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This weekend I had a phone conversation with a good friend who was sharing with me that future financial future uncertainty was beginning to strike fear into her heart. Emotionally I understood this only too well. But a moment after she shared I heard the Holy Spirit whisper ; “I can use fear to launch you to greater faith”.

25 years ago I started a fledgling recruiting company of one. Very soon I was given a unique and clearly supernatural opportunity of bidding on a huge recruiting contract with the largest N. CA telecommunications company for a contract to place 1200 engineers. I quickly joined forces with a much more seasoned professional and friend and we rapidly created a corporation, at least on paper. The next step was the presentation to over 100 hiring managers in a huge corporate theater. They wanted a woman owned business, which meant I had to present as well as my polished male partner. How could I do this! I had been a homemaker for 16 years with only 9 months of recruiting experience! Fear of failure was close to taking my breath away. But God….He gave me a scripture that carried me across the terrifying corporate cat walk  to that waiting group of professionals sitting ready to judge every word we spoke and then decide our fate.

Joshua 1:9  (AMPC)

⁹ Have not I commanded you? Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua had watched God lead Moses for 40 years in the wilderness but now he was asked to be the lead a huge group of people into enemy territory and take it as God promised. He had God’s word to stand on yet God knew that fear could block his way, which is why right after the promise came the command to be strong and confident and very courageous so that he could do all that was asked of him. God told him to not be afraid because He was with him wherever he would go.

Fear is a powerful force. When it latches onto our hearts it can paralyze us. When we look at a circumstance only in the natural the enemy often rushes in to stop us in our tracks. Fear is a common tactic to distract us and get us off track from the plans God has for us. Realizing we have the authority to dispel fear with the word of God releases us from its grip. Speaking truth over our fear catapults us from a position of fear to a solid footing of faith. I am sure that Joshua was afraid of what God was telling him to do. He did not expect to be in this position so God told him He would be with him and that he would not fail him. He tells us the same today.

We gave that presentation and won half the contract because they had simply never heard of us before. The other half went to the recruiting giant Robert Half. That was the beginning of 24 years of facing professional fears and overcoming them with the word of God and watching Him provide time after time.

Isaiah 40:10

Fear not (there is nothing to fear), for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My (victorious) right had of rightness and justice.

13: Fear not I will help you!

Fear takes different shapes.

They finally brought him off the boat in a stretcher to the helicopter waiting at the edge of the lake. Paralyzed from the neck down. I held my daughter in law as we both went down to our knees. Fear rushed in…

Hebrews 4:16

“ Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in good time for every need (appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it.) “

Mine was not a leisurely walk into the throne room. I rushed in needing strength, faith and healing for my son. I knew fear was my enemy. The impact of this kind of fear made anything I had faced in business minuscule in comparison. I had to beat it. The interesting thing is that regardless of the size of the difficulty we face the solution is the same. Trust God, His word and declare it until it dispels the lie the enemy desires to use to kill our hope, steal our faith and destroy us. If unbelief gains the upper hand in our thoughts, fear takes hold of our emotions. Although this experience held terrifying moments years of faith building held me together. We never know when we will face a Goliath and need to step up and take a stand. So how do we develop a faith that conquers our fears? The word says that “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” Romans 10:17. It’s through reading, meditating and hearing the preached word of God (and we can preach to ourselves through declaration). There is a promise to replace any fear the enemy throws our way.

David was a mighty warrior and a man of great courage, called a man after God’s own heart. Yet in the Psalms we see David much like us, experiencing fear.

³ What time I am afraid, I will have confidence in and put my trust and reliance in You. Psalm 56:3

David remembered God’s Word and his past experiences of God’s faithfulness. That is why our testimonies to the faithfulness of God is so important. When my friend who is starting out in a new career with so much uncertainty in front of her calls me I share my stories. There is power in testimonies. God takes us through fearful situations and as we learn to obey God’s word and allow it to penetrate our minds and hearts we find each trial becomes a stepping- stone to a stronger and deeper faith. They we can say, “He sustained me/healed me/gave me success in the past and He will do the same for me again and He will do the same  for YOU!