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Grace Magazine | Fall 2017 20 "… I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you." (Jeremiah 31:3) "To infinity and beyond!" This quote was made famous by the heroic toy space ranger named Buzz Lightyear from the movie, "Toy Story." When he would take off flying he shouted this memorable phrase. We know that it means really, really far— endless. It can easily be equated with God's love for us. He loves us "to infinity and beyond"—an eternity. about His love for us through His Word and that He will be with us wherever we go, why are we so fearful? To borrow from another famous movie line I'd say, "Houston, we have a problem." A faith problem. It's quite common to run away from our fears. Why wouldn't we? Fears don't feel good; they scare us, stare us down, speak lies to us and to be quite honest, can paralyze us. Good ole' familiar fear has been keeping many of us from moving forward, prospering, and getting to that next level. Overall, fear keeps us from trusting God. The Bible tells us that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7). His love conquered the grave so His love has conquered any and every fear we face. We have to trust and believe. Do you really believe He's on the throne? Do you really trust Him with everything? Or do you trust Him with a little portion of your life? You have to name that fear and look it in the eyes. I get it, it's been bullying you for a while now. It's like that co-worker that is all bark and no bite. All these years you thought they were a pit bull with the foam coming out of the mouth, but when you approached them they turned into a beagle. As a coach, I help people push past the fear. The truth is that we're born with two fears. The fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. So that means that the rest are passed down, learned and self-created. When you're faced with a fear ask yourself the following questions: 1. Where did this fear come from? 2. Is there any truth to it? 3. If you didn't have this fear, what would you do differently? 4. How can you create an environment where fear never rears its ugly head again? Look at our very own Pastor John K. Jenkins Sr. He preaches about fear often. He was afraid of heights, so he learned how to fly a plane. Now that's courage! He always encourages us to run in the direction of our fears. I often advise people to keep things and dreams to themselves especially when they're about to make an important move. After you've talked things over with your prayer partner, pastor and/or wise counsel, you need to keep it zipped. When what you're doing is between you and God, no one else needs to know. When people get a hold of it, they will dissect it, ask you one hundred and one questions about it, cast doubt and shoot one-million holes in it. If God is your source and He has planted something on the inside of you, promised to do it, and gave you instructions on how to fulfill it, that's the end of discussion. It's not up for debate! You don't need to run everything past everyone to get them comfortable with what God told you to do. If you seek their approval, you'll be right back where you started; a prisoner of fear. Whether they mean well or not, people will hinder you and hold you back. It will cause you to miss where God is calling you to be. Obedience and timing is everything. I know a woman who lost her job. She knew her time there was winding down so she prepared. One day, she had a panic By Kenya S. Ulmer