No Fear

Do you remember the No Fear t-shirts and stuff from a few years back? I think the idea was about living life on the edge ... taking risks ... going out on a limb ... getting out of your comfort zone. It was kind of inspiring and they had some really cool logos. Those of us who have opportunities to speak to churches and other ministries can talk a good game when it comes to challenging people to get out of their comfort zones. But when our own comfort zones are challenged, the game changes ... our fears show up ... we begin risk analysis ... we step back from the edge ... security and safety come to the fore ... and before long, we suffer vision paralysis. When vision paralysis sets in, we begin to become guided by what it will cost rather than what the Lord is asking us to do. We worry more about what a failed risk will cost than we do about what the status quo will cost. We begin reacting to the whims of people rather than responding to the inspiration of the Spirit of God. I did a quick concordance search (NIV) to see how many times the words do not fear or do not be afraid show up in Scripture. The answer - 69 and 18. Then I did a search to see how many times be careful and be safe and be cautious show up. The answer - 50, 3, and 0. None of the "be safe" occurrences were commands. They were all in the middle of a larger phrase ... you will be safe ... I will be safe ... no one will be safe. Most of the occurrences of "be careful" did not give the idea of caution, but of attention and focus ... be careful to do ... be careful to follow ... be careful not to neglect. Certainly this is not an exhaustive and systematic study of Scripture, but I think it gives a pretty good indication that God usually doesn't encourage us to put our energy into playing it safe. It was actually a sermon that I preached a little over 3 years ago on living dangerously that boosted me out of my comfort zone of being a Senior Pastor and led me out onto this skinny branch of seeking to empower vision and impact in leaders and churches. So, here's the question of the day - What are you afraid of? What ministry are you afraid to begin? What conversation are you afraid to have? What passion are you afraid to pursue? What step are you afraid to take? And what is the Lord saying to you about it? With an eye on the harvest ...