Not My Future // Goodbye Fear: Part 1
Reading Time: 5 minutes
“Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust Him and He will help you.”
Psalm 37:5
When was the first time you felt afraid of the future? I remember telling friends years ago that I was afraid to let God use me because he might take me too high and then, if I messed it up, my fall would be too substantial. Once, while in school, a teacher pulled me aside into his office. He’d noticed fear holding me back and even offered to pay for professional counseling to help me get through my fear. Since then, fear has often come up as a block that stops me from walking into the things God is calling me to.
When I’m in moments of fear, God often uses things to remind me of his provision through my life. I remember driving from Nashville to Cincinnati for my first official assignment as a pastor. I was in a spiritual and emotional battle: feeling like I was inadequate while also remembering the God who already was doing more than enough to show me that He had called me. While driving, I was listening to Maverick City’s new album at the time, “Kingdom”, and a song came on that brought me to tears, “Fear is Not My Future”. The song illustrates the scene of turning from a past of fear into a future of faith. It reminds us that fear is not our future, God is. Sickness is not our story, God is. Heart break is not our home, God is. And death is not the end, God is. This song really inspired me to turn to Jesus as I was torn between choosing faith or fear.
You’re not a slave to fear. You're not a slave to shame. Your identity is not in your lack or your shortcomings, your identity is wrapped up in who God says you are. Fear is often a self inflicted burden that the devil relies on so that we stop ourselves from doing the things God calls us to. That God who commands legions of angels at His ready is fighting for you. The God who breathes out solar systems is thinking of you and ordaining a path for you. The God who spoke light into being speaks life and prosperity over your life and leads you into a better future with Him every day. That is our reality. The enemy cannot win, he actually has already lost. The battle is over, and you are the victor by inheritance.
In October 2022, while listening to the newest album by one of my favorite worship leaders, I heard a cover of “Fear is Not My Future”. This may just sound like a coincidence, but that same day I finally formed Thoughts, LLC. This is a big step towards the dreams God has called me to. It’s scary. It’s new. But, God will continue to sustain. It may seem small to some, but that's the beauty of faith’s steps. I remember how, at first, it was free to run thoughts. Then, I remember being scared out of my mind when God told me to upgrade and spend more money than my broke college student budget could afford. Now, it costs upwards of $400 a month to run my devotional services and I know that in years time that will seem like nothing, because God keeps sustaining and bringing me to greater.
When I think of the weight God’s been carrying, my fear feels like a slap in the face to Him. I’m taking account of the God who allowed college students to run thriving ministries with no outside budget. I’m thinking of the God who has used me in ways people twice my age could only dream of. I’m a broken man. I’m weak. I don't know it all. But that's all the more reason to praise God for promising not to leave me. I need him. I need Him so much. And He is the one fighting for me. Growing faith is a continual journey, but I'm trusting God to not just grow me, but sustain me. The same God who has been here for years will be here for years to come.
I pray that the blinders the devil has been relying on fall off of your eyes and you realize the resurrecting power of God flowing through your veins. Others may not get you or the path God is calling you to. But this isn’t about them. This is about you, God and your faith journey with Him. God wants to use you to impact way more than the number of people who may hold you back. Don’t let the unbelieving few get in the way of the impact God can have through you for many.
I want to trust God and keep moving. It’s a journey but God’s got me. I’ve seen what He's done so far and I’m choosing to give my all to him moving forward. Whatever he thinks is best is best. I’m leaving fear and moving in faith.
Fear is not my future, [He] is.
Goodbye fear, goodbye guilt, goodbye shame.
Goodbye pain, goodbye grave, it's a new horizon.
("Fear is Not My Future" by Kirk Franklin & Maverick City Music)
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