“If I only had some courage,” the lion in the Wizard of Oz often said. Can you identify? Can you relate to him? I certainly can. In both Jr. and Sr. high school I nearly hyper-ventilated during public speaking classes. God understands how real the emotion of fear is to humans. He even recorded 365 “Fear Nots” in the Bible to help us Face our Fears.
Recently, a 69-year-old lady contacted me to share her remarkable story of “Facing her Fears” in the sharing of her faith.
This dear lady signed up for my International Tract Challenge: Going Global with the Gospel.” Distributing tracts to people was not something she had been accustomed to doing. She did place tracts in envelopes, but not handing the tract to an individual.
There are three facts to know about this Christian lady to appreciate her story. First, she loves the Lord and wants to please Him in all that she does. Second, when she makes a commitment to anyone, including God, she takes it seriously. Recanting on her commitment is never an option. Third, although I do not know her exact weight, she cannot be much over 100 pounds, if that.
On one particular day she had sat down to eat. As she was eating her meal, the Holy Spirit spoke to her heart about giving another customer a gospel tract. She did what a lot of us have done when God speaks to our hearts, she became fearful. I am not certain as to all the emotions which permeated her mind, I can only surmise. What will she think of me? Will she turn me away and embarrass me in some way?
She decided to honor her commitment to God, and bravely walked up to the table in obedience to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and offered her the tract. The lady graciously accepted it. Good experience!
What I believe to be later in the day, she visited a local fast-food drive through restaurant. Again the Spirit of God prompted her to offer the Gospel Tract to the lady at the first window. She looked at this lady who by sight intimidated her. She began to reason with God and herself. “Yes, she is intimidating. But what is the worst she can do TO me? She certainly would not beat me up? She will not yell at me. Okay God, I will once again Face my Fears and offer her the tract.” As she pulled up to the window, true to her word, she offered the worker her tract. The lady accepted it, scanned the from page of the tract and then leaned out of her window as much as she could and spoke these words. “Miss, I would like to thank you for caring about me and others in passing out your religious material.”
Armed with a huge smile she proceeded to the second window and gave this worker a tract which they also graciously accepted.
Later this same day, God once again spoke to her heart about passing out a tract to a man. Once again the fear arose. She silently prayed and “Faced her Fears” yet again. Again, the tract was kindly received.
Her final comments to me were: “Thank you for the International tract Challenge! God has convicted my heart about witnessing and to continue passing out tracts.”
What is my point? We all have fears in trying new tasks. Yet those that grow in their spiritual lives are the ones that take their fears to God, asking Him to provide the necessary courage to obey His leading and commands.
My next article will be on this subject: How to Biblically Face your Fears. This will be published on Monday. In the meantime, please read Acts chapter 4 and take special notice of the verses dealing with subject of fear.
What has been the fear which you have fought much of your life?
Jim Kilgore Ministries 