The Power of Facing Your Fears

“… resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7 N.I.V)

Have you heard the story of the young buffalo?

“One day, on the plains of Africa, a young buffalo named Walter approached his dad and asked him if there was anything that he should be afraid of.

“Only lions my son,” his dad responded.

“Oh yes, I’ve heard about lions.  If I ever see one, I’ll turn and run as fast as I can,” said Walter.

“No, that’s the worst thing you can do,” said the large male.

“Why?  They are scary and will try to kill me.”

The dad smiled and explained, “Walter, if you run away, the lions will chase you and catch you.  And when they do, they will jump on your unprotected back and bring you down.”

“So what should I do?” asked Walter.

“If you ever see a lion, stand your ground to show him that you’re not afraid.  If he doesn’t move away, show him your sharp horns and stomp the ground with your hooves.  If that doesn’t work, move slowly towards him.  If that doesn’t work, charge him and hit him with everything you’ve got!”

“That’s crazy, I’ll be too scared to do that.  What if he attacks me back?” said the startled young buffalo.

“Look around, Walter.  What do you see?”

Walter looked around at the rest of his herd.  There were about 200 massive beasts all armed with sharp horns and huge shoulders.

“If ever you’re afraid, know that we are here.  If you panic and run from your fears, we can’t save you, but if you charge towards them, we’ll be right behind you.”

The young buffalo breathed deeply and nodded.

“Thanks dad, I think I understand.”

We all have lions in our worlds. There are aspects of life that scare us and make us want to run, but if we do, they will chase us down and take over our lives.  Our thoughts will become dominated by the things that we are afraid of and our actions will become timid and cautious, not allowing us to reach our full potential.

But as James 4:7 says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

Face your fears. Show them that you’re not afraid. Show them how powerful you really are. And run towards them with courage and boldness, knowing that behind you is the Power of the Almighty God you believe in. You have Jesus supporting you and cheering you on.

What fears do you need to face at the moment?

“Every moment of resistance to temptation is a victory”. Frederick William Faber