13Sep16

Hebrews 2:15
"and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."

Fear can do some wicked things to our mind, body, and soul. It can ensnare us and drive us to a life of unfulfillment and cowardice. I remember going camping with some friends of mine. We went to this place called the "blue hole" in Washington where we climbed to the top of a high cliff overlooking the pristine water. It seemed to go down forever and the cliff seemed insanely high. I watched one of my friends laugh as he took a flying leap from the cliff and hit the water with a splash. As he swam to the edge of the pool I stepped up to the ledge and looked down. Suddenly fear gripped every part of my being. It paralyzed me and flooded my brain with a million futures that involved my death. I could hear my friends encouraging me to jump and counting down over and over again as I stared down the depths of the blue hole. I slowly backed away. I forfeited the joy that my friend had just experienced. I relinquished the accomplishment I could have had. I failed my friends and myself with every step I backed away from that ledge. I gave in to fear. Fear binds us. It prevents us from being everything we can be. God only wants us to fear Him. Don't let fear stop you from doing what you know is right. Be released.

The next year I went back to that cliff and I jumped. It was the beginning of a lot of things for me. As I flew through the air and splashed into the ice cold waters of the Blue Hole I knew that the limits of my abilities did not end on that cliff. I knew that fear would not bind me in that way ever again. What binds you today?