overcoming fear

Adapted from a conversation with Daniel Eduardo, director of The Message Brazil, on the Follow Forward Podcast.*

Two Kinds of Fear

Sally McRae, in her autobiography Choose Strong, writes that there are two types of fear.
The first is the kind rooted in respect — the kind that keeps us cautious and attentive when navigating something dangerous. Think of teaching a child to cross the road or double-checking equipment before skydiving. This is the kind of fear the Bible refers to as being intertwined with wisdom (e.g., Proverbs 1:7 and many other verses).

But Sally describes a second kind of fear — a fear that paralyses, a fear that “keeps us from living in all the ways that make us unique.”

Daniel and Emily Eduardo had to face this type of fear, the kind that could have stopped them from stepping into God’s call. Instead, they discovered that God often meets us within our fear and leads us forward with surprising peace.

A Legacy of Courage — and the Reality of Fear

Daniel grew up hearing wild, faith-filled stories from his father — stories of persecution, answered prayer, and bold evangelism in Angola. “This is someone who has literally laid his life down,” Daniel recalled, describing how his father once shared the gospel even when threatened with a firing squad. That legacy shaped Daniel deeply:

“That passion for the gospel has been instilled in me since I was a little kid.”

But inheriting a legacy of courage doesn’t automatically eliminate fear. Daniel still had to choose faith repeatedly, especially when he sensed God calling him and his wife Emily to Brazil.

Into the Heart of a Favela

When Daniel first explored the possibility of moving to Brazil, it took him straight into the centre of a Rio favela. “You will see young people with AK-47s,” their host warned. “You might hear gunfire.” Daniel admitted,

“I was thinking, okay… this is very different from what I thought it would be.”

For Emily, who had suffered debilitating night terrors for 27 years, this environment could easily have triggered overwhelming fear. But instead, God moved in a way they never expected.

A Night of Peace That Changed Everything

On their first night in the favela, they heard gunshots and saw armed men exactly as they’d been warned. Yet Emily slept peacefully.

The next morning, Daniel asked how she had slept. Her response surprised him:

“I had the best night’s sleep of my life. I felt like I was sleeping in Jesus’ arms.”

From that night in August 2019, her decades-long night terrors stopped completely. “For us, that was a sign,” Daniel said. “Maybe God is calling us to Brazil.”

Delayed — but Directed by God

When COVID delayed their plans to move in 2020, doubt crept in. “Did I mishear Him?” Daniel wondered. But God used that season to anchor them in Proverbs 16:9:

“A man makes a plan in his heart, but the Lord directs the steps.”

That verse became their lifeline: “If it’s in five years, let it be. If it’s in ten years, let it be,” Daniel recalled. And when the time was right, God opened every door — unmistakably.

Provision Beyond Expectation

A chance conversation led to Emily being offered a teaching job in Rio with a full relocation package. Daniel laughed as he described it:

“It was as if we said to God, we’re willing to eat pot noodles for the rest of our lives. And just as we were about to take a bite, God pulled the curtain back and said, ‘I’ve prepared a whole banquet for you.’”

Today, Daniel leads Message Brazil with that same posture of dependence on God. Whether in schools, in favelas, or through creative mission, he and his team are raising “urban heroes,” young people discovering hope, purpose, and identity in Jesus.

“Just Give It a Go.”

For anyone feeling hesitant or fearful about following God’s call, Daniel offers simple encouragement:

“Just give it a go. If it points to Jesus and glorifies His name, go for it.”

For him, courage is obedience, not bravado, not perfection, but the willingness to follow Jesus into the unknown.

And that is the heartbeat of Follow Forward: We follow Christ and step into God’s purposes — without fear, because He is already there.

As you’ve read Daniel and Emily’s story, it may have caused you to reflect on the positive or paralysing fears you are facing.

Where is fear holding you back from saying “yes” to something God might be calling you toward? What would “giving it a go,” as Daniel says, look like this week?

How has God used delays, disappointments, or unexpected circumstances to redirect your steps — just as He did with Daniel and Emily?

Daniel’s story reminds us that the safest place isn’t necessarily the most comfortable one. As Message Founder and Global CEO, Andy Hawthorne, says, faith can be spelt R-I-S-K. However, when the risks we take are centred on seeking to obey Christ, then this is actually the safest place to be.

To find out more about the Follow Forward podcast, click here.
To listen to Daniel’s interview, choose your preferred platform: YouTube, Apple, or Spotify.