Do not fear, for I am with you
Isaiah 43:5
When we allow sin into our lives, fear sneaks its way in the back door. We fear getting caught, being rejected, the anger of our spouse, future failure, and the possibility that we might have already sinned.
Fear attacks whether we’ve sinned or not. We fear the loss of control and what might happen when God calls us to surrender everything to Him. We fear the pain, anger, and emptiness within. Outside circumstances out of our control can spark terror and the fear of uncertainty.
Some fear the loss of their salvation, and suffer relentless attacks of torment by the enemy.
Fear drives us to make decisions that keep us bound in sin, separated from loved ones and God, and cut off from help. For example, much of our reluctance to expose our struggles to others comes from the fear of rejection. As a result, we corner ourselves in isolation, insuring that lust will continue to run at will in our life.
When fear rules our life, spiritual blindness takes over. Instead of “confessing our sins and receiving the prayers of others that we may be healed” (James 5:16), we hide in the dark. Where God says all of our sins are forgiven by the blood of the cross, we may doubt that our sins are too great for such blessing. When the Lord invites us to draw near to Him, we run away to avoid having our hearts and emotions exposed, or because we’re terrified He will reject us.
Fear cripples our faith. When fear takes over, we doubt God’s promises to provide our needs and refuse to believe that the Lord is powerful, sovereign, loving, and wise enough to take care of us. This has a domino effect. If God is not who He says He is, our Christianity is a house of cards.
If allowed to reign unchecked for too long, fear spawns unbelief with serious consequences. When the children of Israel refused to enter the Promised Land because they feared its current inhabitants, God condemned them for their sin of unbelief (see Hebrews 3) and refused to allow them entrance. Unbelief is dangerous. We cannot continue to reject God’s Word without hardening our hearts (Hebrews 3:15).
When we’ve had enough of fear, God meets us where we are. All we need is the willingness to take a few baby steps of faith.
Faith is not a feeling. It is a raw act of the will to choose to believe what God says no matter what’s going on in our life, or how we feel…
“Father, you said you will never leave me or forsake me, and you promised to provide my needs. In spite of the fact that I just lost my job and we have no money, I will trust you.”
“Lord, my marriage is falling apart. You said to cast our cares on You because you care for us. I’m hurting so bad I can’t see the next step right now, but I’m giving you my pain and asking you to help us.”
In time, as we continue to trust God and do what He says to do in His word, fear is cut down to size and faith blossoms. Confidence builds, our heart softens, and the relationship with the Lord is restored.
It doesn’t take a King Kong sized block of faith to overcome fear, just a seed’s worth. God has said you are His sons and daughters. You are not victims, but blood-bought children of the Living God. You’re given His authority (see Ephesians 1-2) If you don’t understand all of the enormous blessings you’ve been given today, spend time in the first two chapter of Ephesians, and pray the prayer found in verses 15-21:
“For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.”
