Something that's been all up in my business

In my recent prayer times, there has been a phrase that has repetitively found its way into my thoughts. It's a short phrase, just three words. It is:

Do it afraid.

At first, this phrase didn't have much meaning to me, and as it kept surfacing over my prayer times I actually began to find it annoying. But here's what I'm beginning to understand after a few weeks of processing it.

To "do it afraid" means that you admit to God that you are so aware of your own inabilities to handle a set of circumstances that you are fearful...yet you are so committed to faithful obedience that you are still willing to face the circumstances regardless of your fear.

To "do it afraid" means that you are willing to give God full authority over the situation. If you don't totally turn it over to Him, then your worst fears could come true.

To "do it afraid" means that you are ready to give God full credit for whatever may come of this situation. When you live by His provision, you have to give Him all of the praise.

To "do it afraid" means that you believe that God is more reliable than that which could happen, that which you are "afraid of".

To "do it afraid" means that the approval of the King is more valuable to you than the comforts of your inactivity.

When I was 10 years old, my parents divorced. My dad left us, and my mother raised me and my two sisters. And at the time we lived in an especially rural part of Tennessee on 5 acres of land. I'll never forget one particular night in the months that followed my dad leaving. It was around 10pm and especially dark out that night, and my dog (whose pen was in the back yard) was barking incessantly. My mother and I knew immediately that there had to be some kind of critter out there because my dog never behaved like that. So...being the "man" of the house, my mom nominated me as the one who should go check on the dog. Naturally, I protested her nomination, but it was no use. Mom handed me the family's shotgun and sent me out (keep in mind I lived in the backwoods of Tennessee). I stepped one foot out of the house, and then I stepped with the other. And just as I got both feet out of the house, my mother shut AND LOCKED the back door. SHE LOCKED ME OUTSIDE WITH WHATEVER WAS BOTHERING MY DOG!!! Needless to say, at 10 years old, I was terrified. Well, I checked on the dog and got her to settle down. And later I had a conversation with my mother in which she said, "Mark that was the most courageous thing you have ever done." Her comment had left me confused. "Mom, I was terrified," I responded, "How could you think that what I did was courageous?" Her answer to that question has stuck with me ever since. She said, "Mark, courage is having the ability to do the things that you are afraid of doing. If you aren't afraid of it, it doesn't require courage to do it. But if you are afraid of it, only courage can calm your fears."

Mom's words made a lot of sense to me that night. In fact, her words have been fresh on my mind recently as I've been dealing with this concept of "do it afraid". Just for fun, I did a word search on courage in the Bible this morning as I continue to wrestle with this idea, and here are the results. As it turns out, being courageous, or "doing it afraid" is a regularly recurring theme throughout the Bible.

Are you dealing with something that you are absolutely scared to death of? Is God calling you to something that you are so afraid of that it is stealing your joy, your peace, or your ability to rest. Then hear me today...Our God is still capable of sending manna in the morning and quail in the evening. Our God is still capable of sending a cloud by day and a fire by night. And by His power, whatever it is that you feel like He's calling you to do, YOU CAN DO IT. Even if you have to do it afraid.

Today is your day. Throw caution to the wind. Take a deep breath. Say a little prayer, and get started. Do it afraid. The approval of your King is worth it!!!

Grace and Peace