Behind nearly every fear is a lie. If you wrestle with fear and anxiety every day, you’re not alone. This plan is not for the fearless, but a call to come exactly as you are, knees trembling, hearts racing, and palms sweating, ready to step out of the grip of fear and into everything God has for you.
SPCK Publishing
Day 1
Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 13:9-10, Isaiah 66:9
At the dawn of a new chapter, we can be tempted to look back on seasons of hardship and difficulty and think, what was the point? In hindsight, we can perceive the relationship struggles we’ve endured, the failed businesses, the unfulfilled dreams, or time spent in wilderness seasons, as wasted time.
We can fear that we now carry too much baggage to be free to forge a new path or have too many skeletons in our closet to start anew. The truth is, nothing is wasted with God. Every moment of our past – the dead-end roads, the rejections, and the triumphs – has led us to where we are now, and everything, no matter how destructive or painful, can lead us deeper into God’s perfect plan for us and all creation.
What I’ve found, during the short stay I’ve had on this planet so far, is that time and healing have given me perspective and allowed me to be thankful for the things that broke me. That’s because on the other side of that breaking was new life, transformation, the birth of a deeper understanding of love and of sacrifice, and inevitably joy.
Right now, trapped in time and space, in your room, on the train, perhaps you can’t see where this moment or journey is going, but today, let us encourage you to trust that God is leading you there. Everything can be redeemed, and nothing is wasted.
Take a moment this morning wherever you are in your work week, family morning, commute or day off, to consider the journey God has led you through so far. What are some of the challenges and fears that you have either been reckoning with or worked through? Where has God led in these moments? Have you been able to hand these anxieties over to Him, or are you in need of letting go and letting God? Today is a new dawn to work through these emotions, these moments and these challenges. He is with us not just to walk alongside us in our worries but to carry us through and shape us more like Jesus who stands in the storm with peace.
Day 2
Scripture: John 14:16
Venturing into uncharted territory is a daunting task. It takes courage to step out in faith. The alarm bells begin to ring and the questions start flying out of our subconscious with force. Is this the wrong move? Is this another dead end? How do I know I’m on the right path? Not to put a dent in your ego, but you will never truly know.
It’s extremely rare in life to have all the facts, hurdles, and potholes laid out before us. ‘Not knowing’ is an inherent part of life on this earth. However, instead of procrastinating while trying to gain a 360-degree clarity that is unachievable, we must embrace the fact that we see only a part of the puzzle. But our God, who sees all, knows all, and created all, has not left us here in time and space to flail in mystery alone.
Jesus talks in John 14:16 about ‘another advocate’, the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us like a spiritual compass to guide our steps and beckon us deeper into our destiny. The questions may never all be answered, but we can move in uncertainty with peace. Unlocking this level of trust requires us to be sensitive, to still ourselves and to listen to the One Who Knows All.
Can you step in to this new depth of trust with the Lord today? Perhaps consider jotting down a few areas of your life where you need the Holy Spirit to bring peace into, and a few words of prayer to step into this trusting relationship.
Day 3
Scripture: John 16:33
Chaos, disorder, dysfunction: whatever you call it, we’ve all experienced it. Inside our minds the sirens are ringing, and there’s a red neon sign with the word ‘danger’ burned into the back of our foreheads. We’ve all faced metaphorical hurricanes that have swept us off our feet – moments in our lives when we’re unable to distinguish what’s up from down, losing our centre of gravity as everything is thrown into disarray.
Whether it’s a church scandal that has rocked a local community, a completely unexpected breakdown in a relationship, political dysfunction on the highest level that divides a country, or a personal battle you feel you keep on losing, sometimes our lives are on fire through no fault of our own.
The first question in these times of instability can be, ‘What did I do to cause this?’ – feeling that we are to blame for the mayhem. But the truth is, sometimes we have done nothing at all. We are not always to blame for disorder in our lives; chaos is inescapable, another cog in the wheel of reality.
So rather than panic when the alarm goes off, or feel guilt when the ‘danger’ sign is on, let’s begin to build a ‘fire exit strategy’ for ourselves so that our souls are prepared for dealing with the next fire, rather than being surprised by the unavoidable. A ‘fire exit strategy’ may simply be the commitment to stop in times of chaos and acknowledge that God is in control, memorising today’s scripture and speaking it over ourselves in times of need.
