moments and darkest moments that He is right there to help us through and help us to move forward in doing great things for Him. Unlearning our fears is really the process of learning to trust God more and more.

Things to think and pray about this week:

1. Are you living a life worth telling stories about?

2. Do you have a story where you faced your fears, made a courageous decision, and saw God work?

3. Are you currently facing a decision that requires courage? Ask God to help you face that fear and give you that courage today.

4. We can all be lion chasers. As you continue to read, what lion do you feel God is asking you to chase? What fears are holding you back? Make a list of those fears and challenge those fears today.

5. Do you have a hard time turning outcomes over to God? Pray that God will help you let go and experience all that He has for you. Pray that He will help you make the right decisions and be open to whatever the outcome may be. You may find that the outcome is unimaginably better than you expected.

As you are reflecting on your fears this week, please know that everyone can unlearn their fears and subsequently, their tendency to chase lions. As we have seen through the first three chapters, God wants you to have a full, rich life that honors Him. Remember to continue to ask for God’s direction and discernment to see the lions that God has sent into your life. We all can, and must, be lion chasers after the opportunities that God has given us. Do not let fear hold you back from the awesome opportunities that God has for you.

We’ll close this week by saying that many of us pray for God to keep us from being scared of the things that we face in life. We seem to want to do away with fear all together. It really is not an emotion many of us like feeling. But, instead of praying that we won’t be fearful, pray today for courage to face our fears. Pray that God will help us make the right decisions, chase the right lions, and then turn the outcomes over to God. Live a courageous life and get ready to have a life worth telling stories about!