Practicing Fearlessness in Your Relationship with God
Photo by Hannah Skelly
Sometimes we make loving the Lord harder than it needs to be. We ask “what if” questions and live in fear that He’s somehow displeased with us.
“I have so many problems! I can’t tell the Lord I love Him with my whole heart, because what if it isn’t true? What if there’s a place inside me where I don’t really love Him? What if I get in trouble because I have issues I don’t even know about? He probably wishes I were different.”
Some of us need to let go of the what-if questions we ask in our relationship with God. Fear is a liar—but it tries to pretend it’s helping. What would your relationship with God look like if you stopped asking fear-based, what-if questions?
Here are a few ways you can practice being fearless in your walk with God this week—without worry or pressure. Just delight.
Feel free to take your time with these simple ideas. You may want to break them up and do them on different days.
Declaration #1: You, Lord, are water to my heart every time it feels dried up and hard.
You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water. (Ps. 63:1 NIV)
Pray Psalm 63:1 out loud. Remember, you’re practicing fearlessness. Imagine you’re looking Him in the face as you say these things.
Here’s an example of something you can pray. If these words are hard for you to say, ask God to show you why your heart feels nervous about this prayer. You might discover that you feel you’re not “good enough” for a prayer like this.
“Father, You are my God. You are the most important thing I have. Everything in me longs for You. That’s what’s true of me—that I long for You dearly. All my heart desires Your heart.”
Declaration #2: You pour good things into my life. You have good plans for me.
Bless the Lord, my soul,
And do not forget any of His benefits…
Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle. (Ps. 103:2, 5 NASB)
When was the last time you experienced so much joy that you felt younger than you really are?
Does your relationship with God fill you up? Or does it stress you out, because you feel there are so many ways you can mess up? Or not be good enough? Or fall short?
Pray according to Psalm 103:2 and 5. Here’s an example of what you can say. You don’t have to pray this exact prayer. Try to put it in your own words—words that mean something to your heart. That’s usually when you’ll be able to “feel” your prayers the most. The words hit your heart because they mean something to you.
“God, You are my Father. How are You working to satisfy me? What are You doing in my life to renew my youth? Would You open my eyes so I can see how You’re moving? Help me to see how much You really do love me.”
Declaration #3: God, You are the desire of my heart. Everything in me longs for You.
As the deer longs for streams of water,
so I long for you, O God. (Ps. 42:1 NLT)
Take delight in the Lord. (Ps. 37:4 NLT)
As you put aside your fears and choose not to listen to them anymore, you will see a clearer picture of what’s real. About God? Yes. But also about you and how you feel about Him. Your spirit and the Holy Spirit are joined (1 Cor. 6:17), and the Holy Spirit knows exactly who you are (Rom. 8:15–16).
Pray along the lines of Psalm 42:1 and Psalm 37:4, focusing on delight. Tell the Lord how you feel about Him and how much you long for Him.
Here’s an example of what you can pray:
“God, the inside of me longs for You. You are my Father and the best thing I have. I delight in You, and I want what You want in my life. Your purpose for me is my purpose for me. You are my place of rest, and everything about You is beautiful.”
Go in peace this week, child of God—knowing that in all things, He’s greater than your fear.
Your heavenly Father loves you more than you realize. Check out these other devotions:
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