Faith and Fear.

Hebrews 11vs 1(NIV):

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

When you hear the word “Faith,” what do you think? What comes to mind?

Do you think of faith as a religion or absolute trust in God?

What does the word of God teach us about Faith?

What is Faith?

As seen in Hebrews 11;1(NIV), faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.  In essence, Faith is trust; it is the absolute belief in God that no matter your situation, God is in control.

Why do you need Faith?

Hebrews 11; 6(NIV), And without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

It is very straightforward: you cannot have faith in what you do not believe. Faith is absolutely impossible without belief. How can you expect something from a God you do not believe? 

Belief has nothing to do with evidence or seeing. It has everything to do with our hearts. The Bible says in Romans 10,10 (NLT), “For it is by Believing in your heart that you are made right with God”.

Therefore, how can you be made right with God without faith? How can you live in this world filled with turmoil, violence, and strife without Faith when the word of God clearly says, “Now the just (righteous) shall live by faith” (Hebrews 10,38 KJV).

 The modal verb Shall is a strong assertion used for future tense; it means you must do something.  You cannot be a Christian without faith. 

It is your shield(Protection); can a soldier go to war without his shield? 

Therefore, you cannot be a Christian without your shield. We are also soldiers in the army of Christ, with God our Jehovah Sabaoth (The lord of host).

You fight a spiritual battle every day. Our war is in the supernatural; Ephesians 6,12(NIV) says: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Dear child of God, how do you plan on defeating the devil without God? 

How can you be right with God without Faith? 

And how can you have faith without believing!!

What is Fear?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary states, “ Fear is an unpleasant, often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger.”

Everyone on earth has experienced and is still experiencing fear. At this moment of writing this article, we have an ongoing war with Ukraine and Russia, and 11 days ago, the battle between Israel and Hamas started.

People live in fear of death, disease, poverty, and everything you can think of.

Why do you fear?

According to the definition above, Fear is a strong emotion triggered by your anticipation of a situation and your awareness of perceived danger.

You have an expectation you anticipate in whatever situation you find yourself in, and whenever, your anticipation doesn’t match your expectations, Fear comes in.

You are distressed, and you feel out of control. This is purely a human reaction; there is nothing terrible about it.

Whenever you feel a perceived danger, Fear is triggered. Your desperation creates fear.

How Does the Devil Come In?

 Guess what? Every time you experience fear, the devil is pleased. He focuses on your fear and keeps expanding it until you are paralyzed by it.

The devil bombards you with negative thoughts about your situation until you find yourself in the abyss of hopelessness and can’t crawl out.

You find yourself depressed, the joy of living sucked out of you, and the devil will have you where he wants you Destroyed through your own mind.

What did God say about Fear?

You cannot avoid fear. You will constantly be confronted with Fear. However, you can refuse to be overwhelmed by it. You can take control of your emotions back from the devil. 

The next question is, How? Through the word of God, every time you feel fear, remind yourself what God has said about it.

2 Timothy1,7 (KJV)“ For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love and of sound mind.”

1 John 4,18 (KJV) “ There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love.

Proverbs 29,25 (NIV) “  Fear of man will prove to be a snare but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe”

Joshua 1,9 (KJV)” Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go”

Psalm 34,4 (KJV)” I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears”

Isaiah 41,10 (KJV)” So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Faith Conquers Fear

Last Sunday, my pastor spoke on fear, and what struck me the most was this question? How do you respond to fear?

Do you let your fear overwhelm you like the devil wants? Or Do you let your fear push you into the arms of God?

And this is where your faith manifests itself.

Proverbs 29;25 says, “  Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.”  The action word here is Trust, not trust in yourself, which is totally useless; not trust in others, humans will fail you. 

But trust in the lord who created you, the universe, and everything in it. The Lord who knew you before you were formed in your mother’s womb Jeremiah 1;5 That is the Lord you should trust. 

And how can you trust in the Lord without Faith? It is impossible to please God without faith Hebrews 11;6.

Dear child of God, trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will direct your path. Proverbs 3;5-6. 

To trust in the lord is to have faith in him; God cannot lead you if you do not follow.

God cannot give you peace and deliver you from the snare of Fear if you don’t obey his command.

According to Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke, Faith is the link to God’s Power. It is the conduction you need to bring heaven down.

Faith brings us into perfect love with God, and there is no fear in love. If GOD is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8;31. What do we have to fear?

What Next

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” Romans 8;1. 

The devil cannot condemn you with fear if you don’t allow him to. 

All power was taken away from the devil when Christ died for us. 

Dear Child of God, God is forever faithful and all-powerful, and those who put their faith in him will have peace and rest. 

He is still the same God of Abraham, he is not a past tense God, and his power transcends through time. And he is ready and willing to take away your fear.

The question is now, what do you choose?

Do you want to keep wallowing in your fear? Or do you want to rest in the arms of God, the father of lights, where there is no variation or shadow of turning!!

Choose right today!

Choose God!

And be transformed!!

Shalom!!