Do It Afraid!

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” – Hebrews 13:6



Have you ever noticed how you can be paralyzed by fear? It can get such a grip on you that it can keep you from moving forward with what God has for you to do. This reminds me of how Moses acted when God had called Moses to deliver His people out of Egypt. When God called Moses, he responded in fear, just like we sometimes do. Here’s a paraphrase of what happened in Exodus 3…

God: So now, go. I am sending you…
Moses: Who am I that I should go…?
God: I will be with you.
Moses: What if they ask who You are?
God: I AM WHO I AM.
Moses: What if they don’t believe…?
God: This is so that they may believe…
Moses: I can’t even talk well. I don’t know what to say.
God: I gave you your mouth. I will help you speak and teach you what to say.
Moses: Lord, please send someone else…
God: I said I will help you and teach you. Take what I’ve given to you and go!

Does this sound familiar? What has God called you to do, and how have you responded? Are you like Moses, trying to get God to send someone else? The thing I like about Moses is that, try as he might to get out of what God called him to do, once he decided to do it, he went for it! Can you imagine how he must have felt to stand before Pharaoh and command that he let God’s people go? It had to be terrifying. But Moses was more concerned with what God wanted than what other people thought. Do you suppose his hands and voice trembled as he stood before Pharaoh, who could have had him killed? Even though he must have been scared, he did it anyway. And that’s what God calls us to do – do it afraid. Why do we fear people and what they think, when God is the one who judges where we will spend eternity? (Luke 12:5) Many times, our actions show that we value the acceptance we receive from other people more than we value what God thinks. Are we so focused on what’s right before us that we don’t look at what’s really important – God and the advancement of His kingdom? And don’t forget that we have an enemy who wants to keep us paralyzed in fear. Are we going to let him win the battle? No! Instead, let’s be like Moses and go for it! When we know that God has called us to a task, He will give us the conviction burning within our hearts so that no one can stop us. When we do, we’ll find that we stretch ourselves and grow in ways that we could never imagine! We’ll also see God work in ways that we never thought He would. And don’t feel like you are all alone in what He calls you to do. Moses didn’t have to go alone.  In addition to Aaron being there, God was with him. And He doesn’t expect us to go alone either. Moses learned firsthand that God was with him because he was the one who encouraged his successor, Joshua, in Deuteronomy 31:6, “Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes before you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” When you are a believer in Jesus, you have the Holy Spirit with you always.  We can go in confidence knowing that God is with us, teaching us and giving us the words to say. You may be shaking in your boots, but with God’s power, you can and will do it, even if you have to do it afraid!