Gen 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
There are times you are forced to be bold to act or react to situations without thinking of the dangers. Right after, fear grips your heart when you realize what you just did. Abram heard that his nephew Lot, his family and possessions (Gen 14:12) had been captured by 4 kings. Abram without much thinking took 318 trained servants to a rescue mission. While Abram was not a king or warrior nor his servants, he gained boldness to go after the enemies and gained victory.
“After these thing…“, rescuing Lot, reality kicked in of what he had done to provoke kings. Perhaps he was expecting retaliation, but then God’s timing Word came to him. In one line God gave him one instruction (fear not) and two promises (I am Your shield and Your great reward). Abram’s success in rescue was God’s doing and He would continue to be his shield (defender) and bless him. You can’t control what comes your way (offense) but you can have great defense. Fear wants to paralyze and stop you from going forward. It is a thief of time and progress. God is your defender and reward.