Page 21 - MyFaith Mag April 2017

“DO IT AFRAID!” You see, Satan wants us to shrink back in fear and live tiny,
We need to understand that when the Lord tells us to “fear useless lives. But God desires for us to live free from the ef-
not,” He’s not saying we will never feel fear. We will all feel fects of fear and live big, fulfilling lives! He wants us to enjoy
afraid at various times in our lives. However, He is telling us freedom and creativity, unhampered by fear and anxiety.
not to allow fear to control us and prevent us from moving
forward. In John 14:27, Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; My [per-
fect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to
True courage is moving forward in the face of fear. You you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid.
still feel fear, but you are determined—with God’s help—to [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance
move forward anyway. and give you courage and strength for every challenge]”
(AMP).
When we feel fear, we have a choice—we can do it afraid!

I will never forget an experience I had in the early days This is both a promise and a command. Through Jesus
of my ministry when I was invited to speak at a confer- Christ, we can enjoy supernatural peace that goes be-
ence. One of the speakers had canceled, and I was their yond anything the world can offer. But we also have a part
replacement. Now, I wasn’t one of the primary speakers— to play. God is saying, “Don’t allow yourself to be paralyzed
they asked me to conduct one of the smaller workshops with fear. Refuse to let the enemy stop you!”
on the side.
Remember, whatever you’re facing today, God is bigger
When the day came, all of the workshop speakers had to than your worries, your problems and your fears. He knows
get up on stage and share what they would talk about the every one of your needs before you ever have them, and
next day. I remember the other speakers having impres- He delights in taking care of you.
sive titles like “pastor,” “reverend,” and so forth. But I was
just Joyce, from Fenton, Missouri—a nobody from nowhere. So you can confidently say, “The Lord is my Helper—I will
not fear!”
When it was my turn to talk, I was absolutely petrified. The
900 people in the audience looked like nine million to me.
I was so scared that when I opened my mouth, I couldn’t
get my voice to work. Nothing came out but a squeak.

Right then, I wanted to run off the stage. I could hear the
enemy’s thoughts running through my mind: What do you
think you’re doing here? You need to go back to Fenton!

But somehow, I managed to begin talking and shared
what my workshop was about. The next day, to my surprise,
a lot of people came to hear me speak. I thank God I
didn’t run from fear that day, because I would have for-
feited the blessings He had in store for me!

Joyce Meyer is a New York Times bestselling author
and founder of Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc. She has au-
thored more than 100 books, including Battlefield of
the Mind and Overload: How to Unplug, Unwind and
Unleash Yourself from the Pressure of Stress (Hachet-
te). She hosts the Enjoying Everyday Life programme,
which airs on FaithAfrica (DSTV341) weekdays at 09:00
& 21:00.

For more information visit www.joycemeyer.org.