Each of us fear similar and very diverse subjects in our lives. Fear can provide both good and bad in our lives. Good how? What about fearing to run in to the road, or jump in front of a train? These are things that fear keeps us from. But where I come from this evening is more the focus of when Fear is our hindrance…no I want to state that in a more deliberate way. I speak this evening of the FEAR that builds within us to a point that we allow it to KILL the very dreams we are believing for. If I were to ask you to picture something in your head that you have really been hoping for, a purchase you’ve been really excited about having: an awesome car, the newest tech devise, a great purse, tickets to some greatly anticipated show…I would get an array of answer in return as each of you shared what you were thinking of. Now, pretend that I told you that tomorrow morning you were going to be given the money to rush out and buy that very item. Excitement would FILL your heart, you probably would not sleep this evening----but you would NOT be losing this sleep out of Fear would you? No---it would be out of great anticipation, gratitude, thrill, excitement, or joy. Okay, hold on to that thought a moment. Now let me take you to a dream that you’ve held DEEP within your heart. You don’t need a minute to conjure up on. Why? because this dream is synced exactly to your very core being. You know the dream I speak of. It’s that one that’s been written on your heart even before you knew of its existence. That dream that serve as motivation to your very essence- where your dream being and you end have become seamless. I want you to keep that dream in your mind right now. Do you feel that? Do you feel that STIR of emotion right now? That part of your being that is almost utterly scared over this very idea coming true? Listen to what your inner dialogue is right now: Questions like, What if I do succeed? Do you I honestly have what it takes to make it? Once there, do I have what it takes to keep it afloat? Do I really believe that I have something special to bring to others? What will people think of me? Will they like me? Will they continue liking me? What if I can’t live up to others expectations? What if I can’t live up to my expectations? What if I’ve been lying to myself this whole time and really this dream is just a stupid thought I had once that I have desperately clung to” The myriad of questions that we ask ourselves is as diverse as the people asking them, but there is a common thread that weaves amongst each of them….FEAR! I asked you above a few paragraphs ago to name off a purchase that you were greatly looking forward to owning at some point. At the end of the paragraph, I asked you to picture yourself being told that you were going to be given the money to purchase your item. I asked you to picture your night before the purchase, and the emotions that you would be feeling. I named off anticipation, gratitude, thrill, excitement, or joy. So what’s my point??? We would never think to place FEAR among the emotions of something as amazing as finally purchasing a greatly anticipated item. In fact, if Fear were to try a rear its head within our emotions, we would be quick to question its existence, and to shut it down in our thinking. We would see the Fear for what it was trying to do----STEAL!! Steal from the experience, the gratitude, the joy, and the thrill. So why then----do we allow FEAR the open door to our dreams? Why don’t we apply the same application of identifying Fear as the horrid dream stealer that it is and quickly fight to shut it down? We do this because we don’t fully trust that if God has written it on our hearts---we will see it come to pass. We do this because we allow the Fear to speak to our thinking more than we do the Faith that what God starts He will bring to fruition. We do this because somewhere along the line we started to let doubt creep in and take hold. We permit this because we are human beings in need of their GOD to breathe daily life in to their dreams. We NEED GOD! He is the One who empowers our hearts. He is the One that stokes that fire deep within our bellies that burn so hot for the dreams of our heart to come to pass. He is the One that we are supposed to receive from daily and when we stop allowing Him to serve in this role, we quickly start looking at our reality more than we do our God and Fear quickly devours the dream. Allowing God to be God of your dreams. In other words, Trust God to such an extent that you stop questioning your role in your dreams, and instead---just prepare for the GOODNESS that is coming your way. Apply Joy, excitement, thrill, anticipation, gratitude—instead of Fear. May God be the blessing of your evening. Daniella.