Last week, we saw that the priest and army commanders were to weed out the fearful as the army went into battle. That's because both fear and faith are contagious and the army didn't need anyone spreading fear germs. Then once the fearful had been removed, we read
"When the officers have finished speaking to the army, they shall appoint commanders over it" (Deuteronomy 20:9).
The leaders weren't chosen until the fearful were gone, which meant that faith, not battle prowess or physical strength, were the most important characteristics to be looked for in the commanders. The same is true for you.
If you are going to be purposeful and creative, you have to deal with your fear and have faith. We read in 2 Timothy 1:7, "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." You may memorize that verse but that doesn't guarantee you aren't full of fear about certain things. What's more, most of us ignore the context for that verse, which we find in 2 Timothy 1:6: "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands."
The context for "no fear" is in expressing "your gift." You are to "fan into flame" the gifts God has given you. That means you are to be a raging inferno and not "this little light of mine" that you then cover with a bushel because you don't want to draw attention to yourself. Where is fear controlling your actions? Could you lack of promotion from God be cause of your fear? What gifts do you have that are like a fire? What can you do to fan those gifts into a more significant flame?
Your flame is to act like the burning bush that Moses was attracted to. That bush burned but was never consumed. When you are in your purpose and when you have confronted your fear, you will serve as a bright beacon of encouragement for others to give themselves permission to be who God made them to be because they see you doing the same.
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