Four years ago I had a dream in which God emphasized a major roadblock that keeps us from reaching our divine destiny. In the dream I was traveling swiftly up a narrow mountain road.
To my right was a steep cliff drop-off. Abruptly the view changed. Now, I was looking at a bald eagle flying above this same road. It was taking on the dangerous curves at top speed. Then my own face flashed like an overlay upon the eagle’s face. With shock I realized that this eagle I was looking at was me. The eagle had a look of keen determination on its face as it closely sped following the mountain road. Behind the eagle a group of eagles fanned out following in “V” formation. An emphatic voice then spoke to me in the dream saying, “Stay on the Road.” Again the voice spoke, but now it sounded like an eagle cry, “Fear, Fear, Fear, Fear, Fear will keep you from the road!”
The Molting Process
Unfortunately, due to my pride, I rather brushed off the fear part because I perceived that fear wasn’t a struggle that I had. I figured that part was for someone else. God has a funny way of bringing correction though. A while later I was sitting in a conference where the speaker was talking about the fear of death. I began tuning out thinking to myself that I don’t struggle with that fear. Immediately, the Holy Spirit spoke to me saying, “Oh, yes you do! You have a fear of death…to self.” That pierced my heart. I realized that I had a lot of dying to my self and my flesh that I needed to do. It was then that He began taking me through the “molting process” where He plucked out every “feather” that I had prided in and relied on. He stripped me down bare and naked before He began building me back up again and gave me new “wings”.
Fear Has Deep Roots
As I sought the Lord, He began revealing to me that fear was called out multiple times in my dream because each one correlated to a separate deep fear that I harbored. These fears would keep me from following the destiny road of God’s calling on my life. It was when I asked God to uncover these root fears, that He began to reveal what had been deeply hidden:
–I had a fear of not being accepted. This manifested in being worried and controlled by what others thought of me, which was rooted in the lie that my value was based on my performance.
-This resulted in trying to keep up appearances and wearing a mask of perfectionism. –I had a deep fear of rejection based on rejection from my past.
–I feared being out of control. Control was a way that I self protected and felt safe.
–I feared failing because that reflected back on my worth as a person.
–Additionally, Jesus revealed that I had a generational stronghold that involved a cycle of anger, fear and control under the shroud of secrecy and silence.
Our Father was so gentle and kind as He began to address these fears individually to set me free from the cords that bound me and held me back from the road He had called me to.
The Cost of Fear
Each one of us has a powerful and unique destiny call on our lives. Yet, how many of us are derailed or stalled on the road due to the controlling power of fear? In his book Soul Care, Rob Reimer expands on the impact of fear pointing out that it was fear that caused the Israelites to lose their nerve and ultimately miss out on their promise. “Fear cost an entire generation of people their entrance into their divine destiny and their inheritance.” How many of us are forfeiting our futures due to fear being greater in us than our trust in God?
Yes, facing our fears takes a willingness to come into the light and expose our hearts to Jesus. It may even take inviting Jesus into painful memories, wounds, and traumas to bring His healing. When we do this, He is able to uncover and uproot these fears so that we are no longer frozen and tethered from stepping into God’s promises for our lives.
Resting in a prominent spot in my home is a plaque inscribed with a quote by John Wayne. It says, “Courage is being scared to death… and saddling up anyway.” I absolutely love this statement. You see, courage is taking steps of faith forward even when we don’t see where our feet are going to land. It is trusting that if God is calling us out of the boat, that He is going to enable our feet to walk on water. He is going to show up strong for us when we are at our weakest.
Blazing A Path For Others
Some of us are called to forge a path up the mountain. We are the ones who will break the wind so that others may follow behind in our slipstream. As forerunners, we are blazing a trail in the territory or sphere of influence God has predestined us to. We can’t allow fear to hold back not only us but those who would follow behind. Our fear not only impacts our lives, but can become a limiting factor in the lives of those around us. One example of this is in 1 Samuel 14 when King Saul was facing a large Philistine army. He with his smaller army held back out of fear. The Word says that Saul tarried under a pomegranate tree until his son, Jonathan, filled with great courage, scaled a cliff wall to confront this army with only his armor-bearer. Through his bravery and trust in God, Jonathan, with the Israelite army following behind, ended up routing this larger army and sending them to flight.
TAKE the jump in 2021
Two of the words God gave me for 2021 were COURAGE and TRUST. I believe that the enemy was working overtime in 2020 trying to halt the forward movement of God in and through His people using the primary weapon of fear. It is time for the army of Christ to rise and shake off the bonds of fear. It is surely time to get back on the destiny road God has called us to and soar with vision, focus, and tenacity.
This year, what God is asking me to do feels like a free-fall. It is scary. There is nothing of myself that I can rely on. Courage for me is trusting that as I jump out of the nest with Jesus, the wind of His Spirit will catch and bear me up under my new wings before I smack the ground.
I encourage you to take some time with our Heavenly Father asking Him to uncover the root fears that are keeping you from fully entering your promised land. In what ways have you been playing it safe? What risks is God asking you to take? Take a look behind you… Who is being impacted by your fear-controlled choices?
My friend, fear will keep you from the road. Stay on the road.
With Love,
Debbie Valentine
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