Someone once said: “A ship in the harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for.”

Ships are built to go out into the open sea, enduring the waves that toss them about and sailing smoothly on calm water.

We can either stay in the harbor and be “safe” as a believer, never doing anything bold or courageous for the Lord. Always staying in the building, listening to the words of the pastor.

Being bold looks different for different people. For one, it may be going overseas to live full-time as a missionary. For others, it may be going up to a stranger and asking them if you can pray for them, or leaving encouraging notes of Scripture for a friend or acquaintance.

You may say: “But I’m afraid. I don’t know what to say.”

Courage is not the lack of fear. Sometimes, it is walking through your fear and doing what you know you need to do.

Esther is the story of a woman who was afraid, yet walked through the fear with courage and through her, the Lord saved the entire nation of Israel. As the Jewish queen of the Persian king Xerxes, even she could not go before the king unless summoned. After finding out that Haman had a plan to kill all of the Jews, she went before the king, and he accepted her. Later, the Lord used her to reveal Haman’s plan to the king and her people were saved.

God is counting on you.

Fear creeps in. Anxiety seeps in. Embarrassment steps in.

God knows your fears and anxieties. If you could do it in your own strength, you wouldn’t need Him. He will help you.

–by Pam Rehbein