Have you ever woken up one morning with a sinking feeling, dreading a phone call that could change your life forever? This was me some years ago, gripped by an all-consuming fear. I harbored a major fear of death--the fear of receiving a call informing me that a member of my family had passed away. This fear gripped me, and I was scared of missing calls from home (I was in school at the time); whenever it came, I would just start crying. At times, I would find myself unable to sleep, fearing that a dream might come true instead of praying. I couldn't tell anyone because it didn't make sense to be sacred as a "believer," and I sure couldn't tell my family members because I'd transfer the fear to them.

This fear stayed with me for a long time, about two years, if not more. One day, I went for a TBC (The Baptizing Church) camp meeting. It used to be an annual retreat, and I recall crying throughout the final session. That was when I decided it was time to stop nursing this thought and fueling the fire. I decided I was going to search the scripture for what the Word said about "long life." I found it, and I've been eating it since then.

Your words were found, and I ate them,

And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;

For I am called by Your name,

O LORD God of hosts (Jeremiah 15:16 NKJV)

Reflecting on this experience, I realized it held a deeper lesson about the power of knowledge and faith. It's a lesson many of us need as we navigate our own fears and uncertainties.

According to the Oxford Dictionary, to "wake up and smell the coffee" means to become aware of the realities of a situation. It emphasizes us becoming aware of the reality and taking action based on that newfound awareness.

Just like me, I'm sure a lot of us have fears that we'd rather not name. Things that we'd rather deal with in secrecy and hope or pray that someday it'll just disappear if we keep praying against it. Don't get me wrong; I'm not against praying but you should pray from a place of understanding.

Do you know what you're fighting for or against? What does God's Word say about it? Your lack of knowledge creates an imbalance and puts you in between, such that you're neither here nor there.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge [of My law, where I reveal My will]. (Hosea 4:6a, AMP)

It doesn't even have to be a fear; it can be something positive, even as little as earning in foreign currencies. It's all in the Bible. You've prayed and waited. Yet nothing seems to change. Why? Perhaps it's not about waiting on God. Perhaps it's about asking from a place of true revelation. I once heard someone say that you can't ride on another person's revelation of the scriptures in addressing certain issues; you have to search it out yourself, and LIGHT will hit you. The distance between where you are and where you need to be is KNOWLEDGE, and this can only be found in God's Word.

I know that you know, but let's not assume that you know so you can know. The Bible is not a "book of Bible stories"; it is a compendium of truth to help you navigate life. Listening to teachings or reading books will bless you, but that freedom will be short-lived until you search it out yourself. Just as a miner digs for gold and doesn't stop until he finds the gold ore, what you're looking for is in the Bible; keep searching--there is provision in the scriptures.

And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. (Matt