Faith and fear cannot exist together. Faith is described in
Hebrews 11:1 as being "certain of what we do not see." It is an
absolute belief that God is constantly working behind the scenes in every area
of our lives, even when there is no tangible evidence to support that fact. On
the other hand, fear, simply stated, is unbelief or weak belief. As unbelief
gains the upper hand in our thoughts, fear takes hold of our emotions. Our
deliverance from fear and worry is based on faith, which is the very opposite of
unbelief.
We need to understand that faith is not something that we can
produce in ourselves. Faith is a gift, (Ephesians 2:8-9) and is described as a
fruit (or characteristic) which is produced in our lives by the Holy Spirit
(Galatians 5:22). The Christian's faith is a confident assurance in a God who
loves us, who knows our thoughts and cares about our deepest needs. That faith
continues to grow as we study the Bible and learn the attributes of His amazing
character. The more we learn about God, the more we can see Him working in our
lives and the stronger our faith grows.
A growing faith is what we desire to have and what God
desires to produce in us. But how, in day-to-day life, can we develop a faith
that conquers our fears? The Bible says, "Faith comes by hearing, and
hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17). The careful study of God's
Word is of primary importance in developing a strong faith. God wants us to
know Him and completely rely on His direction in our lives. It's through the
hearing, reading and meditation in the Scriptures that we begin to experience a
strong confident faith that excludes worry and fear.
Spending time in prayer and quiet worship develops a
relationship with our heavenly Father that sees us through even the darkest of nights.
In the Psalms we see a picture of David, who, like us, experienced times of
fear. Psalm 56:3 reveals his faith with these words, "When I am afraid, I
will trust in you." Psalm 119 is filled with verses expressing the way in
which David treasured God's Word: "I seek you with all my heart" (v.
10); "I meditate on your precepts" (v. 15); "I have hidden your
word in my heart" (v. 11). These are revealing words which speak wisdom to
us today.
God is kind and understanding toward our weaknesses, but He
requires us to go forward in faith, and the Bible is clear that faith does not
mature and strengthen without trials. Adversity is God's most effective tool to
develop a strong faith. That pattern is evident in Scripture. God takes each
one of us through fearful situations, and as we learn to obey God's Word and to
allow it to saturate our thoughts, we find each trial becomes a stepping stone
to a stronger and deeper faith. It gives us that ability to say, "He
sustained me in the past, He'll carry me through today and He'll uphold me in
the future!" God worked this way in David's life.
When David volunteered to fight against Goliath, he spoke
these words, "The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the
paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine" (1Samuel
17:37). David knew the God who had sustained him through dangerous situations
in the past. He had seen and experienced God's power and protection in his life
and this developed within him a fearless faith.
The Word of God is rich with promises for us to take hold of
and claim for ourselves. When we face financial trouble, Philippians 4:19 tells
us "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory
in Christ Jesus." If we are anxious about a future decision, Psalm 32:8
reminds us that God will "instruct you and teach you in the way you should
go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you." In sickness we can remember
that Romans 5:3 says "Tribulation works patience."
If someone turns against us, we can be comforted by the words
in Romans 8:31, "If God is for us who can be against us!" Throughout
life we will continue to face various trials that would cause us fear, but God
assures us that we can know a calm peace through every situation, "the peace
of God, which transcends all understanding” which He has promised will “guard
your hearts and your minds in Christ” (Philippians 4:7)
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