Life can be unexpected at times. From a sudden illness to losing a job, these challenges can sometimes push us to our breaking point—making us feel like David facing our own version of Goliath. But as Christians, we know that our heavenly Father is there with us through our struggles and triumphs.
This week on Fearless, Cissie Graham Lynch interviews Skip Heitzig, senior pastor of Calvary Church in Albuquerque, and his wife, author and speaker, Lenya Heitzig, who share about what it’s like to face life’s giants and how to “run into the roar.”
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“I have always looked to Lenya as this fearless woman,” Lynch said. “Since I was a little girl. And you’ve always been a wonderful, godly example. Have you always been fearless?”
“No,” Lenya said. “As a matter of fact, there’s that book Hinds’ Feet on High Places. There’s this little doe in there called Much Afraid. And I can very much relate to that. I have been a very fearful person.”
She shared that due to her family background, early on in her marriage she was incredibly fearful that her husband would die.
“I honestly had panic attacks,” Lenya said. “If Skip went out of town, I was afraid of the dark and to be alone. And for me, my fear led to depression.”
There were a lot of other anxieties that she dealt with as well, but God was starting to work through those circumstances and draw her closer to Him.
“God is the God of love, and that perfect love casts out all fear,” Lenya said. “And He’s not given us the spirit of fear but the power and love and a sound mind. So, I was constantly replacing the lies of my childhood and the lies of the enemy and the lies of the moment and confronting them. Meditating on God’s truth.”
When faced with a giant in life, it can be so easy to get lost in dark thoughts, which can lead to even more stress and anxiety. But God can pour His strength into us in any and all circumstances.
“Grace to help in time of need,” Skip said, paraphrasing Hebrews 4:16. “Come boldly before the throne that we might receive mercy and grace to help in time of need, and He gives that grace in that moment.”
Where Lenya was at one time fearful, now she is bold. Hiking through the jungles of Burma or crawling through ISIS tunnels, she’s exchanged a spirit of fear for a spirit of courage while taking the Gospel into places all over the world.
A great example that Lenya shared with Lynch and the Fearless audience is how to run into the roar.
When lions are hunting, it’s the female lions who really take down the prey. The male lion has one job: to roar and scare the prey away, towards the awaiting lionesses.
“The enemy is a roaring lion, seeking whom he will devour,” Lenya said. “But he’s toothless, isn’t he? If you run to the roar, the enemy is not going to be able to get to you because of Christ. I have tried to train myself to run into the roar.”
For Lynch, that’s an example she knows incredibly well.
“My dad always taught us to run to the fire; he set that example,” Lynch said. “I want to encourage those who are listening to run into the fire. To stand for truth.”
Hand over your fear to Christ and follow Him.
