Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9 NIV

Has fear ever taken hold of you? Gripped you with its icy talons? Stolen the very air from your lungs?

I can think of a couple times FEAR has held me hostage recently, both incidents involving our grandson. The first time he was walking our puppy at the park using one of those extendable leashes, within sight, but a little distance spanning between us. Bolder recognized the spot where we always stopped for a water break and took off running. Now, Bolder’s not a huge dog, but he’s incredibly muscular. Rather than letting go, our Little Man kept hold of the leash and actually did a forward flip off the edge of what seemed like a cliff. FEAR squeezed my chest until we confirmed that, other than a few scrapes and bruises, he was all right.

A few months later, we were standing outside on the back deck of our cabin, which is actually the second floor and a very long drop. Little Man hopped up on the rail and bent over at the waist like a gymnast hugging a parallel bar. Oh my stars! Talk about sweaty palms and a worried meme screaming for him to get down. I might’ve frightened him more than he frightened me.

FEAR, once it takes hold, doesn’t like to loosen its grip. 

It sinks its teeth into your soul, keeps you hostage, chaining you to the same spot forever.

Unless you recognize it. Unless you rebuke it. Unless you call upon your faith to rise up, to release your fears.

What about you? What happened to make fear hold you hostage?