Fearlessly forward – Day 17

Over the past few years of being a journalist, I have done several interviews and interestingly enough, have heard the same phrase a couple of times: “I grew up with an alcoholic father. I detested the habit and swore I would never be like him. And yet, today I am an alcoholic myself.” Or: “I hated it when my mother gossiped about everyone and forever interfered in our lives. Today I wonder if my children at times do not also feel the same way about me.” Or: “Every ounce of my being rejected my grandfather’s string of extramarital relationships. And here I find myself suddenly in a love triangle.”

What area in your life feels like a giant breathing down your neck, as you fear it will become a reality because you hate it so much? Are you afraid you will be known as someone who constantly struggles financially? Or someone who cannot keep a job or be successful in a marriage? Or perhaps you are afraid that you will be known, like one of your parents, as an absent parent in your child’s life or be too critical, causing him or her to be scarred for life?

The fear that we become like a predecessor in our lives can easily become an obsession. When we constantly speak about our fears, we unknowingly open a door for the enemy to attack us precisely in that area. It is therefore important to recognise our fears and discuss them with God. He promises to give us the power to draw a line in the sand and walk towards a brighter future with Him.

In Deuteronomy 30:19 God speaks to the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land. He set this option to them: “I call heaven and earth to witness against you that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live.”

You may have made wrong decisions in the past that has resulted in you having to deal with signs of destruction in your own life, but remember, with God there are second chances. In John 8 we read about the people bringing the woman caught in adultery to Jesus. They wanted to stone her. Jesus however asked the person without sin to cast the first stone. Everyone walked away and when he and the woman were alone, he told her: “Go and sin no more” (John 8:11).

If you truly repent about the past or if you identify the area of fear and discuss it with God, He will strengthen you with grace for each season in your life. Let us choose life today and let God do the rest. God bless.