Are you living in faith or fear? Is it time for a readjustment in your life?
What is Fear?
Fear Defined. According to the American Heritage Dictionary[1] fear can be defined as “(a) a feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by the presence or imminence of danger; or (b) extreme reverence or awe, as toward a supreme power.”
As the above definition suggests, there are two different kinds of fear. The second listed is the first in importance. It is a good and necessary fear acknowledging God, which is the first step down the road of Christianity. The first listed is of less importance. It is the fear of the unknown, a fear that has no basis, a fear the is the basis for destructive worrying. This fear has no redeeming value.
Necessary Fear: The First Step to Increasing Faith
The necessary fear that includes a sense of awe, or respect for power, is stressed in the biblical Book of Proverbs. Proverbs 1:7 says “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” Proverbs 8:13 says “the fear of the Lord will cause one to hate evil.” Proverbs 10:27 says “the fear of the Lord will prolong life.” Proverbs 14:26-27 says, “the fear of the Lord provides strong confidence and is a fountain of life.” Proverbs 16:6 says, “the fear of the Lord promotes one to depart from evil.” Proverbs 19:23 says “the fear of the Lord leads to a satisfying life, and spares one from much evil.” Finally, Proverbs 22:4 reminds us “the fear of the Lord is the way to riches, honor, and life.”
Fearing God is the first step toward becoming a more advanced, practicing Christian; one who acknowledges God and the consequences of dying unsaved.
Groundless Fear: Worrying for Unknown Reasons
Groundless fears are often the result of misinformation. Dennis Waitley says, “Fear is false education appearing real.”[2] This kind of fear makes problems seem greater than they really are. A German proverb reminds us, “Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.” Another proverb from an unknown source says, “Fear makes man believe the worst.” When we exaggerate fears of the problems we face, we think them to be overwhelming.
Groundless fear prevents us from enjoying the blessings we have. A Spanish proverb reminds us, “He who fears death cannot enjoy life.” The Greek philosopher Horace (65-08 BC) said, “Who lives in fear will never be a free man.” Certainly, one who fears unnecessarily cannot be at peace and know true joy. E. Stanley said, “Fear is the sand in the machine of life.”
Unless we can overcome the wrong kind of fear, the devil will have many weapons in his arsenal to use against us. If we are going to be victorious over him and also overcome the world, then we will have to understand how to reject the useless kind of fear. A proper understanding of the faith that God gives will lead us to the solution for rejecting useless fear.
What exactly is Faith?
Hebrews says that faith is “the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]” (Hebrew 11:1b).[3] Just like fear, faith is our conviction, or belief, in a reality that we can’t yet see. The only difference is that faith assumes God will come through for you, and fear assumes that He won’t. Is there any wonder why fear is so displeasing in the eyes of your Heavenly Father, who says in the same passage, “Without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrew 11:6).[4] To God, “whatever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23). Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:3). Other good definitions on faith from some bible dictionaries and commentaries is that faith is: “The assurance of things hoped for, a belief of confident attitude toward God, conviction, trust, belief, reliance, and a trustworthiness towards God.”[5]
What is Fear?
Fear Defined. According to the American Heritage Dictionary[1] fear can be defined as “(a) a feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by the presence or imminence of danger; or (b) extreme reverence or awe, as toward a supreme power.”
As the above definition suggests, there are two different kinds of fear. The second listed is the first in importance. It is a good and necessary fear acknowledging God, which is the first step down the road of Christianity. The first listed is of less importance. It is the fear of the unknown, a fear that has no basis, a fear the is the basis for destructive worrying. This fear has no redeeming value.
Necessary Fear: The First Step to Increasing Faith
The necessary fear that includes a sense of awe, or respect for power, is stressed in the biblical Book of Proverbs. Proverbs 1:7 says “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” Proverbs 8:13 says “the fear of the Lord will cause one to hate evil.” Proverbs 10:27 says “the fear of the Lord will prolong life.” Proverbs 14:26-27 says, “the fear of the Lord provides strong confidence and is a fountain of life.” Proverbs 16:6 says, “the fear of the Lord promotes one to depart from evil.” Proverbs 19:23 says “the fear of the Lord leads to a satisfying life, and spares one from much evil.” Finally, Proverbs 22:4 reminds us “the fear of the Lord is the way to riches, honor, and life.”
