Face Your Fears So You Can Get Something Done

by Rick Warren — December 3, 2018

“If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done” (Ecclesiastes 11:4 TLB).

Fear is at the root of all of your indecision—fear that you’ll make a mistake, that you’ll fail, that you’ll embarrass yourself, that you’ll make a commitment you can’t keep, that somebody will laugh at you or reject you. It’s always fear that keeps you indecisive.

We don’t like to admit that we’re afraid, so we make excuses. Moses said, “I can’t talk.” Gideon said, “I’m too young.” Abraham said, “I’m too old.”

What’s your excuse?

God has a dream for your life, and Jesus Christ wants to be the center of your life. You might be saying, “I don’t have the time. I don’t have the money. I don’t have the experience. I don’t have the education. I don’t have the resources. If only I were married. If only I were unmarried. If only I were older or younger, in another country, in another year.” It’s fear that’s keeping you from making the decision that you know God wants you to make.

The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 11:4, “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done” (TLB). Perfectionism paralyzes potential.

But God has always used imperfect people in imperfect situations to get his will done. Always. If you’re waiting for that perfect person to come along, they’re not coming. If you’re waiting for circumstances to be just right or to get over certain things before you really get committed to Christ, it’s not going to happen. The basic commitments of life must be made in the middle of the stuff of life. Life goes on.

What’s the antidote to fear? Faith. Romans 8:31 says, “If God is on our side, who can ever be against us?” (TLB). You have to trust your fears to God and start moving despite the problems, fears, and doubts.

If God’s given you a dream and you know it’s his will, make the decision and move against the fear. Then watch as the Red Sea opens up and the manna is provided and God does the miracle in that relationship, in that problem, in your finances, or whatever it is.

I implore you to do something great with your life for Jesus’ sake. Don’t waste your life. Don’t live in mediocrity. Don’t just exist. Make the decisions that will determine your destiny.

Talk It Over

  • What decision do you need to make today in spite of fears that have kept you paralyzed?
  • What are some encouraging promises from the Bible about how God rewards those who trust and obey him, even when we have doubts or fears?
  • How has perfectionism kept you (or someone you know) from making a crucial decision?

Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.