Day 4
Scripture: Psalms 131:3
As children before God, by looking up to our Maker, who birthed us into this wonderful reality, we can still our hearts and sift through the noise in our minds. Sometimes the noise isn’t within us but in our surroundings. There are so many thoughts, explanations, self-help experts, but there is rarely one right action for every situation we encounter.
Life is too nuanced to have a simple answer for every situation. The wisdom required in the spectrum of circumstances we face in life can seem extremely contradictory; one day the antidote to vanquishing our fears is to be brave, take a risk and go for it. Other days the wisest course of action may be to sit in silence and self-reflect.
Our job is to create enough space in our busy lives to know what our heavenly Father is asking of us. To see the range of colours in the skyline, sometimes we need to drive slowly, and it is the same with learning to discern what God is asking of us. With the Bible as your guide, can you make time to sit in contemplative silence at some point today?
Perhaps you are struggling with the idea of ‘quiet time’ with the Lord in your busy, hectic life, or perhaps you are angry or demoralised with God on a personal level. Whatever your circumstances, making time to reconnect with our maker and saviour is a stepping stone to overcoming anxieties and the frustrations of life. Maybe start with 10 minutes to re-center your mind and heart on the words of the Bible and pray to Jesus – tell Him what you’re going through and listen for His words and guidance.
Day 5
Scripture: 1 John 5:21
Whether we are aware of it or not, we live our lives in worship to something.
There are people, activities or companies that we can put on a pedestal so high that we end up serving them as if they were gods. Celebrity culture, for example, elevates human beings to the status that should only be reserved for God. No human can handle the pressure of being a supreme being, and we can see the evidence of this as the pressure breaks people over and over again.
Whatever we worship in place of God reflects our fear. We may not be bowing down to golden statues like the Israelites in the Old Testament, but many of us look to work, relationships, money, or power for the security, identity and meaning that only God can provide. While careers, friendships, marriage, or children are wonderful gifts from God, when we make them our ultimate sources of satisfaction, they will be unable to withstand the weight of such expectation. Instead, we must look to God and His infinite love, to relieve our fears and fulfil our longings.
The choice presented throughout Scripture is a simple one in theory, even if it is complex to navigate daily. We can choose to worship – to give all our adoration and attention – to the things of God, who has the capacity to quench our thirst for affirmation. Or we can choose to give our worship to ‘things’ that were never built to love us in the ways our souls need.
What do you find yourself ‘worshipping’ today? How can you direct those desires towards God?
Day 6
Scripture: Psalms 34:4-5
Fear of rejection isolates us. It makes us think that if others really knew what we were like, or what we’d done, we would be rejected. It causes us to live our lives behind a mask. We think if we can just get through this, it will all be OK, and no one will know anything about what we are really facing.
The truth is, we heal better together. Community is where people can listen to us, encourage us and pray for us. The fear of rejection will cause us to distance ourselves from the ones who love us the most, but if we are serious about healing, recovering and overcoming this fear, then opening up is the first step in doing so.
An authentic community encourages us to be our authentic selves. If we can’t be ourselves in our circle, then maybe we need a new circle, to find a Jesus-centred community that encourages us to live the lives God created us for.
Today, perhaps you need to prayerfully reflect on the communities you are a part of and the company you keep. Thank God for the good and fruitful, and pray for His guidance to navigate any areas that are challenging or that you feel need to change.
Day 7
Scripture: Romans 8:34
When we are trapped in the present, surrounded by destruction, and it seems like there’s no hope to be found and nothing on the horizon, we have to trust that the story doesn’t end there.
God has not abandoned us to our situation. Christ’s story is the evidence that death is one step towards inevitable resurrection in Him. Up close and in the moment, Jesus’ death on the cross paints the most harrowing of images.
Jesus was left to die alone, bruised and bloodied, and it looked like all hope was gone. When we, too, are face to face with death, in the midst of the chaos of losing something or someone, it can feel like an all-consuming fire. There seems to be no way out through the black smoke of fear.
We may feel bruised and bloodied and on the edge of giving up, but we must hold on. In time – God’s time – resurrection comes, healing comes, and restoration comes. God is not defeated by death, and neither is the Spirit of Christ within us. Even if there are no signs of life, even if it’s been years since the sun has shone in your life, the dawn will break. If there’s one thing I can promise you, it is that. Hold on, resurrection is coming.