How to Stop Fear with God’s Faithfulness
I love writing devotions designed to be read and discussed with your children. You can equip your children to fight fear with God’s faithfulness. I wrote this one for True Girl, a ministry of Dannah Gresh. Stick around to the end of the devotion and learn more about my faith-filled online martial arts at The Great Flip!
The LORD is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid?
{ Psalm 27:1 }
What do you do when you are afraid? If it’s dark, you turn on a light. But what if you’re still afraid? What if your fear is something inside and you can’t figure out how to make it go away?
David, the person who wrote this Psalm feared for his life. Bad people were chasing him. He didn’t know what to do. He tried running and hiding, but he was still afraid. Soon his own thoughts made him feel more afraid.
When you don’t know what to do, you can reduce fear and remember what God has done for you. David began to recall God’s faithfulness. He remembered God’s light and salvation. Then he remembered God’s strength. “The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?”
Sometimes fear is real and it must be addressed. But something fear is caused by lies we believe. Shine the bright light of God’s truth to illuminate fear and create faith. His Word works! Read it and receive faith to fight fear. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17
ACTION POINT: What makes you feel fearful? Shine God’s word on that fear and replace it with his faithful promises. Write Psalm 27:1 on a post-it note or in a journal. Memorize the Bible verse and put it in a place you can read when you feel afraid.
JODY TOKEN is the coach and creator of The Great Flip, faith-filled online martial arts for ages six and up. Request a free video at www.thegreatflip.com. This devotion was written for True Girl, a ministry of Dannah Gresh.
Want another Faith Over Fear Devotion?
Click here to read “Keep Calm and Keep the Faith.”
Four Tips for Empowering Homeschool Martial Arts
The martial arts will accomplish the health-based and skills-based goals of your physical education requirements in your homeschool. 
Physical education, aka PE, should be an important part of your homeschool routine. Giving your children physical activity of any kind will create a positive attitude toward fitness. This will cause them to value their health. Regular exercise reduces chronic disease and many health problems related to lack of exercise. Physical movement will improve cognitive function which promotes learning in other areas.
PE gives your child a place to explore skill-based activities such as team and individual sports. They will learn sportsmanship and competition while improving their social skills.
But the martial arts check every PE box plus some. Not only does it create positive health and exercise benefits, but it adds strong character development skills such as self-defense, safety awareness, and overall self-confidence. This confidence spills over into all aspects of life, for a lifetime.
Before you jump in the car and head down to your local martial arts academy, you can teach a homeschool martial arts class. Here are four tips to consider:
Choose a Martial Art
Not all martial arts are created equal. If you want a martial art that addresses self-defense, I recommend Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Bjj is a “grappling sport” which means there is a lot of ground movement, much like wrestling. 
The overall strategy of Bjj is to control your opponent. It focuses on skills to take an opponent to the ground, controlling one’s opponent, and using a number of techniques to force them into submission.
Studies show that 95 percent of street fights end on the ground. The techniques learned in Bjj enable participants to escape, attack, or get into a more dominant position.
Bjj is also a martial art designed for a smaller, weaker practitioner to subdue much larger and stronger opponents. Participants use techniques and leveraging skills instead of relying on brute force. All martial arts provide confidence and courage, but only Bjj connects the sport to self-defense in a way that everyone, of all ages, can learn.
Create a Martial Arts Class at Home 
You don’t need a large amount of space to train at home, but to protect the lamp and china, you might want to create a training/fitness space. I purchased interlocking mats. You can also find inexpensive three-fold gymnastic mats. If you want to get fancy and go all out, you can purchase professional BJJ mats. I spent $40 on two sets of interlocking mats. I have a basement/lower level in my house for my exercise space. Some people use their garage or a spare bedroom. Many homeschool families get together in their co-op and/or church to purchase mats and find a communal space to train together.
Here’s a glimpse of my little training space at home.
Here’s an introduction to a homeschool martial arts class structure.
Get a Training Partner
You can begin with a few “no-contact” movements and warm-ups, but in order to get the most benefit from the experience, you need a training buddy. Learning a martial art with your child can be a fun and rewarding experience. Inviting your child’s best friend and a group of friends enhances the experience.
Bjj is referred to as the gentle martial art. You and your child can simulate real techniques in real time with a low risk of injury. Of course, there’s always some risk, but Bjj lends itself to learning real self-defense skills with low risks. My instructional videos focus on escaping, controlling, and submitting techniques inspired by BJJ movements. My teaching style is fun, playful, and empowering for everyone. Click here to request a free video.
Subscribe to a Professional Online Martial Arts Resource
I created an easy-to-follow online martial arts resource called The Great Flip. No experience is required. No high-cost uniforms or belts are needed to participate. Simply download the lesson plans, watch the videos, and train. Everything you need to run a martial arts class is at The Great Flip.
My daughters inspired me to develop an online martial arts experience. After seven years of training BJJ and earning my purple belt, I took a leap of faith to bring martial arts to everyone with an online learning platform. My daughters appreciated the opportunity to train at home and feel empowered. Children as young as first grade through high school can benefit from my introductory approach. Make your homeschool PE class fun and functional for everyone in the whole family.
More About the Author:
Jody Token is the creator and coach of The Great Flip, faith-filled online martial arts. Request a free video at www.thegreatflip.com.
Click here to choose an online martial arts plan
“He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:29-31 