Fearing God is the first step toward becoming a more advanced, practicing Christian; one who acknowledges God and the consequences of dying unsaved.
Groundless Fear: Worrying for Unknown Reasons
Groundless fears are often the result of misinformation. Dennis Waitley says, “Fear is false education appearing real.”[2] This kind of fear makes problems seem greater than they really are. A German proverb reminds us, “Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.” Another proverb from an unknown source says, “Fear makes man believe the worst.” When we exaggerate fears of the problems we face, we think them to be overwhelming.
Groundless fear prevents us from enjoying the blessings we have. A Spanish proverb reminds us, “He who fears death cannot enjoy life.” The Greek philosopher Horace (65-08 BC) said, “Who lives in fear will never be a free man.” Certainly, one who fears unnecessarily cannot be at peace and know true joy. E. Stanley said, “Fear is the sand in the machine of life.”
Unless we can overcome the wrong kind of fear, the devil will have many weapons in his arsenal to use against us. If we are going to be victorious over him and also overcome the world, then we will have to understand how to reject the useless kind of fear. A proper understanding of the faith that God gives will lead us to the solution for rejecting useless fear.
What exactly is Faith?
Hebrews says that faith is “the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]” (Hebrew 11:1b).[3] Just like fear, faith is our conviction, or belief, in a reality that we can’t yet see. The only difference is that faith assumes God will come through for you, and fear assumes that He won’t. Is there any wonder why fear is so displeasing in the eyes of your Heavenly Father, who says in the same passage, “Without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrew 11:6).[4] To God, “whatever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23). Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:3). Other good definitions on faith from some bible dictionaries and commentaries is that faith is: “The assurance of things hoped for, a belief of confident attitude toward God, conviction, trust, belief, reliance, and a trustworthiness towards God.”[5]
Faith in Jesus helps us to overcome fear
Jesus taught that fear is indicative of little faith. Examples of this include when Jesus’s disciples were fearful of the storm at sea (Matthew 8:23-27), when Peter faltered as he went to Jesus, walking on the water (Matthew 14:25-33), as Jesus taught his disciples not to have fearful anxiety concerning the necessities of life (Luke 12:27-32), and when Jesus asked his disciples, “Why are you afraid? Do you not have faith?” (Mark 4:40). As someone once put it, “Fear is simply unbelief parading in disguise.” Could this be you?
Jesus addressed our worst fears. When we fear what we might face in this life, Jesus promised, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). The writer of Hebrews confidently asserted, “With the Lord at our side, what can man do?” (Hebrews 13:5-6). The worst that can happen, for most people, is death, but Jesus has conquered death. His own victory over death frees us from the fear of death (Hebrews 2:14-15). Thus, the apostle Paul could face death with great confidence, even anticipating it (Philippians 1:21-23). People also fear what might come after death. Jesus comforted his disciples with the promise of eternal life that lies ahead (John 14:1-3). Paul looked forward to the eternal life he would receive (2 Timothy 4:1-3).
When we’ve overcome these fears through faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior, our other fears will seem petty by comparison. Psalm 53:3-4 reminds us, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid.” Isaiah 26:3 reminds us, “You will keep in perfect peace, all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” The same prophet added, “I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, don not fear, I will help you” (Isaiah 41:13). A godly fear helps us to overcome phobias and worries. Proverbs 14:26 assures us, “In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and his children will have a place of refuge.”
True faith and confidence – strong confidence – comes from God.[6] The Bible emphasizes our need for faith. Perhaps you are lacking faith and confidence. Can you have faith in this faithless age? Yes, you can. How? Romans 10:17 assures us, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the world of God.”[7] The Bible tells us we must have faith in order to be saved (Hebrews 11:6). Paul reminds us in Romans 12:3, “God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” If you believe “all things are possible” (1 Corinthains 4:18).
How to Increase Your Faith: Reading God’s Word
Here is how your faith is built up and increases into the higher ranges over time. This next verse will tell us exactly how faith is able to enter into us, and from there, how it can actually grow into these higher levels over time: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). “Hearing” means that the word of God is entering into your mind either through “reading” the Bible or “hearing” someone preach or teach about the Bible. Either way, the word of God is entering into your mind where you receive it.[8]
What the Bible is trying to tell you is that if each person will spend some good quality time trying to read and understand the Bible, then the low amount of faith that you have started out with will actually start to grow. Why? Your mind is receiving direct information and knowledge about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and all of their ways. As you start to read all about God in the Bible and all of the miracles that he has done in the past with other people, your own personal levels of faith will start to grow and build up on the inside of you because you are actually starting to believe what you are reading. The Holy Spirit will also be bearing witness on the inside of you that what you are reading is real, pure, God truth.
