Jesus takes our fears seriously. In fact, he takes our fears more seriously than we do. Imagine that for a second. Before He left earth, He left no doubt about it. More than any other command, Jesus urged us to not fear. Of everything we know the Lord said to us while dwelling among us, "fear not" topped the list. If you think about it, what stops us from sharing our faith with strangers? What hinders us from loving the unlovable, forgiving the unforgivable or attempting the impossible? Fear, fear and more fear. It's no wonder He encouraged courage. Fear paralyzes us. Bringing up the rear of the group at the haunted house from yesterday's entry, I was able to see things as they happened. And the one constant that fear forced the group to do was stop. Stop walking. Stop moving. Stopped cold and frozen. Predictably, at the stop sign of fear, we slam on the breaks.

Fear fools us. In one of the mazes, we were asked to wear 3-D glasses. Things appeared to be coming straight for us and fast. Better duck or get gobbled! But halfway through that maze, I took my glasses off. Turns out that things were actually much further away than they appeared. What a difference it was to see the source of fear with clear eyes.

Dear friends, Jesus takes our fears more seriously than we do. At a stop sign of fear? Run it. Blinded and confused? Try it with clear eyes. In the face of today's fear, let's take Him seriously, allowing courage to be our default reaction.

--Jimmy Peña

For Discussion: What has fear stopped you in pursuing today? Something about your health has you confused? Will courage be your default reaction? Friends, prayer is the key. What do you need courage for today? Whether for health-related issues or otherwise, list them below or simply say, "Unspoken...serious courage needed."

 "Awakening" Hits Stores Today!

Guys, please get this book. I've had the unique honor of reading it, and I was blessed to be asked to endorse it. It's awesome. And for those coming to PrayFit RISE, you'll get to meet and talk with Matt about it. Here's a short synopsis.

We keep hearing about weakening faith in our country, but God is alive and well in America. He is working right here and now in people of faith. This book will awaken your heart and soul to his presence and to the power of Christianity today, which will in turn ignite your faith and change your world. Christians in America are inundated with negative stories and statistics about the decline of the faith. Awakening is a very encouraging counter balance of astounding stories of God at work all around the world, and it will inspire you to take part.

Brown shares a collection of stories from his own experience that will deeply move and inspire Christians burdened over the state of our nation. He shares detailed descriptions of movements of faith reaching countless numbers of people for Christ--movements of deeply grounded faith in America led by the next generation.

This is a book that at every turn awakens believers to God's amazing work, and how they can be inspired to see the touch of God in their own community and church.