Fear cripples us and keeps us stuck. Fear has our mind thinking thoughts we have absolutely no business thinking. Fear has us playing little, assuming the worst, and dismissing ourselves from the wild, faith-filled spaces God is calling us to.

Do you want to taste the fullness of life God really has available for you? You must overcome the fear that has held you back.

Do you want to experience God’s power unleashed in your life, leading and guiding your every step? You must break free of the fear that has sold you on less.

There’s more in you. There’s more for you. You’re capable of more. You’re created for more. But fear will always steal your ‘more’ and trade you for far less. You must decide if you’re going to stand by and allow that to continue in your life.

Fear shows up everyday as your worry-filled thoughts. Worry is the nasty little off-spring of fear. And here’s what that looks like in real life:

The average person on an average day has about 40,000 thoughts. 80% of those thoughts are negative, fear based, worry filled thoughts. And of those 32,000 worries, 85% of them never actually happen! 27,200 absolute wasted thoughts on negative things that never even happen – ON A DAILY BASIS.

We are on a perpetual loop of worrying about things that don’t matter and, get this, probably won’t even happen! All while there is so much MORE in us and for us. What a waste of the MORE we are capable of and created for.

God’s looking for a few girls who will decide to grab those fears by the tail, stare them down and realize they have NO POWER over you. You see, until you do, you run around afraid of things you could have conquered a long time ago. Until you dare to overcome those fears, those fears overcome you, then what are you missing? What life does God have available for you if you would get out of the negative, worry filled loop, and replace it with big faith in action? Oh girl, he would lead you to some wild, faith-filled spaces you could never reach alone and you would discover how much MORE there always was for you.

Moses had spent 40 years living in fear. Back in Egypt he witnessed the Egyptian slave master abusing one of his own people, and in anger Moses killed the Egyptian. When the King found out, he came after Moses. Moses fled hundreds of miles away to the region of Midian. There in Midian, he chose to forget the palace he came from, and opted for a life of hiding as a shepherd in the fields. He lived a quiet, simple life – but all that time there was so much more in Moses.

I wonder what MORE is in you, but you’ve been running from it. You’re afraid of what comforts you might have to leave, what sacrifice might be required of you, and what failure you could face, so you’ve stayed right where you are. You don’t dare answer the call for more. You don’t dare pursue a deeper passion within you. No, you just stay right where you are and dismiss everything else.

Hmmmmm … seems to me there’s more in you, my sister. And it seems to me God might be calling you out.

Here’s the truth: God doesn’t need one more of his girls to play little, go with the flow, fit in and do what everyone else is doing. No. God wants some of his girls to refuse those negative, fear based, worry filled thoughts and take them captive, just as his word tells us to do. 2 Corinthians 10:5, “We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” Your thoughts aren’t going to just change, you will have to MAKE THEM!

No, worry, I will not allow you to flood my mind today.

No, negativity, you don’t get a seat at my table.

No, fear, you’re not welcome in my home.

Now, what will you think about instead? What will flood your mind? What will get a seat at your table? What is welcome in your home? You get to decide that.

If 85% of the things we worry about never even happen, then how about we stop worrying about them. How about we start focusing on the good things that can happen? How about we start dwelling on the promises of God we hold? How about we start seeking the good plans of God unfolding here for us and intentionally start stepping smack dab in the middle of them with an open heart, open mind and open hands. Yes, Lord – I’m ready for what you have for me. Fear will not hold me back here!

So here’s Moses, hiding in fear for 40 years in Midian. Reliving his mistakes and failures, knowing he can never return to his home in Egypt because of what he’s done. And this is when God shows up! God acknowledges that Moses alone cannot rescue his people from Egypt, that this is a job for God’s own mighty hand. God promises Moses that he will raise his hand and strike the Egyptians. That his hand will cause the Egyptians to even look favorably on him and the Israelites and they will walk right out of Egypt, free. Not only free, but carrying the wealth of the Egyptians with them.

Hearing all of this, Moses still has fear. Fear because now he is a nobody. He’s done nothing but shepherd sheep in pastures for the past 40 years. He’s been playing little for a really long time and this all seems way to big to him. God, surely you have the wrong person. It can’t be me!

I remember 13 years ago God showed up for me, much like he did Moses, and he told me to start hosting a devotional call. Y’all, I didn’t even know what a devotional was. I was absolutely the least likely and most under-qualified person for that. And I argued with God, much like Moses did. God, it can’t be me. You’ve got the wrong girl. I don’t know your word. I can’t pray out loud without crying. After a wrestling match with God, I decided I would make a ONE WEEK commitment to hosting a live conference call with a short devotional. One week, and only one week. I was convinced during this one week that God would surely see I tried, but I wasn’t his girl, then he would move on and choose someone else. So, I showed up that week. It was cring-worthy as I plagiarized straight from a Joyce Meyer devotional book (I’ve asked forgiveness), and I was quite miserable. I continually dismissed myself in fear.

The week came and passed, and God never cancelled my calling, it only grew and demanded I grow with it. No more plagiarizing, I had to write these devotionals on my own. No more playing little, I had to show up with the power of the Holy Spirit and let it flow. 13 years and over 3,000 devotionals later, I understand I actually AM GOD’S GIRL and my fear almost caused me to miss this!

Fear may be threatening to cause you to miss the most beautiful blessings and greatest callings on your life. Are you going to let that happen?

Moses was facing more than potential failure and embarrassment – he was facing complete annihilation, destruction and death. Of course he had fear. But fear could no longer have him!

Yes, you will have fear – that’s natural. But will fear have you? Will fear rule your mind? Will fear run the board meetings in your head? Will fear make your decisions? Will fear be your leader? Only you get to decide.

That brings us to Exodus 4. Moses is still arguing with God, still questioning how he could possibly be good enough to return to Egypt after 40 years and help set his people free. Fear had Moses, and God knew it. So that’s when God does something amazing!

Verse 2, The Lord asked Moses, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied. “Throw it to the ground,” the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back.

Why did Moses jump back? Because it’s a snake. We hard hard-wired to fear snakes. It’s part of our DNA. It is natural to have fear when you see a snake, but God wants to show Moses he has a choice here. A choice to NO LONGER ALLOW FEAR TO HAVE HIM!

Verse 4, Then the Lord told him, “Reach out and grab its tail.” So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it turned back into a shepherd’s staff in his hand.

Here, Moses is learning it’s okay to have fear, but don’t let fear have you. He learned to do what God told him to do even when it’s uncomfortable. This was the exact lesson Moses needed to follow God into those wild, faith-filled spaces where he was being called.

I have to believe you too are being called into some wild, faith-filled spaces. Spaces where fear is natural, but if you’re not careful, that fear will cause you to miss everything God has for you here. God isn’t telling you to not have the natural feelings of fear as you step out in obedience to follow him – he’s saying grab that fear by the tail and watch it become powerless over you!

Have you ever laid in bed at night and been terrified by the noises? It’s literally the washing machine – but at night, it’s a potential threat to your very life and the hairs on your neck stand on end. You have the power to get up and turn on the light, or lay there afraid. What will you do?

80% of your thoughts are negative, fear based, worry filled thoughts. And 85% of them never actually happen! Are you going to allow fear over the things that will never even happen keep you from showing up for the things God has already ordained as possible in your life?

Girl, grab that thing you fear by the tail. Stand up. Find your voice. Move forward in faith. God is with you!!!!!!

Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela