Isaiah 52:12-2 You will not leave in a hurry, running for your lives.
For the Lord will go ahead of you;
yes, the God of Israel will protect you from behind.

I believe there only two "lenses" in which to move forward in life, fear or faith. Fear can be a greater motivator than we think. Sometimes it was fear to get us through school, keep a job, or even stay in a relationship. But living in fear is tormenting, fears keep people, attitudes, habits and other dysfunction around that we think we need to live a contented life. It is the root of fear that keeps us from trusting God of envisioning the possibility of great things beyond what we ever ask or think!

But living by faith is not as simple as sometimes we like to think is it? For some of us this fear came as result of being deeply disappointed, hurt, or frustrated, so we live always remembering, that even though we have new opportunities the threat of what we fear finds a way to ensnare us. Many times it may not be an experience directly, but what you have heard or seen in someone else’s life that causes you to pull back from going forward? The fear of what could happen probably "paralyzes" most of us to move on with God, than what actually has happened.

The beauty of knowing the Lord intimately is that though He walks us through some deeply painful and dark situations at times, it is to show us that our past is not our future as long as we walk with Him. That Christ calls us to move forward boldly in faith, because He will protect us from what we used to fear would could come up from behind us. So we don’t spend our life looking over our shoulder and focusing on the pain that happened, more than the promise of peace, joy, and righteousness in the Holy Spirit when we move forward in faith (Romans 14:17).

In His Love, Ld