Let me ask you a question today. Do you feel safe? Do you feel like your children are safe? Everywhere you look, the news is selling you tragedy after tragedy.

Just over a week ago 34-year-old Ivan Lopez opened fire on the Fort Hood military base and killed 3 soldiers and wounded 16. Several weeks ago, NBC News reported about a 2-year-old boy injured while playing on a public playground. Someone had glued razor blades to the monkey bars, fire pole, rock-climbing wall, and at the bottom of the slide.

Let alone the stories of school shootings, terrorist attacks and movie theater shootings. It really makes you think, why is all this happening? What is going on in the world today? All of these stories are really, truly, alarming and tragic.

A Fox News national poll found almost 40% of Americans feel less safe today than before 9/11. I’m not trying to scare you today, in fact quite the opposite. We live in a brutal world and it is hard to know where you are truly safe. Instead, I’d like to steer you toward finding a way to navigate the harsh reality in which we live.

Because here is the deal, no matter how many “safety measures” are in place, there will always be stories like this the ones I mentioned. There is still a chance people will get hurt or killed. In our world today, 98% of the population believe they need someone ELSE to keep them safe.

Whether it’s your spouse, the safety of your job, the government… do you want to be one of those relying on other people and programs?

In my mind, I see the sometimes-excessive safety measures and let’s be honest, it doesn’t spread the idea you are safe… it spreads fear. And a fearful population is easy to control. If you believe you need someone else to keep your income safe, your physical health safe, it is that much easier for other people to take control of you!

There is a difference between perceived safety and actual safety. An example of perceived safety: The TSA was created to keep travelers safe. But does it make you feel safe? It almost seems like it actually creates fear, which is the opposite of what it was meant for: your safety and security. And why? Fearful people are easy to control.

I’ve often said that we so quickly and easily trade our freedom for security. Does the pursuit of “safety” prevent us from taking risks? (Click here to share that quote on Twitter) How do you find a balance between safety and taking healthy risks?

Are you willing to trade in “safety” for your freedom? Look at your life today, are you settling into a “safe” life instead of taking risks and trying to improve yourself? I don’t just mean risking your physical well being, by the way. I mean risking income, job security or maybe even your savings, to go after your dreams. Only you can decide for yourself where the risk is too high.

I hope today’s message motivates you to be unafraid! There are risks EVERYWHERE, and no one can keep you safe or completely immune to all of them. Leave me your comments and don’t forget to Like and Share this message.

What are you doing for lunch? Be sure to join us this afternoon for The Dani Johnson Show at 12 pm ET/11 am CT.

In great faith,

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