When you start reading all of the healings that Jesus did, all the healings that the apostles did, and all of the verses on how God can heal and answer your prayers, your faith will start to grow and build on the inside of you maybe from a “1” to a “3” or “4.” The “3 or 4” may be just enough faith and belief that God will need to heal you. But before he will heal you, he may want your faith levels built up to that range. It is built up to that range by soaking into all the verses pertaining to divine healing. Your faith is growing as you are “hearing” the word of God on this issue. “Hearing” in this case means you are reading the Bible verses for yourself and believing what you are reading. The Bible instructs us to pray daily. If we humble ourselves to seek God in prayer, and if we read the Bible seeking to do God’s will, he will give us more faith and more peace of mind. As the apostle Paul wrote, “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). Three times in the New Testament we read that “the just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38). As we draw closer to God in our actions and in our prayers, we can have the godly fear that will help us face our frustration, and experience the benefits of faith.[9]
God wants us to pray to him. “Call to me, and I will answer you; I will tell you wonderful and marvelous things” (Jeremiah 33:3). “If any of you lack wisdom, you should pray to God who will give it to you” (James 1:5). Jesus assumes that we will pray to God, “When you pray, got to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen” (Matthew 6:6). The Bible teaches that God wants us to pray to him and assumes that we will. “Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). Paul encourages, “I urge that petition, prayers, requests, and thanksgivings be offered to God for all people” (Timothy 2:1). Prayer requires faith. It is not a magic formula for getting what we want. When you pray, faith must be present.
I felt like this really came from the Holy Spirit. He said to me; “If the Bible says that faith the size of a mustard seed can move a mountain, what do you think faith the size of a golf ball can do? Or faith the size of a baseball? Or faith the size of a basketball?” This means that your faith is capable of growing. The mustard seed is supposed to be one of the smallest of all seeds. The above analogy tells us two things: First, that your faith can literally grow in the Lord over time – from a mustard seed size – to a golf ball size – to a baseball size – to a basketball size, etc. Here is the verse that will specifically tell us that our faith levels are capable of growing in the Lord: “because your faith grows exceedingly” (2 Thessalonians 1:3). Second, look closely at the above analogy. The Bible says that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains! This means that we do not have to have our faith levels up in the 5 – 8 category to get God to become very active in our lives. All we need is a very small amount of faith to get the show going with God.[10]
Conclusion
Where there is faith, fear cannot abide. Some common sayings give us good principles on this topic, such as, “Feed your faith, and your fears will starve to death;” or “Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. No one was there;” or “Fear and faith cannot keep house together; when one enters, the other departs.”
Perfect love, perfect Agape, is walking uprightly. It’s intentionally living a Godly, spiritually strong life based on the knowledge of God’s word. When we have perfect love, perfect Agape, it gets rid of fear. First John 4:18 also says that if you have fear in your life, you are not walking in an Agape lifestyle or mindset. You are failing to be made perfect in love.
In John 16:32, Jesus assured his apostles, “Indeed the hour is coming, yes has now come, that you will be scattered each to his own, and will leave me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.” God will not abandon you. He is with you 24/7. As 1 John 5:4-5 reminds us, to those who believe, their faith can be the victory to overcome the world!
Jesus addressed our worst fears. Jesus promised, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). The old saying reminds us, “The Bible has 7000 promises to cover any problem you may have.”[11] Here is how Harry Emerson Fosdick contrasted fear and faith. He said, “Fear imprisons, faith liberates; fear paralyzes, faith empowers; fear disheartens, faith encourages; fear sickens, faith heals; fear makes useless, faith makes serviceable; and, most of all, fear puts hopelessness at the heart of life while faith rejoices in its God.”[12] The scriptures support these contrasts. John 14:1 says, “Fear not. Let not your hearts be troubled.” Why? The verse continues, “You believe in God. Believe also in me!”
