Fearless!?!

Fear can be fun when it’s temporary. Growing up, I loved haunted houses and scary movies. Love may not be the right word. They were terrifying but you made yourself do it. My friends and I would watch movies like Friday the 13th and continue to scare each other and laugh afterward while retelling all the terrifying scenes. Even working at a grocery store in college became an opportunity to scare and be scared. We would hide in the dairy cooler waiting for someone to walk by. Later, I taught my own kids that scaring each other was part of the fun.

I remember telling my daughter Alex she would never scare me because Dad was fearless. One day, after working outside, I came in sweaty and dirty and jumped in the shower. While I was showering, she hid in my closet. I finished showering and getting dressed walked into the bedroom, opened the closet door to get a shirt, and she exploded out yelling, “Boo!” She got me. She ran downstairs with a squeal of victory while I tried to recover.

But there is a difference between being scared and being afraid.

Scary movies fade quickly. Real-life fear lingers. Parenting brings fear. Jobs and finances bring fear. Sharing our faith can bring fear. We worry about rejection, failure, or what people will think of us. Fear can become persistent and paralyzing, keeping us from living with courage and significance.

The early church understood what it meant to face fear, fear for their lives. In Acts 4, Peter and John were arrested for preaching about Jesus. Can you imagine – sharing your faith and having officials “lay hands on you and put you in jail.” Yet, instead of shrinking back, instead of backing down, instead of fear, they prayed for greater boldness. Why? Because they understood something we often forget: We can do a lot of things without God, but we can only make an impact with God.

The book of Acts repeatedly describes believers as being “filled with the Holy Spirit.” Peter didn’t address them in his own words and his own power. “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them…” The Spirit transformed ordinary people into ordinary people with extraordinary impact. Peter, who once denied Jesus in fear of a servant girl, now boldly preached before thousands. Their confidence did not come from personality or strength; it came from God living within them.

Too often we live with God as a casual observer instead of living with Him in constant dependence. We try to control outcomes, protect ourselves, and avoid risk. But prayer in the early church was not about controlling circumstances. It was an act of surrender. They prayed, “Sovereign Lord,” acknowledging that God was in control even in suffering and uncertainty.

No amount of control will ever fully eliminate fear. But when we surrender to God and rely on the Holy Spirit, fear no longer has to rule us. God often places us in uncomfortable situations because He sees the eternal outcome we cannot see.

So where are you still trying to control your life? Your family? Your future? Your reputation?

God is not calling you to a safe life. He is calling you to a life with Him — filled with His Spirit, surrendered in prayer, and willing to trust Him beyond your fears. Because while we can do many things without God, we can only make an eternal impact with God.