One of the biggest ways to conquer fear is to be generous. Okay…maybe generosity won’t conquer your fear of snakes or heights, but it does have an amazing propensity to fight fears of inadequacy, not having enough, not keeping up, and so much more.

In The Generosity Bet (and its predecessor, Stories of the Generous Life), we interviewed 42 people about their life stories and what they have learned about giving along the way. These people ranged from janitors to billionaires, college students to retirees, farmers to Wall Street traders. But one theme common to all of them? They are some of the most fearless people you’ll ever meet.

Generosity does that to you. It weasels out all the little things you hold onto, the things you’re afraid to let go, the fears and little pleasures you’ve nestled away in quiet dark places where you think no one else will find them, so no one else can want them or take them. It makes you confront your heart and realize how often you’ve doubted that God is good and that God will provide when He’s asked you to give.

Generosity pulls your heart into the light. Wide-eyed and blinking and maybe stumbling a little, you begin to uncurl your fingers around the things that once seemed so important—that time, those resources, that influence, that security in your stuff, that appearance of being better than the Joneses, that control.

And as you begin to give away, you begin to discover something else. You begin to see, to truly see people and needs and what it means to be alive and human. And you begin to see God, to see that He’s still vibrantly alive and working and light is spreading and the darkness is fading away.

You find that the more you give away, the more your hands come back full—come back full of joy. And the more you soak your heart in joy, the more your hands can give away, because you don’t need stuff to make you feel good or look okay. Most of all, the more you give away, the less you fear because you don’t have the need to hold on so tight anymore.

So take a step toward fearlessness and toward joy. Be generous.

For more ideas on how to start your generosity journey, pick up a copy of The Generosity Bet today!

There are three main reasons that generosity exposes so many raw nerves.

• Fear. Many times we are afraid of generosity because we fear what we might be asked to give up or give away. And there are so many forms that fear can take—fear of not having enough, fear of loss of security, fear of loss of standard of living, fear of loss of financial freedom, fear of giving up something we desire, etc.

• Guilt. Some of it has to do with our own consciences. We’re secretly afraid that we should be doing more or that God won’t be pleased with us until we reach a certain place of generosity.

• Control. Sometimes we don’t like being told what to do. We don’t want to be told what we can do with our resources. Or, we want to ensure that our money is only spent in ways that we know are worthwhile.

Some of these objections to generosity have roots in good desires. For example, if we fear generosity means we won’t have enough on a rainy day, that fear ultimately comes from the good desire to provide for our families. However, the issue is our fallen nature has twisted those good desires into bonds that control us and tempt us to take matters into our own hands.

When God asks us to be generous, it’s not because He needs our money or resources. He already owns them all. It’s not because if we don’t give, then a ministry won’t be supported. God asks us to give because He loves us and He wants our hearts. Generosity is one of the tools God uses to help our hearts let go. It frees us to love God with a whole and unafraid heart.

In the new The Generosity Bet book, Henry Kaestner shared about how he and his wife felt like they were being generous. At the time, they were “double-tithing,” or giving about 20 percent. However, when a friend challenged him about why he gave, Henry realized how his giving stemmed from thinking that now God must be pleased with him.

Or, in the case of Anne Irwin, a mother and a business owner, when God asked her to start a giving circle to bring other women into generosity, she kept using the excuse that she was just too busy.

However, as both Anne and Henry looked at their motivations and just chose to take the next step into generosity, they began understanding the joy of giving. And through giving their time, resources, and passions, God began freeing their hearts to love Him more.

So, what is your heart holding onto? What next step of generosity might God be calling you to take so you can live free and live without fear?

For more stories like these, and for practical ideas for taking the next step in your generosity journey, order your copy of The Generosity Bet today.

What is God asking me to do?

First and foremost, we should always be asking where God is calling us to give. Be sensitive to those “God nudges” that ask you to notice someone, to give. An older gentleman, one of the most generous people I know, said that when he’s in a position for spontaneous generosity, he’s found he needs to obey those God nudges within 10 seconds, otherwise his more logical brain will talk himself out of it. Of course, this doesn’t mean to give to everything that pulls your emotional strings—instead, it’s about very intentionally and carefully listening for God’s voice. 

And God isn’t always asking you to give money. Sometimes it would be more helpful to give in another way—take someone out to coffee (time), babysit their kids (service), help them set up a budget (talent), repair electrical wiring (skills), lend them your car (resources), introduce them to a friend whose company is hiring (influence), etc.

What if the recipient doesn’t use my gift wisely?

Again, it goes back to listening to God’s voice. If God placed that person on your heart, He has a reason for your gift and you can trust Him with it. After all, we must first remember God’s grace toward us—an undeserved gift. God gave us His Son knowing that we did not deserve it and would so many times not use His gift well. And yet, He gave anyway.

Also, the gift you’re thinking about making is God’s money or God’s resource in the first place. Since God owns it all, your credit cards belong to Him. He’s just given us some of His credit cards to manage for a little while. So, if God asks us to use His credit card to love on one of His people, God will take care of the results.

God sees the whole picture and has a purpose for your gift, even if it appears the recipient did not use the gift well. Maybe the act of giving is for your own heart, for someone else watching, or for the recipient later on down the road. I read a story recently about a woman who didn’t have money for a bus pass, so a gentleman gave her twenty dollars. At the time, she was a raging alcoholic, so she spent the money and got drunk. However, the memory of the gift always stayed with her, and eventually was one of the reasons she is now sober and tries to serve others.

But what about being a good steward? 

There definitely is a balance. God calls us to be good stewards and to use the resources He has given us wisely. Many generous givers will tell you they have developed giving guidelines or have specific types of ministries they believe they are called to support. They typically use the majority of their resources like a spear—to specifically and strategically support a few ministries and causes God has laid on their hearts. Good stewardship does call us to thoughtfully give of our resources.

However, most generous givers will also tell you about the importance of spontaneous or undedicated giving. Spontaneous giving is spur-of-the-moment giving, like when your waitress mentions she’s expecting a baby and her husband just got laid off. Undedicated giving is when you give to your church or a ministry and don’t place any restrictions on where the gift should go.

These two types of giving are what Pastor Rick Warren calls the “good for your heart” giving.  As you listen to God, you’ll find that these kinds of giving are just as important because they help your heart let go of control as you experience the joy of generosity.

In all, generosity is not a set formula. It’s not giving your 10% and assuming God is now pleased with you. It’s not about giving in a certain way or to certain people at the right times. It is a journey and it is about listening to God’s voice along the way.

For more stories on how real people have dealt with these issues on their generosity journeys, purchase “The Generosity Bet” today.