If anyone gives us reason to have faith in God, it is Jesus. He demonstrated his perfect faithfulness through the signs and wonders God worked through him. He demonstrated his faith through his own resurrection from the death, which proved him to be the Son of God. His faithfulness was evident through the works of his inspired apostles, whose overwhelming testimony gives us abundant reason to believe in who Jesus is and what Jesus taught. “Weak though I am, yet through his might, I all things can perform.”[13]
When we trust in God, and walk by faith, we will be unyielding, believing “under any circumstance, we will be more than conquerors!” If we walk by fear and we give in to the worldly thoughts caused by the manifestation of spiritual darkness “we will eventually be devoured.” God states that “if we faint when hard times come, it is because of one thing; we do not have enough knowledge of his word within us.”[14] Proverbs 24:10 warns, “If thou faint in the face of adversity, thy strength [knowledge of God’s word] is small” (narrow and thin, not solid). Knowledge of God’s word and his promises builds the foundation for us to walk on solid ground; ground that will support us under any situation, any circumstance: “The just live by faith” (Hebrews 10:26). The following Bible story is a perfect illustration of the power and purpose of faith to combat useless fear in our lives.
Bible Story: “Faith over Fear” (Mark 4:35 – 41)
What is the worst storm you’ve ever been through? Let’s read the account of a severe storm on the Sea of Galilee. Let’s read verses 35-41. How did the disciples react to this storm? And what did many of them do for a living? They were fishermen (Mark 1:16 – 19). How strong can we surmise this storm was? These seaworthy fishermen were accustomed to storms on the Sea of Galilee and this one must have been fierce for them to fear for their lives.
Are you annoyed when it looks like God is sleeping and ignoring the situation that has “swamped” you and threatens to drown you? Why do you think the disciples woke Jesus up? Did they want him to calm the storm or take cover? With their surprise at his calming of the storm, we can infer that they did not expect him to do so. Their “we” could include Jesus as well.
Why are the disciples still “terrified” even after Jesus calms the storm? This fear was not produced by the storm, but by the calm.[15] The sudden storm and sudden stillness caused brain overload. They were in fearful awe of the One who possessed authority to rebuke both the waves and themselves.
What did the disciples ask each other in verse 41? “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!” Tell us of a time God blew away your concept of him by a display of His power.
Someone read verse 40 for us. After their brush with death, Jesus doesn’t comfort, but rather scolds his disciples. Why is he so hard on them? Is there evidence in this passage that Jesus meant to enter this storm as a test of the disciples’ faith? Hint if needed: verse 37. Jesus suggested the boat trip himself, and promptly went to sleep. The application to our lives is that even when Jesus leads us “through the valley of the shadow of death,” we should fear no evil, for he is with us. We, too, can rest in faith during the storm. Our boat isn’t going down, because Jesus is on board. How would they have responded if they had had faith? They would not have awakened him and asked if he cared. They would have trusted his very presence to keep them safe.
In what areas of your life are you tempted to respond with fear rather than faith? As we go to prayer, consider how you will react when you are next tempted with those fears. Let’s ask Jesus to give us his rest of faith, and let’s worship him who commands all manner or winds and waves.
So if we wish to overcome fear, faith in Jesus Christ is the victory!
By Jeff Yeargain
jeffyeargain@att.net
Newport Beach, CA
[1] Mark A. Copeland, “Faith Is the Victory in Overcoming Fear,” at (http://executableoutlines.com/fv/fv_08.htm).
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Mark A. Copeland, “The Epistle to the Hebrews: Faith that Pleases God,” at (http://executableoutlines.com/he/he_25.htm).
[5] Copeland, “Faith,” op. cit.
[6] Richard F. Ames, “Tomorrow’s World: Fear, Frustration, or Faith?,” tommorowsworld.org/cgi-bin/tw/tw/mag.cgi?catagory=magazine44
[7] Ibid.
[8] Michael Bradley, “What Is Faith?,” at (http://www.bible-knowledge.com/What-is-faith.html).
[9] Charles Spurgeon, “Faith Versus Fear,” at (http://www.eternallifeministries.org/chs_faith.htm).
[10] Michael Bradley, op. cit.
[11] Hal Lindsey, “The Hal Lindsey Report,” television airing, December 2008, at (http://www.hallindsey.com/).
[12] Harry Emerson Fosdick, “Fear and Faith,” at (http://www.famousquotesandauthors.com/authors/harry_emerson_fosdick_quotes.html).
[13] Copeland, “Faith,” op. cit.
[14] Ibid.
[15] As cited in Ibid., 105-106.
