Be brave!

T-shirts, coffee mugs, and book titles all shout out this little line. Let’s be honest though. Being brave isn’t as simple as saying a cute quip. Culture, from social media to news updates, feed fear. But we need to empower our children to make the move from being fear-filled to fearless.

Before taking a look at every day actions to help our kids leave fear behind, let’s first define fear. Dictionary.com describes fear as “a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.”

This emotion definitely does not come from our loving and powerful Father God. In fact, 2 Timothy 1:7 sets fear up as the opposite of Love Himself. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” (NLT)

The Holy Spirit can give our child the strength and courage to overcome this sometimes debilitating emotion so that they can move toward becoming who God created them to be. Yet, as people who are not yet mature in their mind and emotions, they need experience in partnering with God to receive this power from Him.

That’s where we come in. As parents, we teach our kids to overcome fear by modeling overcoming fear. So while you read the following 10 steps for your children, let’s remember: we make our move first.

Join me at Crosswalk.com for 10 Steps to Help Your Child Move from Fear-Filled to Fearless. Click here.