Punch Fear in the Face

I’m pretty much sick of it. Had enough. I’m over letting it have its way with me. 

The way it wreaks havoc in my heart, steals my joy. Keeps me captive. 

It has definitely had a heyday in my life at times and really, I’ve allowed it. I think we have a co-dependency issue going on. 

Sure, I’ve tried to fight it, lock the doors, pulled the curtains, tried not answering its calls. 

But it knows the secret passageways of this heart. It knows that I leave a key under the mat. It knows I eventually I ware down, leave a window unlocked and it gets to come in and take over.

Fear.

I’ve gotten pretty hip to its jive over the years. I’ve made rules to control it. “Never make decisions based on fear” and ”if you are afraid of something, do it.” 

Certainly, I’ve made some strides to not let it govern my heart. But I’m finding it just keeps reinventing itself, finding new ways to suck the life out of me.  Bullying me to keep me from risking it all, to keep me playing it safe.  Comfortable. Disobedient.

But guess what? I’ve decided to settle this once and for all. I’m fighting back. 

I’m punching fear in the face.

When I bring my captive self, all bound up and doubting, scared and pitiful, into His Presence, He whispers to me His secret remedy to fear: 

My Presence 

When Joshua took over for Moses and was preparing to go to battle, fear had him shaking in his boots. 

The road ahead looked daunting. Impossible. 

God’s answer to his fear was “Don’t be afraid. I am with you.” 

I love how God was completely honest with Joshua about the trials ahead. It wasn’t sugarcoated or watered down. There are giants and the battle will be hard.

God didn’t tell him to focus on trying to solve the problem. God told him to be strong, be brave and trust in His Presence. 

I’m thinking as comforting as these words must have been to Joshua, they were not meant to comfort, they were meant to compel. To prod. To move him to act boldly for God. To punch fear in the face and say you do not govern me. God governs me. Back off.  

I can confidently face my fear and say “you will be taking no more ground in my life” while delivering that sweet upper cut of faith in action because God has my back.

While I rest safely in His Presence, He reminds me that I belong to Him, that He has put His Spirit in me—not a spirit of fear, but a spirit of love, power and a sound mind. 

My new mantra, my theme music-- put to the Rocky song-- which I play in my head as I’m punching fear in the face. Power, love and a sound mind. 

These are the things I like to think of as the punches that come in after I throw that first sucker punch.

You can’t just punch fear in the face and run because guess what? It’s coming back at you and now it’s mad. 

Bravery begins when I recognize fear, call it out, then put something better and more life giving in it’s place. Things like power, love and a sound mind. Things that come from spending time in His Presence.

Fear is a part of life and will, no doubt, be lingering behind every turn, lurking in every corner. When I start to see its face showing up in my decisions, keeping me from action, paralyzing me from stepping out in faith, I need to act on the double. 

Presence. 

Power.

Love.

Sound mind. 

These are the punches I need to throw and quick.

Next time fear creeps into this house, I’m going to remember who governs this heart and deliver a devastating blow to that bully’s face.

Something tells me I won’t be seeing him around here again anytime soon.