Face your fears by keeping your eyes on Jesus

By Stephanie Parker

My 4 year old son Maverick can easily swim from one end of our pool to the other… but only if I’m standing on the other side waiting for him. If I’m not there, a fear grips his little heart, tears begin to well up in his eyes and he loses all confidence in his swimming ability. He’s swum back and forth a million times without needing my help but my presence was what he needed. As I contemplated this, it made me wonder how much braver we, as Christians, might be if we could visibly see our Heavenly father by our side as we walked forth in obedience to His calling on our lives. How much more we would accomplish for His Kingdom and for His glory?

Then, I read something in 2 Kings that blew my mind. In the 6th Chapter, the King of Aram was coming after the prophet Elisha. Elisha found himself completely surrounded and thoroughly outnumbered. There was no way out. Elisha’s servant was clearly shaken…and for good reason. “’Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?’ the servant asked” (2 Kings 6:15).

You see, the servant’s eyes were focused on the size of the army and not the size of his God. But Elisha knew something that his servant didn’t. He could see something that his servant couldn’t. “’Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ And Elisha prayed, ‘Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.’ Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha’” (2 Kings 6:16).

Can you imagine what a sight that must have been!? Wow! The entire army of heaven was at the ready to fight along side Elisha and his servant. Elisha’s servant went from terrified to filled with assurance and confidence, just like my son, who’s confidence was bolstered when he could see me waiting for him across the ‘treacherous’ waters of the pool.

If God has called you to step out in faith and obedience to do something that seems impossible or inconceivable, remember that “those who are with YOU are more than those who are with them!” There is a reason the Bible says, “Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2). God knows if we only believed in the power that is already residing with us, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, we would be unstoppable and fearless. But, we can’t believe that He is there fighting alongside us if our eyes and our minds aren’t fixed firmly on Him!

God has given us EVERYTHING we need… we simply have to believe and keep our eyes on Him!

“Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1: 18-21).

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3).

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Stephanie Parker has three main loves: God, her husband, Brett and her kids!  When Stephanie created the Zipadee-Zip in an effort to solve her daughter, Charlotte's, sleep issues, she never imagined that it would become a business.  She is incredibly grateful to God for how Sleepingbaby.com has grown and how it has enabled other families to get the restful sleep they need.   Stephanie's husband, Brett Parker assumed the role of CEO which has allowed Stephanie to focus on what she loves which is the creative side of the company, like product and print development.  After the Zipadee-Zip was featured on Shark Tank, Stephanie went on to create the book Shepherd's Treasure, a Christian alternative to Elf on the Shelf. In her free time, Stephanie loves to spend time with her family and friends.  Her hobbies include acting, singing, painting, learning and speaking foreign languages and going on adventures with her family!  You will find her all summer waterskiing, fishing and laughing with her family on the weekends.