Faith vs Fear
What is currently fueling your life? Is it faith or fear?
Even if you’re not a believer, I can say with assurance that you live by faith to some degree:
- You probably have faith that on a two way street the car driving on the opposite side will not veer into your lane.
- You have faith that when you sit down the chair will hold up underneath you.
But what is faith on a spiritual level? Hebrews 11:1 says:
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
It can be challenging for me when I don’t know what the future holds. I like to set my goals and then work to make them happen.
But sometimes life has problems and challenges that I didn’t count on. It might be an uncertain economy, poor job and real estate market. Some problems may be directly or indirectly caused by unwise decisions or even sin.
So what do I do? I confess and turn away from that sin. Even if I wasn’t the cause of the problem, my sin may be the sin of bitterness and unforgiveness towards another. So again, I must confess and turn from that sin. I am forgiven but there may still be long term consequences.
Fear can be a strong human emotion when dealing with problems.
Not all fear is bad. There can be a very healthy fear that alerts me to possible harm.
But when I begin to dwell so much on the ‘what if’s’ in life, fear and anxiety can take over. And that leaves …no room for faith.
There are certain promises in the Bible that we can literally take to the bank. No pun intended. 🙂
In Hebrews 13:5 God has promised “…never will I leave you; never will I forsake you”.
Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus”.
So even though I may be encountering challenges and difficulties in my life, I know by faith that His promises are true. But I must remember that the Scripture doesn’t say “my God will meet all my wants”. After all, only He knows what’s best for me and He has a purpose …even in the midst of suffering.
So, how are we to live our lives? If you are a born again believer and follower of Jesus Christ, you are deemed righteous. Jesus’ blood covered your sins. Jesus paid the penalty for your sins. We are to live by faith, believing God’s promises are true.
I recently read a blog post entitled “Praying in the Haystack“. It was written by Sonja of bits and pieces… . She shared something her father had learned about prayer. A lay ministerhad taught him to …plead the promises of God.
But it takes faith to take God at His Word. Do you really believe His promises are true?
May I challenge you to step out in faith?
No matter what’s going on during this season of your life, will you trust God?
Thank Him in advance for His answer. It will come in His perfect timing and His perfect way even if it’s not what you expected.
Determine to live by faith and not by fear.
Blessings and love,
Yes, I will forever trust Him.
AMEN! Living by faith and trusting Him at His word keeps taking on a whole new meaning in my life every single day!
Love and blessings Debbie!
Jill
It is God’s promises and His great love that keep me going, and even though initially when I go through a trial I am thrown off, His promises come back to me and I trust Him completely, clinging to Him like a lifeboat for safety and thanking Him to get me to the other side of the trial.
Thank you, Debbie, for sharing this great lesson with us!
Laurie
That’s one of my biggest struggles too Debbie… fear vs. faith. I loved what you said here. I especially like ‘my God will supply all your wants’… that of course is what we think we want as the result of our prayers. Submitting by faith to what HE wants is always where the ‘rubber meets the road!’…:)
Loved this sister, and so would my dad!
Hugs!
Sonja
Wonderful, encouraging words! I am reminded of something I used to do but have gotten away from. It is simply praying God’s word. It is incredible what it does to the spirit just to simply read those words aloud. It is true and powerful – and a wonderful antidote to fear.
A good reminder for me, Debbie. Lately, it seems, I have been having some trouble in the fear area. When I let go and give my fears to HIm, it’s amazing the peace I feel.
Thank you.
I didn’t always trust God the way I do now, but over the years, I have learned that the statement in your post is absolutely true:
“(His answer)…It will come in His perfect timing and His perfect way even if it’s not what you expected.”
The unexpected answers make me smile, for God knows me better than I know myself! What a comfort that is! (Also, what a relief that I don’t have to figure it all out!!) He knows what is best for me in all things.
Thank you for your encouragement and challenge to all of us. When we trust God no matter what happens, we will be living in freedom from fear with the blessing of peace in our souls.
Living for Him, Joan
Amen, Debbie! Just what I needed to be reminded of today….
Your encouragement and inspiration were a real gift to me today. I love how God uses His children to do that for each other. Thank you for this beautifully written post.
I know fear doesn’t come from God and what I love about Him is even if my consequences from sin enter in, He is faithful to direct me in repentance and keep me moving on the right path. Praying the scripture promises are powerful! Thank you for your powerful intercession for me and my family, Debbie!
I love this cartoon! I can relate.
Love,
Mary
Oh Debbie, You have no idea how perfect the timing was on this post. Praise God! I’ll have to email you.
(And I have “Peace” for my anti spam word for the second time tonight!)
Love ya,
Bethany
Faith vs Fear… Sometimes it’s a daily struggle. Thanks for your encouraging word today.
Ha – wouldn’t you know it, my ‘spam word’ tonight is hope 🙂
You know I was thinking about God’s promises this morning as I was driving to work. Others can strip away many things, but one no one can take from me – His promises and His Word.
Thank you so much for sharing from your heart…It too live by faith and unhealthy fear will not intimidate me!