fear

This is an excerpt from Kelly Balarie's book, "Fighting Fear: Awakening Courage to Overcome Your Fears."  http://purposefulfaith.com/

Bam!  Tears.  Fears.  More frustration.  God was long gone and I was going downhill fast.  Of course, I wouldn’t have told you this.  I would have nodded my head and said, “Yes, God is good.  God will provide.  God loves me.” 

I had no idea...if God would actually return to pick me up again, or if I would have to resort to hitchhiking or some other deplorable act to find my way home.  Where did God go?

At this point in my life, it was a daily task to figure out how to keep breathing.  But when you're chasing God and you finally shush up, the Spirit has a way of holding you in your time of need.  I suppose this is why He’s called Counselor (John 14:26); He brings to mind those life-restoring Words of God that counsel you.  I like that.  I need counseling.

His Word to me at that time sounded like this: “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground” (Exod. 3:5). Now, God?  But let me tell you something, and I am serious about this: when you stop thinking God's Words in the Bible are crazy and don't apply to you, you suddenly realize - they do.  Then things happen.  You hold a broken picture but see it differently - a new image appears

You say unheard of and practically ludicrous things.  Things like, “Well, God, I have nothing to add. You hold everything, so let’s go - and do it Your way.”  It’s almost like God lent you His glasses.  You get clarity.  Focus, even.  Lights flick on and the Spirit delivers a tailored message arrowed straight to your heart (Eph. 5:8).  All you know is you got pinged by sense.  Sense that pushes you toward what you were always meant to do and created to be.

Aha moments become abundant.  The Spirit illuminated a grain of something I needed.  So you know what I did?  I looked left and right, and then I did it; I took off my shoes - odor and all.  I chose to believe my sinking (or stinky) ground was holy ground.  

Taking off your shoes means: Listening to God above humankind’s diatribe.  Seeing God’s bigger picture, not a shattered one.  Getting reverent instead of existent in pain.  Being open to truth instead of closed up in lies.  Trusting refinement versus seeing ailment.  Seeing a burning God instead of a burning house.  Seeing God’s plan above your immediate goals.  Letting God see your grime so He can wash it clean.  Yelling, screaming, and pleading to be heard and helped.

It doesn’t always look pretty, but it is almost always effective.  I gave it a shot. I settled into the idea of getting holy before God.  The Spirit even called out on my behalf, I am sure of it.  He does that, you know? He speaks our unspeakable needs (Rom. 8:26).  He groans our groans and cares for our cares.

And something transcendent happened.  I felt heaviness leave, burdens flee, and a new fire take form.  Things happen in a posture like this.  It is not always what we want or how we expect, and not always in a shiny way - but it is always in a far better way, a way that tends to leave us jawdropped and feeling flat-out loved.  Understanding wrapped His arms around me:  What I try not to see is the very thing God will use to set me free.  Going with the Spirit means moving with God’s wind, not fighting against it.  If I believe in the possibilities, I will have a chance to see God's incredibly.  

Will you stay confined or become redefined?  Where might your mission or your courage be blocked?  Where might God want you to take off your shoes?  What might that look like?  Take off those shoes that cover your real.  Let your dirt, your calluses, and your vulnerable self stand bare before God.  You aren’t too much for Him, I assure you.  There are lessons in this place.  The place where you bare your feet and bow your head.  Don’t go distracted or demotivated; expect the Spirit to move on your behalf - to speak your unspeakable...

Our greatest tab is covered.  Our insecurities are filled.  Our mistakes are not spotlighted.  All this stuff, when walked up to the heat of His love, is burned away.  Al that lasts is Jesus.  Love.  Hope personified.  A fearless vision that lasts forever.