From Fear to Faith

The ways of the world tend to revolve around fear. Even the fear of losing out on something is what inspires the world to work for something. We can’t deny that fear truly is an effective propellant, but that propellant is not what the new-testament believer is called to live in. We are driven by something greater, and propelled by something stronger; the love of God within us. The antidote to fear is faith, and an act of faith is a natural response for the heart moved by love.

Following this line of thinking, if we’re not constantly reminded of the love of God and His ability to overcome, faith won’t be an overflow of our lives. It takes the renewing of our minds to walk in strong and steadfast faith, so don’t be disheartened when you’re met with fear time and time again. You’re building the muscle of Faith, and that’s a worthy venture.

In 1 Kings 19, when Jezebel threatens Elijah, we see an interesting response. Consider this: Elijah had just done wonders in the land. He had proclaimed a drought and then ended it, revived a widow’s dead son, and even brought down fire from Heaven that decimated 450 prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel. These are no ordinary feats. Surely God was with Elijah, and surely Elijah was a man of faith. Evenso, when Jezebel threatened to kill him because of all that he did, his response was to react in fear rather than faith. He ran away into the wilderness and showed clear signs of what we now coin as “clinical depression.” Now imagine, if a man of God with faith enough to raise the dead and bring down fire from heaven can react to a situation in fear instead of faith, how much more susceptible are we?

In a world that constantly plays around with our needs as humans and yanks us into the trap of fear, we must set ourselves on a firm foundation. God beckons us to cast our cares upon Him and take courage in His strength. Crossing over from fear to faith is a series of choices we make to trust in Him, His promises, and His love. The courage we gain in the process is a derivative virtue, derived from our faith in God.

Reflection

In your own life, what is one fear you’d like to overcome this year? Is it having a conversation with a person you’ve lost touch with, a job position that you’ve wanted to go for, or even stepping out to take a course you’ve been looking into? When your response has been even subtle fear, how can you step out in radical faith? Take a moment to ask God what step you can take this week to grow in your walk of faith.