Fear is a great motivator. It can actually save your life. If you are standing on the side of the road and all of a sudden hear a loud horn and screeching brakes, you immediately jump out of the way and avoid being hit by a car. You can be walking on a trail in the mountains, and when you hear a certain swift noise, you know there is a rattlesnake nearby. Fear is not bad. In a perfect world, fear would be strange. But on planet earth, it is a great motivator. But there is a motivator that is more powerful and productive than fear. It is faith. Faith is greater than fear for several reasons. Fear and faith are both about belief. But fear is a negative belief, while faith comes from a positive place. Here are some ways to understand the differences between fear and faith... Fear is a belief that something bad is about to happen. Faith is a belief that something good is already happening and will at some point come to full fruition. Fear can cause you to get out of the way of something bad. But faith will cause you to get in the way of something good. Fear is reactive. Faith is proactive. Fear is the harvest. Faith is a seed. Fear paralyzes. Faith produces. Fear looks at reality assuming the worst. Faith looks at reality affirming the best. Fear replaces hope. Faith reinforces confidence. Fear is discouraged by God. Faith is honored by God. Fear destroys people and families. Faith secures people and is a great heritage to pass down through families. The Bible talks a lot about fear and faith. Depending on your translation, a form of the word fear is found around 340 times. A form of the word faith is found 540 times. Sometimes the word fear is used in the context of fearing the Lord... which is the only acceptable form of fear... actually more of an awe and ultimate respect. Here are some things God has to say about those who live by faith... My righteous one will live by faith; and if he draws back, I have no pleasure in him. But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and obtain life. Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. For our ancestors won God’s approval by it. (Hebrews 10:36-11:1) Fear and faith are both powerful. They are both beliefs in things that are not seen. Every time you come to a dark place, you can fear it, or you can faith it. You have the choice to move forward in either one. God never approves of fear. He always approves of solid faith. There is absolutely no benefit in believing that horrible things are going to happen, but great blessing in believing that God is up to something in your life. I'm not saying we should live without concern. But our concern should result in a life of believing God for the best, and not instantly thinking the worst is going to happen. If you are a Christian, faith comes in your package. Just use it. Exercise it. Recognize the result. Then build on that the next time you come to that scary place. You cannot live in fear. You can only die in fear. You can die in faith... or rather for your faith. Many have. But on the other side of dying in faith is living forever... which is what our faith is for anyway. Today, choose to believe the promises of God. Do not fear. God is with you, and He is not afraid. [Bible quotes are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, unless otherwise noted.] Find more of David’s work at Heart Of Ministry. Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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AuthorMy name is David, and I want to know God more, and help other people find Him. Archives
March 2019
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