Adam was afraid in Genesis 3 and he hid in the bushes.

Sarah was afraid in Genesis 18 and she lied.

Lot was afraid in Genesis 19 and he hid in a cave.

Isaac was afraid in Genesis 26 and he lied.

That seems to be the go-to response to fear. We hide or we lie. Sometimes, we do both. What else are we supposed to do?

How should we respond when fear rears its ugly head? When we get that diagnosis? When there is more month than money? When friends walk away? When jobs are deleted? When hearts get broken and dreams get dashed?

We could lie.

Everything is fine.

I can handle it.

We could hide.

We could stay in our pajamas and binge-watch Making a Murderer on Netflix. We can skip church and cancel plans with friends.

The enemy would love for us to lie and hide. The problem is that lying and hiding never takes away the fear. It only covers it in shame. What should we do when we feel the anxiety creep in and the tension take over?

Jacob and Esau were brothers.  Many years ago, Jacob had lied and stolen his brother’s blessing. When he learned that Esau intended to kill him, Jacob fled for his life. Now, after much time had passed, God told Jacob to go back home.

Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed. – Genesis 32:7 ESV

Not just nervous. Not a little uncomfortable. Jacob was greatly afraid. He did four things that helped him be obedient in the face of his fear.

4 Steps to Living Unafraid

1. Turn to God. “And Jacob said, ‘O God…” (Genesis 32:9.) What if our first response to fear was prayer?
2. Acknowledge your place before God. “I am not worthy…” (Genesis 32:10.) What if we didn’t try to solve our own problems and, instead, realized that we were never meant to go it alone?
3. Confess your fear. “I fear him…” (Genesis 32:11.) What if we didn’t play the I’m-okay-you’re-okay game?
4. Remember God’s promise. “But you said…” (Genesis 32:12.) What if we stopped focusing on our fears and, instead, pondered God’s promises?

Let’s begin, today, living unafraid.

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Stacy <3