When Fear Tries to Control Your Decisions
Scripture
Joshua 1:9" Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”.
Devotion
Fear does more than make you uncomfortable. If you allow it, fear will start making decisions for you.
It will convince you not to step forward when God is calling you to move. It will tell you to stay quiet when you should speak truth. It will push you to avoid opportunities simply because they feel uncertain.
Fear always tries to shrink your world.
God, however, calls His people to courage.
When Joshua stepped into leadership after Moses, the task in front of him looked overwhelming. Leading an entire nation into unknown territory was no small responsibility. God knew Joshua would feel the weight of that moment, so He spoke directly to the fear that could have stopped him.
“Be strong and courageous… for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
The courage God calls us to is not based on our own strength. It comes from the confidence that we are not walking alone.
Fear asks, “What if things go wrong?”
Faith answers, “God will still be with me.”
When you remember that God walks with you, fear loses its ability to control your next step.
Reflection
Has fear been influencing a decision in your life recently? What step might you take if you trusted that God was truly walking with you through it?
Extended Insight
One of the enemy’s quiet strategies is using fear to keep people stuck.
When fear dominates our thinking, we become hesitant to act, hesitant to grow, and hesitant to step into the things God may be calling us toward. Instead of moving forward in faith, we stay where it feels safe and predictable.
But growth rarely happens in comfort.
Throughout Scripture, many of the moments where God worked most powerfully were also moments that required courage. Abraham had to leave his homeland. Esther had to risk approaching the king. Peter had to step out of the boat onto the water.
Courage in the Bible does not mean the absence of fear. It means moving forward because God’s presence is greater than the fear you feel.
When your decisions are guided by faith instead of fear, you begin to experience the freedom God intended for your life.
Prayer
Father, when fear tries to influence my decisions, help me remember that You are with me. Give me courage to move forward in the direction You are leading. Replace hesitation with trust and strengthen my heart to follow You even when the path feels uncertain. Amen.