Did you know fear can actually distort our perspective and keep us from our God-given destiny? If we are not careful, we can make decisions based on fear – fear of the unknown, fear of repeated negative past experiences, fear of what people think of us, fear of failure, fear of letting others down, fear of not being good enough…etc., which can rob us of the good plan God has marked out for us. It doesn’t have to, though; we have another choice! We can choose to rise above these negative thoughts. Instead of allowing our fears to determine our decisions, we can resist them by standing on the truth in God’s Word and trusting God by faith. In other words, we can make choices to be courageous even if we feel fear on the inside of us. The Holy Spirit will help guide us despite what comes against our minds and emotions if we allow Him to.
I’ve heard many godly men and women say over the years that the word FEAR can be used as an acronym, which stands for False Evidence Appearing Real. In other words, fear has a way of distorting the truth even though, at the moment, our perceived reality feels very real to us. We can actually “feel” like something is true, but in the end, it is not. If we allow ourselves to believe these false realities, they can lead us down a path that takes us far from our God-given destiny and keeps us from experiencing God’s best.
This happened to the Israelites. God delivered His people from the oppressive Egyptians by ten miraculous plagues (Exodus 7-12), then parted the Red Sea and led them through it on dry ground! When the Egyptians tried chasing after them, God caused the water to come crashing down on them so the Israelites would never have to deal with their captors again (Exodus 14). What did God do? He delivered them so He could take them into the land He swore to give them and their forefathers. Over and over again on their journey, the Lord was faithful to His word to protect, provide and guide them. Then, when God asked Moses to send 12 scouts into the Promised Land to observe the land He was giving them, ten of them came back with a negative, fearful report. They said,
“We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country—a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces. But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak! The Amalekites live in the Negev, and the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country. The Canaanites live along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan Valley. We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!”
So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!” (Numbers 13:27-29, 31-33 NLT)
These ten scouts poisoned the minds of the entire Israelite community. They refused to trust God at His word that what He said He would do, He would do! Instead, they focused more on their problem than on their God’s limitless power and might. They also failed to remember that God had just delivered them from the mighty hands of the Egyptians! Fear distorted their perspective and blinded them from seeing what was happening.
This is what the Israelites said to Moses and Aaron next,
Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they complained. “Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!” (Numbers 14:1-4, NLT)
Again, their perceived reality caused them to distrust God and His remarkable plan for their lives. They convinced themselves because of fear that God was going to let them die at the hands of their enemies, so they wanted to go back to their bondage in Egypt! They viewed themselves as lowly little grasshoppers in the sight of their enemies! God, on the other hand, saw them as victorious warriors that He would help! The Lord eagerly desired to lead them into their God-given destinies – a prosperous land flowing with milk and honey, but because of their lack of trust, God redirected them back into the wilderness to wander around for the next 40 years.
When the older generation finally died off, God raised up Joshua to take the younger generation into the Promised Land. God did everything He said He would do! He went before His people and conquered every enemy in the land regardless of how powerful they were. The Bible records in Joshua 21:43-45 NLT:
So the Lord gave to Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. And the Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had solemnly promised their ancestors. None of their enemies could stand against them, for the Lord helped them conquer all their enemies. Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.
God is faithful. What He has promised you, He will bring to pass at the appointed time, just like He did for the Israelites. Don’t let fear keep you from the good things God wants to do for you and through you. Is there something God is asking you to do, but fear is preventing you from stepping out in faith? Miracles happen on the other side of obedience. When God asks you to do something, He will empower you and resource you to do it!
I had to learn this on my journey as well. About 13 years ago, God gave me a dream. I was on a literal path headed toward my God-given destiny, much like Christian on his pilgrimage in the book Pilgrim’s Progress. I knew in the dream I was headed toward my destiny. All of a sudden, I came across this monster on the road. It looked like a big, scary Mr. Potato Head. Believe me, in my dream, he looked terrifying. So much so that every time this monster made an ugly face, fear would grip me, and I would sit frustrated on the side of the road, unable to move past it. It was a barrier to my destiny. This happened over and over again in my dream.
Then, all of a sudden, a thought came to me, the monster is only a mirage. To test my theory, I ran and grabbed a stick and swiped at the giant. To my amazement, the stick went straight through it. Sure enough, the monster wasn’t real at all. It was only a mirage! With that in mind, I mustered up as much courage as I could and determined in my heart to walk straight through the beast. Just as I was about to take this bold step of faith, the monster made the nastiest face it had ever made. It was a colossal bluff. Yet, in my dream, I remember saying to myself, “I believe. I believe. I believe. I believe. I believe.” Then I took the first step. Then another and another and another. I stepped straight through that giant of fear and went on to fulfill my God-given destiny. Then I woke up.
I knew what the dream meant. God was warning me that there would be times in my life when fear would appear very real, and if I let it, it could keep me paralyzed and unwilling to move forward with God’s plan. On the other hand, if I trusted God and looked through eyes of faith, I could walk through the mirage of fear and fulfill my purpose, the most rewarding life possible!
Perspective matters! When we look through a healthy lens of faith and trust in God, He helps us see from a proper vantage point. This dream that God gave me and the story of Joshua taking the younger generation into the Promised Land helped me through a pivotal moment of my destiny.
I had been writing for a Christian newspaper for a year when, out of the blue, I was asked to come on staff to write for Destiny Rescue, an international Christian nonprofit organization that rescues children from sexual exploitation and human trafficking. As I prayed about this opportunity, I felt God compelling me to say ‘yes’ to the job, and I did! I agreed to move to Chiang Rai, Thailand, joining the team as their senior writer. When the time was right, I flew to Bangkok and spent the night in a hotel before flying to Chiang Rai the next day, the city where I would be living. In my hotel room, I was suddenly overcome with an overwhelming sense of fear. Thoughts bombarded my mind: Cory, no one will like you. You don’t have what it takes to write for this organization. After all, you don’t have a writing degree. You are going to fail, so you might as well pack your bags and return to the United States. It will save everyone a lot of frustration and grief if you just go home now. At that moment, I got on my knees and began to pray, Lord, help me see properly. Help me hear Your voice. Immediately, the dream I had had years before came to mind of me walking through the monster of fear because it was only a mirage. I also was reminded of the story of Joshua when he was about to take the Israelites into the Promised Land. God told him,
“This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9, NLT)
I had to make a resolute decision to trust God by faith that He was directing my steps toward the next chapter of my life with Destiny Rescue and that He had prepared me for this new assignment. And I’m glad I chose to trust Him! I went on to establish amazing relationships with the Destiny Rescue staff in Thailand and, by God’s grace, built an incredible media department. In addition, I had the wonderful privilege of leading 40 to 60 kids to Christ while living in Thailand. Almost twelve years later, I still work for Destiny Rescue, and along with an incredible team of people, I have helped rescue over 14,000 individuals (mostly children) trapped in sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
I often look back and think, what if I never dared to step past those thoughts of fear to embrace God’s destiny for me? What if I would have listened to those lies like the children of Israel? I wouldn’t be writing this article and sharing this encouraging testimony with you. And not only this experience, I’ve had to step through fear many times since then in pursuit of God’s calling on my life, including writing my first book!
Courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s the ability to move forward in the right direction despite it. My prayer for you is that you will have the courage and spiritual discernment to press through the mirage of fear that can sometimes feel so real. Like many godly heroes before us, you will have to make important destiny-defining decisions when fear is present. But don’t let that scare you. Rise above those negative voices; they’re only a mirage. God is with you and for you, and if you choose to trust Him despite fear, you will become everything the Lord Jesus Christ created you to be!
