Faith Over FearSample

Day 3

The greatest enemy to our faith is fear. When we are facing difficult circumstances, fear tries to enter our hearts and minds to override our belief in Jesus. Just as light is the opposite of dark, fear is the opposite of faith. 

Mark 5 tells the story of a man named Jairus. He came to Jesus because his daughter was sick. Jesus agreed to go to his house. As they walked, they were interrupted by a woman who dared to reach out and touch the hem of Jesus’ garment. Immediately she was healed. Jairus had to be excited watching this miracle unfold. Jesus was on the way to his house, so surely his daughter would also be healed! Just then, someone came to Jairus and told him the devasting news that his daughter was dead. Jesus immediately said, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” Jesus knew that Jairus needed to maintain a level of faith, and he couldn’t allow fear in. 

Fear tries to make us believe something different than what God says. If someone was standing in a dark room and lit a match, the light would overcome the darkness. As the smallest sliver of light dispels darkness, the smallest sliver of faith dispels fear. Psalm 56 tells us when we are afraid to put our trust, or faith, in God. We can believe that He is bigger than anything that is happening around us. 

If we look at everything going on in the world today, it can be easy to allow fear, anxiety, or worry to govern how we feel. Instead, we have let our belief in God guide our feelings. We have to look to the promises in the Word of God in order to increase our faith in His ability to help us overcome.

Philippians 4 gives us the key to overcoming fear, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all he has done.” This may seem so simple, and truthfully it is. When we are faced with the opportunity to worry, instead we can cast our care upon the Lord, thanking Him for meeting our needs. By thanking God in advance for being true to His Word, we are exercising our faith. The byproduct of making this a regular habit is that God’s peace then takes up residence in our minds, which quiets our fears, calms our hearts, and strengthens our beliefs.