But What If

One of the greatest fears that any of us have is the fear of the unknown. The truth is that this particular fear keeps so many of us from realizing our full potential. When our mind starts to focus on all of the scary “what if’s”, our imagination then locks onto our fears of failure, fears of looking a fool, fears of rejection, and so on. So. whenever our mind starts to focus on any negative “what if’s”, we need to take that thought captive and reject it. We need to reject all negative thinking. Instead, let us train our minds to think about the positive “what if’s”. 

Actually, dwelling on our fears has kept all of us, at one time or another, from taking that first bold step. As Christians, we are blessed to have the Holy Spirit living within us. He is not a silent resident but frequently speaks to us throughout the day. When fears arise, we need to question if our concern about moving forward is from our own imagination, or is it a concern that the Holy Spirit is warning us about.

That is where prayer comes in. There are those times when the Holy Spirit does warn us not to do something. Whenever we have a “what if” fear, we need to ask the Spirit of God for clarification and guidance. We need to ask for wisdom and sometimes we need to seek godly counsel before taking that first step.

Proverb 11:14 tells us, “Where there is no guidance the people fall, but in abundance of counselors there is victory.” and “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.” (Proverbs 19:20)

Then there is the proverb that all of us should always remember, which says, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel.” (Proverb 12:15)

The choice to act is always ours to make, but again, our minds may start to focus on the negative unknowns. This in itself is not necessarily a bad thing. There are always two sides to every choice and every decision has potential challenges and points of failure. But none of us should let the analytical process hinder us from making an informed decision and acting on that decision. 

Again, prayer is the key. Without prayer, we rely on our own thoughts and experiences. Since only God knows our endings from our beginnings, does it not make sense to include God in our process of making decisions?

One truth to remember is that God does not want timid Christians. He wants Christians who will walk boldly, with courage and conviction. If we think about it, it could never be said that Jesus was timid. One of the reasons why He was sent among us was to be the living example that we all must follow. Jesus walked boldly each day, with courage and conviction, and Jesus prayed a LOT! 

Let us pray for boldness to step out and act when we feel that the Holy Spirit is asking us to do something or say something. 

Ask God to help us to focus on the positive “what if’s” and not the negative fears of the unknown.

When needed, pray for the Holy Spirit to guide us to godly counsel, so that we can make the choice that God wants us to follow.

Our fears are a real emotion that all of us must manage. Understand that the fear we feel may be the Holy Spirit warning us not to do something, or it may be our own imagination locking on to a scary “what if”. If our action will potentially bring glory to God, then our fear may not be from the Holy Spirit. Act, then trust that God will correct our course as needed. Regardless, prayer and godly counsel are the key to any successful future.