“No one really knows what is going to happen; no one can predict the future.” 
Ecclesiastes 10:14b NLT

This verse sums it up really. None of us knows what is going to happen in the future. None of us can predict where we will be 5, 10, 25 years from now. At best we’re like weather people, we can come up with a rough prediction of what it will be like, but those predictions are wrong just as often as they are right.

And the fact that we don’t know can be scary. We can get into the “what if…” mindset. What if I fail my exam? What if I never get married? What if I get hurt? Then the more we begin to think these thoughts the scarier it becomes and the more anxious we get.

It’s holding you back

But perhaps the biggest problem with fear is it holds us back from doing stuff, sometimes things God is calling us to do. We can see an example of this in Numbers 13.

The Israelites have been brought a land called Canaan, a land God has given them to take over. The problem is there are people in this land, so the Israelites send 12 spies to scout the land out. As they were scouting around the spies discovered that the people living in Canaan were strong and that their cities were well defended.

When they got back two of the spies were raving about how awesome the land was. But the other ten got stuck in, what if. What if the people are too strong for us? What if we can’t get into their cities? The ten were afraid, and so they convinced everyone else not to bother trying to take over the land, despite the fact that God told them they could do it!

Because of the fear of the ten spies, the Israelites had to wander around in the wilderness for another 40 years until the time was right for them to take the land again. Is there anything in your life that you fear is stopping you from doing?

So what can we do about it

1) Pray – talk to God

The Israelites could have listened to God because God was the one telling them they could do it. But instead, they chose to listen to their fears. When you take time to pray about the things you’re afraid of it brings you closer to God.

The closer to something you are the bigger it appears. As you draw closer to God you begin to move away from your fears, until you can see that God is actually bigger than your fears. Whenever you’re afraid take that time to draw closer to God and remind yourself that you have God with you wherever you go.

2) Talk to others

The Israelites could also have listened to the two spies that were focusing on how great the land is. When we talk to others we begin to realise that we aren’t the only ones who are afraid. Sometimes, just knowing that others feel the same as we do helps us to begin to face our fears.

Also, if you are lucky enough to be able to talk to someone older, who has been through the thing you’re scared of they can help reassure you. Often, the things we’re afraid of never happen, so having someone older than us to point that can help.

So don’t let your fears hold you back. Get people around you, draw close to God and pursue the things that make you afraid, because often that’s the very thing God’s calling you to do.