He told me that when I hit the ball close to the net, which gives my opponent the opportunity to slam the ball back at me, I consistently cower and run off the side of the court. What I should do instead is move backward in a way that allows me to receive and return the ball if it comes back at me.

I told him I couldn't help it, it's my natural response because I'm afraid of getting hit. He said, "I understand, but you can retrain the way you handle the fear and put yourself in a better position to respond."

My fear of getting hit by the ball weakens my tennis game. Do you have a response to fear that puts you in a position of weakness instead of strength in any part of your life?

We have all heard the acronym for FEAR as False Evidence Appearing Real. This plays out in the Bible time and time again. One example that comes to mind is when Peter walked on the water with Jesus right in front of him. The Bible tells us that Peter "sees the wind," became afraid, and began to sink.

Many of us have the same natural response to fear that I do when I'm playing tennis: We cower and run.

God promised the Israelites the wonderful land of Canaan flowing with milk and honey, but they were ready to die in the wilderness paralyzed by fear when they saw the size of the Canaanites. They chose to cower to false evidence appearing real instead of fully trusting in God's promise and taking ownership of what was promised to them.

In today's challenging business climate, we have a lot of things to fear. But when you feel the impulse to cower and run, or to be paralyzed into inaction, don't give in to it! Retrain yourself so you handle fear differently.

Fear is a real human response that we all experience. How you channel that fear will determine your ability to rise above it and be victorious. Like me on the tennis court, when you're afraid you're going to get hit by a ball, you can choose a different response.

Instead of cowering in fear, practice a new response when you feel afraid. God will do for you what He did for Peter.

Trust in the promises God gave you and walk forward in faith and strength. Friends, our Daddy created the Universe!

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Blessings on this Juneteenth. Let us all remember the importance of freedom for all,

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