Dying to LiveSample

Dying to Fear - Living by Faith (part 1 of 2) “Fear not!” is the most repeated command in the Bible. In fact, Lloyd Ogilvie in Facing the Future without Fear even said there are 366 “Fear nots” in the Bible, one for every day of the year, including Leap Year! God doesn’t want us to go a single day without hearing His encouragement and word of comfort: “Fear not!” Fear is so suffocating, demoralizing, and anxiety producing. It feels like a quiet death hovering over you. True faith and fear cannot exist in the same space together. But it is a real and constant tension that we must manage. So, what does the Bible say about fear versus faith? Faith is described in Hebrews 11:1 NASB as "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." It is an absolute belief that God is present and 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. When we allow unbelief to gain the upper hand in our thoughts, fear takes hold of our emotions. Our deliverance from fear, worry, and anxiety is based on our faith, which is the very opposite of unbelief. We need to understand that faith is not something that we can produce in and of ourselves. Faith is a 100% free gift from God, but it requires our 100% surrender to receive it. In Galatians 5:22-23, faithfulness is described as a fruit (or characteristic) that is produced in our lives by the Holy Spirit. The Christian’s faith is a confident assurance in a trustworthy God who loves us, knows our thoughts, and cares about our deepest needs. Our faith continues to grow as we study the Bible and learn the attributes of God’s amazing character. Fear has been defined as “false evidence appearing real” but there are also true scenarios that drive our fears, like financial hardships, bad medical reports, broken-heartedness, addictions, loss, etc. As we study the “fear not” passages of the Bible, we can navigate our fears and stand on our faith. The more we learn about God and see Him working in our lives, the stronger our faith grows. Fighting our fears with our faith will be the great antidote to fear ruling our lives. The fear feels so real. Our faith is real. The tension is real. Choose faith! God promises us that we can experience peace in every situation. Philippians 4:7 NKJV says that His peace "surpasses all understanding" and "will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Choose your peace of mind. Choose faith over fear. Ponder: How is the tension between your fears and your faith leading you to more peace of mind? Do you need to die to your fears so that your faith can lead you with truth and peace? Prayer: Lord, help me increase my faith to navigate my fears. Help me to trust You when the outcome is not clear. I want to trust You as You strengthen me and hold me with Your righteous right hand.