Having Faith Over Fear
You’ve probably heard the saying, “Faith Over Fear.” But what does this mean? One thing I like to say is that faith isn’t a feeling. It’s a belief in what we can’t yet see. As the Bible says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1, KJV). So of course having faith is challenging because you’re hoping for what you can’t yet see, but it helps build your relationship with God. I believe that sometimes we think being scared makes us weak or makes us feel like we lack belief. But really, it’s something we have the power to overcome in life.
The problem with being scared is letting it stop you from being obedient to God. God didn’t give us the spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). Fear will creep in sometimes, but don’t let that hinder you from being obedient. That’s when trouble strikes. Cast down those thoughts in the name of Jesus!
Let me give you an example. I was scared to start my blog. I’d never done anything like it before. I’d never created my own website or ever thought I would. But God! And I wasn’t about to think my way out of a gift I know God has given me over fear. I had to cast down those negative thoughts. After all, your gifts are not just for you. They’re for others too. So, I wasn’t going to allow fear to stop me from God’s will for my life. God said that we have the power to overcome all the schemes of the enemy (Luke 10:19). And I trust Him at His word. And you should too.
Let’s talk about Moses for example. God had Moses on assignment to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt. Do you think Moses was afraid? Absolutely! He didn’t feel worthy of such a huge assignment. He didn't even know how he was going to do it. But he humbled himself to ask God who he was to do such a thing (Exodus 3:11). But how many know that when you humble yourself before God, He will exalt you? (James 4:10). And the Lord said that He would be with Moses. He didn’t tell Moses to believe in himself. Because there’s a limit to what we can do alone. But believing in God and what He can do takes us places we’d never imagined!
Not to mention, Moses had a speech impediment, so he really didn't think he was fit to speak on behalf of God to get the Israelites out of Egypt. God knew Moses was afraid and he knew his weaknesses before he assigned him a task like this. He knew this assignment was bigger than Moses. Moses had to rely on God to get it done. I learned that God will call you to do something bigger than yourself so that you’d lean on Him for help. I believe He wants to show you your strength in Him.
God has created us to be victorious. Even after we’ve sinned and with our weaknesses, He still allows us to conquer. But we can’t just wait until we’re not afraid anymore to be obedient. If we do, chances are it’ll never happen and we’ll be stuck and stagnant. Here’s what helps me push past the spirit of fear:
Does it align with God’s Word? God will never tell you to do something that doesn’t align with His Word.
Cast down those negative thoughts with scripture. Jesus cast down every negative thing the enemy tried to tempt him with in the wilderness. He did it with scripture. (Matthew 4: 1-11)
Did God give you peace about it? He is peace so you’ll have that reassurance that it’s from Him. Pray on it and He’ll reveal it to you.
Once you’ve gotten that peace, JUST DO IT! You WON’T have all the answers and steps. And that’s okay. Faith is trusting God even when you don’t know all the steps. You have that peace to start and that’s what matters. Trust God to order your steps in His word. And He’ll do just that.
You may be sitting on a thought, idea, vision, or even conversation that you need to put into action. We tend to sit on amazing gifts because of fear. Maybe caring too much about people’s opinions, feeling that you’re not ready, or just the unknown can scare us. But your faith can inspire people to step out that are dealing with the same thing. Faith should be the way we live our lives as believers. It’s not easy, but it’s so worth it. Think about a time that God pulled you out or through a situation you had no idea how you’d overcome. If He did it once, don’t you know He’d do it again?