Psalm 118:6

“The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

Psalm 118 is one of my favorite Psalms. David is singing of the goodness of God, praising Him for his mercy and declaring His trust in the Lord over the fear of man.

The fear of man. That can be a real struggle sometimes, can’t it? How many times have you allowed the fear of what a person might think or say about you to dictate your actions? I admit…too many times!

The actions I’m referring to are those things that you know that the Holy Spirit is prompting you to do. It could be that He wants you to pray for someone or give an encouraging word. It could be a situation where you know God wants you to stand up for what is right and true with boldness. And sometimes, it could be obeying the Word of God and walking in His Truth in your day to day life at your job or among your unbelieving family.

Why are we so afraid to be who God is calling us to be? David says it best, “What can man do to me?” When the cost of disobeying God becomes greater than the fear of man’s opinion in our lives, that’s when we truly begin to live the abundant life Jesus promises us. That’s when we truly begin to abide in God’s promises and His will for our lives.

Wait a minute…did she just say “disobedience?” Yes, I did. When we don’t follow through with what we know God wants us to do, it is disobedience. I admit to being a disobedient child of God because of fear of man. Well, I’m done with that! I have repented and am moving forward in boldness…even when I don’t feel bold and confident! I have confidence in the One who has given me everything I need to live the life He has called me to live.

You might use the excuse that you’re shy or an introvert. Enough with the excuses! God wants you to be as bold as a lion! You have His Spirit living in you, what more could you need? So what if someone thinks or says you’re weird! Look what they said about Jesus!

There’s a lost and dying world out there and Jesus will soon be returning. We need to get about our Father’s business. As the kids say, “Let’s goooooo!”