God’s original design for woman was so much more than a simple helper. She was meant to be a warrior princess.

That’s the premise of Tracey Mitchell’s new book Becoming Brave: How to Think Big, Dream Wildly, and Live Fear-Free. Tracey, an author, public speaker and host of television show Life From DFW, told The Stream that for God, woman wasn’t an afterthought. “I think that when we look at our original design for our [sex], it is important to know that the word ‘helper’ is not some side-tag item or postscript at the end of humanity. God was really saying, ‘I am making you so much in my image.'” 

Tracey wrote Becoming Brave to encourage women to “think big, dream wildly and live fear-free.” She had no way of knowing that she would be tested on her own bravery within days of agreeing to write the book. “We had five tragedies in 28 days,” said Tracey. The tragedies included a debilitating accident for her husband and a murder. “It was a very dramatic season. Just all of these unimaginable things.”

The experiences made her think about her own bravery. “So, I actually had to make this journey as I was writing this book.” Her journey has led her to want to help other women learn how to step into their “royal assignments” as brave warrior princesses.

The Tactics the Enemy Uses

Because God made women in His image, the enemy seeks to come after their strengths. “[He] comes after our courage. He comes after the rescuer part of us, the brave part of us — the things that God uniquely designed. … And if he can’t destroy us through his own words, he’ll use our words against us to destroy ourselves.”

One tactic the enemy uses to steal courage is betrayal. “The question is not whether we’ll have a side-swipe or two with betrayal, but will we allow these encounters with betrayal to cheat us out of our purpose? Ultimately, that is the purpose of betrayal, to cheat us out of our purpose. … The enemy will use betrayal to get our focus off what God wants to give us. Then our focus becomes on what others are trying to take from us.” Women must decide what they will do with betrayal. They must determine not to let it derail their God-given dreams:

Every dream will be threatened by a season of frustration. But will we allow that frustration to determine what becomes of our dreams? It’s retraining the mind to say, ‘okay, betrayal will come, frustration will come, negative things will come. Storms will come. But will I make these things my best friend, my personal conductor? Will I lock arms with these things and allow them to help me go in a direction that I need to go?

Self-Defeating Behavior

Many women struggle with identity, Tracey points out. “So many women [think] ‘if I can be busy doing, if I can get the degree, if I can land the job, then I can be all those other things.’ God says, ‘No, you [must] have a pulse on your identity first, knowing how you’re wired, knowing how you’re designed, then move into the purposes I have for you.’  If we don’t know who we are, then how will we ever know what we are to do?” 

One way to combat self-defeating behavior is to take every thought captive. Women need to take “authority over every toxic thought that we have.” Tracey says women should ask, “Is this true?” “Is this realistic?” “Do I have the right perspective on this issue?” “Am I believing the lies of the enemy?” or “Is this lining up with what God is saying concerning my life?”

Women can cultivate a victorious life by taking it one step at a time, said Tracey. “A step can be as simple as rediscovering our voice or dreams. It can be as daring enough to move forward into the next chapter of their lives when this present chapter looks like it’s unrecoverable. How do you find the courage to move forward into something that’s very positive when your life’s a train wreck at this moment?” It’s about confronting uncomfortable situations and releasing toxic emotions that can cloud our thinking. Releasing those is half the equation.

Thinking Big and Dreaming Wildly

The world says women should be fear free. Then they will have permission to think big and dream wildly. Tracey said that’s not the case. “If we’re waiting on all of our fear to dissolve we will never think big or dream wildly. I woke up one day and I thought, ‘Today I’m just going to think big. Tonight I’m just going to dream wildly.’  By waking up and doing those two things every day, I found that my fear began to dissolve.”

Tracey says women shouldn’t allow fear to keep them from thinking big and dreaming wildly. “Begin to think big today, right where you are, in the middle of your mess, in the middle of your shame, in the middle of your mistakes, in the middle of your storms, begin to think big. Allow God to give you exaggerated dreams. … Believe in that exaggerated, wild dream, and in the process, watch your fear dissolve.”

Nancy Flory is an Associate Editor at The Stream. You can follow her @NancyFlory3, and follow The Stream @Streamdotorg.