What do you fear? Some fears are natural and protect us from harm while
other fears ordinate from confusion and lack of faith. These unhealthy
fears paralyze us and keep us from walking in obedience to God, but God
loves us and wants us to live free of these seizing fears. "For God did
not give us a spirit of committed, but a spirit of power, of love, and
of self discipline". Second Timothy 1 - 7. God graciously reveals his
love and character to us as we seek him. As we grow in the knowledge of
his unfailing love, our faith is strengthened and we become bold to
speak his truth. Faith is an expression of our confidence in God and who
we are in Christ. When people lack confidence in God, they become
fearful and confused. Confusion leads to self doubt and questioning,
what is right and what is wrong. One would become confused over our
identity in Christ, fear of rejection and criticism overwhelms our
desire to obey God. When we doubt the love and the power of God, we
begin to lose discernment in choosing the right path. When we are filled
with self doubt, fear of the future and the desire to please people
instead of God, we become vulnerable to the spiritual attacks and
temptations. If obedience to God will help us pass the test, fear and
wavering faith will surely cause us to fail. Daniel had plenty of reason
to be afraid. He was captured as a teenager and taken to a foreign land.
He was separated from his godly family and forced to live among pagans.
He was routinely tested both academically and spiritually. He met face
to face with the greatest ruler of the day. Yet Daniel did not allow
fear to control him. Daniel focused on God, not on his circumstances.
Daniel obeyed God's laws, not the pagan laws and through Daniel's love,
faith, and obedience towards God, he thrived in an ungodly land. We are
all also living in a Foreign land. On a daily basis, we face temptation
to conform to the world's standards. God's love for us is called into
question every day by the world. We are routinely tested on faith and
character, but like Daniel, we must remember the love of God and put
faith above fear in order to survive these obstacles. How do we overcome
our fear with faith in a practical way. First, we need to prepare for
the testing by studying God's word. We learn the truth by studying what
God says in the scriptures and the more we make reading the Bible a part
of our daily routine, the more we desire and appreciate it. "How sweet
your words to my taste. Sweeter than honey to my mouth. I gain
understanding from your perspective, therefore I hate every wrong path".
Psalms 119 verse 103 through 104. If you are paralyzed by fear and
something is holding you back from stepping out in faith, ask for the
Holy Spirit's guidance to help you overcome fear, commit to studying
God's word and applying it to your life. Ask God's help as you begin to
trust him more and more. Write down at least three past situations in
which God proved himself faithful to you when you follow him in
obedience, then keep this as a record to remind yourself of God's
faithfulness whenever you are fighting fear. "He has delivered us from
such a deadly peril and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope
that he will continue to deliver us". 2 Corinthians 1: 10
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