Fear often stands like a locked gate between our present comfort and the life God has promised. It whispers: "Stay safe, stay small, while our hearts long to step into wide-open spaces of purpose and joy." Yet the very things we pray for — deeper relationships, creative ventures, healing conversations, a new chapter of calling — often require walking straight through what scares us.

Facing the Gate

Fear is not merely an emotion; it is often a spiritual battleground. The enemy loves to use fear to paralyse us with "what ifs": What if I fail?🤔 What if I’m rejected?🤔 What if God doesn’t show up?🤔 These questions keep us lingering at the threshold of obedience. However, Scripture offers a different voice:

This means courage is not something we manufacture; it is a gift God already planted within us. Fear may roar, but it does not own the keys.

Two Roads: Run or Rise

Fear presents a fork in the path. One road is familiar yet shrinking. The other is steep but bright with promise. The choice is stark: Fear Everything and Run or Face Everything and Rise.

Fear Everything and Run is the instinct to retreat, to avoid hard conversations, to silence dreams. It feels like self-protection, yet it quietly imprisons. Running may soothe for a moment, but leaves the heart restless and unfulfilled.

Face Everything and Rise is the way of trust. It is not the absence of trembling but the decision to walk forward with God in the midst of it. Like David striding toward Goliath or Esther entering the king’s court, courage is not bravado; it is obedience anchored in love.

Walking Through with Faith

Every step of faith begins with a choice. We may still feel afraid, yet we move because trust is stronger than terror. Think of Peter stepping out of the boat, Esther approaching the king, or Mary saying yes to an impossible call. Each could have stayed hidden. Instead, they discovered that miracles waited in the unknown.

When we dare to cross the line fear draws, creativity blossoms, friendships deepen, and healing flows. Fear is loud at first, then quiet as we walk. What we dreaded becomes the very testimony of God’s faithfulness.

Living the Other Side

To live “on the other side of fear” is not a one-time victory but a daily rhythm of surrender. Invite the Holy Spirit to reveal hidden anxieties. Breathe in His peace. Speak His promises aloud. Replace every “what if” with “even if.” Step by step, fear loses its authority.

💡Reflection:

• Where is fear trying to hold you back today?🤔

• Where is God inviting you to rise instead of run?🤔

Write down one step you can take — however small — to move forward in faith.

🙌Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You that perfect love casts out fear. Help me to recognise where I have settled for safety instead of obedience. Fill me with Your courage, and lead me into the wide-open life You have prepared. Amen.