Message to the Overcomer: Faith and Fear

Faith and Fear

“The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: What can man do unto me?” Psalms 118:6

Fear is very debilitating. With fear comes torment. (I John 4:18) Have you ever been so afraid that you could not move? Or have you been so afraid that you began to make a list of the things that could go wrong? Fear has a way of stifling creativity. It has a way of stopping progress. Fear has the power to change lives, and not for the better.

Society has classified fear, and given it a name. That name is phobia, the fear of. There is the fear of flying; the fear of crowds. Then there is the fear of failure, which seems to be a contradiction in itself. If you never try to succeed, then you have already failed.

The bible mentions many kinds of fear. There is the fear of death (Genesis 21:17; Hebrews 2:15); Fear of danger (Exodus 14:13); Fear of nothing (imaginative fear) Psalms 53:5; Fear of war (Psalms 27:3); Fear of evil (Psalms 23:4; Proverbs 1:33); Fear of dreams (Job 4:14-16).

So, you see fear is not new. The enemy still uses fear to stop the child of God from being all that he or she can be for God. It is time to rise up and overcome the giant of fear, it is time to possess the land that God has given you. It is time to destroy that roadblock to your success. The time has come to exchange that fear for some faith.

Faith is the opposite of fear. When fear grips your heart, it is a sure sign that you need faith to take over. No matter the situation, faith is the answer to fear. Trust in God is what you need when the fear of flying faces you. Trust in God’s ability is what you need when the fear of failure is staring at you.

I remember an incident where I was forced to reconcile within myself the scripture that says, “fear has torment”. I started living in a house that had not been lived in for awhile. It was in pretty bad shape. There were holes in the ceilings, the walls, and the house had mice. I planned on fixing it up, and in order to do so I moved in. In the room where I slept, a big hole was in the ceiling. It was on the opposite wall as my bed and the common wall of the kitchen. Well, one night I was in the kitchen, which had several big holes in the wall and ceiling. I was frightened when a huge rat jumped from the wall up into the ceiling. Yes, it was huge with very long tail. I thought, “that is no mouse”. It turned out to be a field rat from the grassy area that was behind the house. Needless to say, I could not sleep. All I could think about was the hole in the ceiling, in the room where I was to sleep. Torment filled my soul. Every sound, every movement, any little noise had me on edge. I was like that for several nights. Finally, the Lord spoke to my heart and said, “Fear has torment”. (1 John 4:18)

What a way to experience the Word. I began to pray for peace. I prayed for faith to trust God to care for me and not allow rats, mice or anything to harm me. I will never forget that time. That was when fear turned into faith. I had to trust God and His power to protect and keep me safe. I would never have been able to sleep in that house without faith in God. Eventually, I got my spirit back, and the house was restored.

Reflection: In what area of your life has fear been a problem?

Life application: What will you start doing today to overcome that fear?

Take a moment to write down your answers.

Overcoming daily,

Rosita