The first time I stood on the rim of the Grand Canyon my two oldest children were very young, too young to understand the danger of the canyon walls. While I was overwhelmed with its beauty, I couldn’t stand having my children that close to the canyons edge. I made them constantly hold my hand and kept them very close, they will probably end up needing therapy. As a parent I worked hard to teach my kids to never fear, knowing all the while there are some fears that are healthy and natural. However, the fears that paralyze you from living the life God intended you to live are fears that must be dealt with.

Face your fear with faith and you will have freedom. If not, you will miss the opportunities that God has for you. Fear may even cause you to live in disobedience. The greatest fear you have is God’s greatest opportunity to work in your life as His masterpiece. Your loving heavenly Father is God, regardless of your fear it must always stand in comparison to Him – the creator of the universe. If you allow fear to dictate your life you will not respond to life as God intends, He intends for you to respond with power, love and self discipline: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”  (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT)

 1.     Quit Hiding From Your Past

Often your misinterpretation of the events of present life will blind us to what God has done in and through us in our past. He was there, He was with you, and He went before you. The more you understand and believe that truth the more you will wake up each day with confidence that God has something for you today.  Each of us has a sad story from our past, some are worse than others. While God did not cause all of those sad stories, if you will allow Him to, He will use each of them to build and strengthen your character. How unfortunate to go through something painful and not grow and learn from it. Quit hiding from the hurt and pain of your past and allow God to use it for your good.

2.     Quit Making Excuses

Once you step out from the past you are hiding from and ask God to use those painful experiences to mold your character something miraculous will take place. Each of those events that spelled failure to you, that told you that you were not up to the task, that caused you to live in fear, will change in definition and you will begin to see God all over each of them. Quit making excuses about the pain and hurt of the past and you will begin to recognize His work in your life and character. Unfortunately most people want God to explain their past before making the decision to trust Him with their present and their future, and continue to let their past control them. Your past will never make sense until you invite God into your present.  When you step out if faith, regardless of the past and the fears, and ask God to make your life His masterpiece today, you will have a new understanding. Here are a few things you can do to take that step today:

• Ask God To Work A Miracle With Your Past

What are you afraid of from your past and you can’t go there again, until you step out in faith and ask God to work a miracle there you will miss out on the adventure He has for you today. God, the one who created you as His masterpiece, is asking you to trust Him by inviting Him into the past – when you do you will see that God was all over that circumstance.

• Trust That God Never Waste An Experience

He didn’t create every experience in your life, but when we trust Him with them, He will not waste them. He will use them to mold you and make you as the masterpiece He originally designed you to be.

By continuing to invite God into your present, your past will make more sense. There are many things you may not want to repeat, but you do not want to miss the growth that God wants you to get from them and continually live in fear. Face your fears with faith today and invite God to empower you with His Spirit of love, power and self-discipline. Live today as His masterpiece!

 Next Steps:

What fears are dictating your present life? When did they get a foothold in your past? Which of the steps above do you need to take to move beyond your fear with faith?