Last weekend we kicked off our new series at Elevate “OnePrayer,” where over 800,000 churches stand together. Our series began centering around “Unstoppable Courage” within the life of a follower of Christ.

2 Corinthians 5.7 challenges us to “live by faith and not by sight” But often in life it’s easy to become crippled by our fears to the point that it effects our daily life. Beyond this, often our fear can keep us from pursuing God’s plan for us. Having the courage to come face to face with your fears doesn’t just happen; it takes being intentional confronting them.

The truth is, fear really isn’t the problem. The issue at a very foundational level is tied up in our personal view of God. For some of us God is only as big as our biggest problem. For others, they can’t see God beyond the fear.

Daniel shows us a very important lesson that shows us how our view of God can make the difference in our greatest fear. The story of Daniel is climaxed when King Darius is forced to throw Daniel into the lion’s den for praying to God. Early the next morning the King was worried about Daniel and calls down into the lion’s den. Check out their dialogue:

When he got there, he called out in anguish, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?” Daniel answered, “Long live the king! My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.”

Notice the foundational difference between how each refers to God. To the king, he only knew about God. He’s somebody else’s God, Daniel’s God. But to Daniel, He’s a very personal, very real, “my God.” And because of that mindset, Daniel was able to do what was right in God’s sight and ultimately spending an entire evening cuddled next to a fierce lion. So, whatever you’re faced with, anchor into God and take up the courage to plow straight through your fear.

The path of your greatest POTENTIAL is often straight through your greatest FEAR.