Staying Faithful without Fear
What faith is and is not
- Faith is not a blind belief or mindless gullibility. Faith is not a life of passivity and doing nothing. Faith is not a religious feeling from performing some ritual.
- The word “faith” means a “belief, trust, and commitment of mind and heart to something or someone.”
- Faith is intelligent. That means first you need to know about the something or someone. It is based on information about the object of your faith.
- Faith is decisive. It involves the element of assent or agreement that the information about that someone or something is true.
- Faith requires an act of the will. Any conscious choice that involves trust, reliance, or dependence on someone or something requires a deliberate action to choose to trust the information. It is the difference between walking alongside a pool of water (seeing it is there) and jumping into the water (experiencing the water personally).
- Simply put, faith is a full commitment to Christ. Instead of believing in your own ability to earn God’s favor, you now trust in what Christ has done for you. That’s biblical faith.
- By God’s grace, you are saved through your faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is by your faith alone that you are saved. It is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast of their efforts. Your response is to be one of faith.
- Trust or faith is always an issue of credibility. It is hard to trust God if you don’t know Him. The more you know Him, the easier it is to trust Him. Knowing God’s character plus His promises gives you plenty of reasons to consider Him trustworthy.
God’s plan for your life is simple. Follow His Son. But, you won’t follow someone you don’t trust. You can’t trust someone you don’t know, and you cannot know Christ apart from His Word. (Rebecca Carrell, heartstrongfaith.com)
Fear can keep you from staying faithful to God’s purposes for you.
- The Greek word translated as “fan into flame” literally means to “kindle up, inflame one’s mind.” The word picture is that of blowing on burning embers to invigorate a flame.
- Fear might keep you from using and growing your spiritual gifts, from staying faithful to God’s purposes for you.
“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
Fear is a gift of God.
- Fear is a normal human emotion designed by God to alert us to the presence of danger so that we will take action against it. We are supposed to act on it by either fleeing from the danger or facing it head on. Fear is a gift of God.
- Fear has a dark side as well. When we look at life just with our own eyes, we become fearful, pessimistic, & negative. We think to ourselves, “Nothing’s going to work. I don’t know if I can get through this.” But, when we look at the Bible and see how God helped everyday people like you and I, the Holy Spirit takes the Word of God to strengthen us and give us courage that we didn’t know we had.
- The Bible teaches that we can face life’s realities, face any fearful situation, with courage and peace by entrusting ourselves and our loved ones to a God who loves us dearly.
A process to apply faith to any fear
- Confront it: What fears do you have right now? Think about them. The worst ones, the real ones, and the imaginary ones.
- Ask about each one: What is my worst-case scenario? Consider just one of those fears. What is the worst that could happen? Think realistically.
- Consider this: If the worst I can imagine happens, could I handle it through the presence and power of Jesus Christ? As a believer, you have the power of the One who created the universe living inside of you. Can He help you get through anything? Yes!
- Remember these four truths and speak them to yourself:
- God loves you. John 16:27; Romans 5:5, Ephesians 5:1
- God knows what is going on in your life. Matthew 6:31-32; Psalm 139:1-10
- God can do something about it. Genesis 18:14; Luke 1:37; Mark 10:27
- You can trust His goodness in whatever He chooses to do. Psalm 119:68; Proverbs 3:5
- Pray: Prayer is simply talking to God about anything and everything. Thank the Lord for His presence and His goodness. Ask Him for the courage and peace to ride out the storm.
- Live life securely in Him: Take common sense precautions. Be wise in the world. Trust God to show you what to do and to give you strength when you are weak.
Where there is faith, there is a voice calling, keep walking. You're not alone in this world. Where there is faith, there is a peace like a child sleeping, hope everlasting in He who is able to bear every burden, to heal every hurt in your heart. It is a wonderful, powerful place where there is faith. (“Where There Is Faith,” from the album Simply 4Him)
Let Jesus satisfy your heart with His faithfulness. Then, make the choice to stay faithful to Him for the rest of your life.
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