Join Us for Weekly Inbox Encouragement + Access to a Full Library of Free Faith-Building Tools

Sign me up!

Kristi Woods

Encouraging Women to Walk Deeper with God

  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Speaking
  • Shop
  • Contact
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • Blog
    • Spiritual Growth
    • Mentoring
    • Emotional Health
    • Faith Resources
    • Faith Holidays
  • Bible Studies
  • Nonfiction
  • Fiction
  • Free Christian Resources

Perfect Love

December 9, 2011 by Kristi Leave a Comment

Our family hit the outdoors recently for an afternoon of zip lining. (That’s our sweet daughter in the photo above.) I’m not especially fond of heights, so fear tried to take a little foothold. The idea of stepping off the ledge, far above the tree tops, seemed a bit intimidating to say the least. I wasn’t familiar with this territory and it was uncomfortable putting faith in the metal clips and the lines, as well as the men who attached us to them. They literally were my lifeline.
My husband and our kids, on the other hand, were completely enthralled with the idea, ancy with excitement and eager anticipation for the reservation day to come. They couldn’t wait to start this new adventure. Their excitement somehow took me along in the flow. After all, when your seven year old, who was scared on a suspended bridge just days before, is involved, you have to keep a strong outlook, right? So for his sake, reservation day came and off they went with me following closely behind.
Have you ever felt like that in the spiritual? Maybe God is calling you to step out into something new, but fear has risen a bit at the thought of leaving the security and solid footing of your ledge. It’s new. It’s scary. You wonder if  you can do it. You think of all the “what if’s.” You think of all the failure possibilities.
You know it’s God. You know you have love on your side, so you focus on love. You know you want to draw nearer to your God and that He only has great plans in store. After all, Joshua tells you that specifically. So, you focus on walking with  your Father. The excitement of being His takes you along with the flow, and off you go, a little scared but still stepping out in faith.
Can I encourage you today to step out as He is guiding you? Perfect love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18), so focus on that, His perfect love. Keep your mind locked in and set on His truths, not the lies of fear. Let our Savior’s perfect love cast the fear and all that comes with it (failure, non-provision, etc.) far aside as you step off the ledge and truly zip along in the spiritual.
When I stepped off the ledge for the first time, I had to stop thinking about the “what if’s”, set the fear aside, and simply “do it.” In fact, on the last zip line, which was far above the tree canopy, my mind wanted to know so badly “how far” above the ground we were, but even that simple thought was cast aside because the answer would have created more fear for certain. (It was 250′-300′ above the ground, by the way. I found that out AFTER zip lining.) 
The experience, once I let go of the fear, was exhilarating. It was fun. Zip lining actually became comfortable, enough so that I was willing to step off ledges and zip on lines that were steeper, higher above the trees, and longer that same afternoon.  It was like nothing I’d experienced before, and I was so thankful that fear didn’t stop me from this new experience.
Grab a hold of perfect love, friend. Keep it in center focus as you step out in faith. Go to those spiritual places He’s calling you to go to, those places that fear is trying determinedly to stop you from gracing. You’ll be amazed at the view, the exhilaration, and how comfortable you become in the new place. It’ll become a new normal, a step toward maturity for you as you run that race with the Lord. It’ll be freeing as you “Weeeeeee!” along in the center of your Father’s will, carried along by His perfect love. And, it’ll be right.
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Print

Related

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Do you struggle with Rejection?

Subscribe below to receive the 3-day devotional Removing the Sting of Rejection in your inbox for FREE. Use this devotional to build your spiritual muscles to counter the sting of rejection.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I accept the Terms and Conditions and the Privacy Policy

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Welcome


Welcome!

I’m Kristi. I write stories: God’s, yours, & a few pretend people. (Christian romance and Christian nonfiction)

Find encouraging stories or links to them at this site, as well as faith-building tools like Bible studies and more for people like you and me. (Sometimes my characters use them, too!)

So grab a seat, prop up your feet, and please feel welcome.

Oh, in case you’re interested, here’s my story.

 

Subscribe Here

KristiWoods.net sign-up form

YES, PLEASE!
Email me updates & offer access to a WHOLE LIBRARY of free faith-building downloads, stories, and more.

Now Available

Book cover for The Many Lives of Veronica

picture of printable scripture cards from Psalms - for sale in the Kristi Woods Etsy Studio

Digital Bible Study cover picturing sand grains for Shake Off Discouragement

Thumbnail of 12 Scripture Cards, verses from Psalms, printable and available in the Kristi Woods Etsy Studio

Products for sale (Digital Bible studies, bible verse cards) on graphic for Kristi Woods Etsy story - Shop Christian products

Picture of free 30-day Psalms reading challenge with Christian blog post title

Notepad, pen, glasses, and drink on a white surface with the title of this Christian podcast

A 6-Episode Podcast to Help Supercharge Your Faith

Speaking Events

 

Popular Posts

Introducing post 5 Ways to Grow Your Faith

Christian Blog Post title




 

 

This site uses affiliate links. Click here to read the full disclosure and here to read a note about our affiliates.

Topics

Anxiety Bible Bible Memory Verses Bible study Blogs Books Christian Marriage Christian Parenting Christian Podcasts Christmas Courage in the Bible Discouragement in the Bible Easter Faith Fear in the Bible Forgive Free Resources Friendship God Gratitude Guest Post Healing Hope Identity in Christ Love Outreach Prayer Salvation Scripture Testimonies Thanksgiving Trust

Pin with Me!


For Sharing

Kristi Woods

Copyright © 2022 Kristi Woods | Site by MRM | Privacy & Disclosure

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.