#fearlessly #waterwalkinggirls  by: Deborah Ard
Here is a little background information:
For those who don’t know, I am the daughter of a United Methodist minister. Therefore my family moved many times as I was growing up. In fact the longest we lived anywhere was 5 years. As a result of moving often, I always felt like an outsider, I was never part of the “in” crowd, I was never popular and I have always suffered from feelings of rejection. Now that I am an adult I am sure most of those feelings were misconceptions on my part and just how I perceived things.

Now to the story for today…
I am continually amazed at how God equips us to do His work. Several years ago I felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit to share a scripture on Facebook that had spoken to me during my morning devotion. I recall that one of the thoughts that went through my mind before I pushed the button to post…fear. What if my intentions for sharing were misjudged? What if others thought I was trying to be holier than thou? What if I was rejected? Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit gave me the courage to push the button to post. The next day I felt the same nudge from the Holy Spirit to share, felt the same fears, but somehow God gave me what I needed to post. And then before I knew it I was posting a scripture every day. Fast forward to January 2018 when the Holy Spirit nudged me again in regards to my writing. This time the Holy Spirit led me to take a step out of the boat in a direction to help me grow as a writer. Again, I experienced fear of the unknown and what ifs. After much prayer I joined Compel which is training for Christian writers through Proverbs 31 Ministries. Through this training I was able to gain insights and knowledge that in turn prepared and equipped me as a writer. In August 2018 Compel sponsored a devotion contest. Compel members could submit a devotion and the winners would have their devotion published as one of the Proverbs 31 daily devotion emails. I felt terribly inadequate and immediately decided to not submit an entry. However the Holy Spirit wouldn’t let me forget about it and on the very last day to submit, I mustered up enough courage and sent in an entry. I didn’t hear anything more about it so I moved on and was certain I was right about my lack of qualification to write for such a group as Proverbs 31 ministries. So imagine my surprise when in November 2018 while vacationing at Disney World I received an email informing me that I was one of the winning entries! I was overwhelmed! God had confirmed for me the call He has placed on my life to write and speak for Him! The next months have been filled with various emails to proof the emails, send in a head shot and to add additional scripture. During this time God has once again nudged Julie and I out of the boat as we began our Water Walkers Facebook page and have started to post daily. God never fails to give us the courage to share whatever has been laid on our hearts.
Now as the date for my devotion to be published is approaching I am battling some of the same feelings of fear and what ifs. What if no one is interested in reading the email? What if the devotion sounds childish or silly? What if I am rejected? As we know, God’s timing is perfect so I am currently participating in a Bible study at church called Soul Detox by Craig Groeschel. One of the lessons is on fears. Groeschel shares two truths:
1) What you fear reveals what you value most.
2) What you fear reveals where you trust God the least
OUCH! Boy did this step on my toes! A church sign I passed recently said, “If the truth hurts then its working!” So there you go! Those statements hurt so the truth is working. In fact, God has been working on me all week to deal with my fears about my writing. I have told Julie several times this week that the posts God has given me about fear and being fearless have been for me and praise God if His word blessed someone else.
Now I ask you to examine your fears. Groeschel advises that you acknowledge where you trust Him least, seek Him, and then choose to put your faith in Him.
If you watched Julie’s video from last Saturday she talked about Ephesians 6. I encourage you to read the entire chapter. Julie and I have pledged to pray the armor of God over one another and each of our families. Julie talked in her video about Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” Today I want you to focus on Ephesians 6:19-20:
“Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”
May this be our prayer for one another. May you gain strength and courage in the knowledge that God has a purpose for you and your struggle with fear. Obey the nudges from the Holy Spirit. Allow God to reveal what you value most and where you trust Him the least. Spell it out. Seek Him. Then choose to put your faith in Him. He will equip you to face whatever is before you fearlessly!

Photo used is published by Christine Caine