"Let your faith be bigger than your fears." A quote that is easy to say, but harder to live out. Fear is something that grips the world today. But, what is fear? What is this thing that so many people are afraid of?
Fear is defined as being "afraid of someone or something as likely to be dangerous, painful, or threatening." Fear is an EMOTIONAL response induced by threats. Some people fear heights or the ocean, while others may fear dogs or even riding in a car at night. Sometimes, we feel so much fear that peace seems IMPOSSIBLE. Fear is like a parasite --- it feeds off of our own circumstances, growing deeper and harder to get rid of as time and anxiety go by.
"Fear Not..." is quoted in the Bible 365 times. That is one for every day of the year! Yet, fear is SO powerful that even the smallest little opening allows it to enter into our lives and begin to overtake our thoughts, emotions, and well-being. We begin to fear little things, which soon develop into the much larger problems we have in our lives. It begins to blur the lines between good and bad, right and wrong, up and down. It overtakes our lives and becomes who we are as a person --- fearful. Fear is that little guy that sits on our shoulder and tells us if we do not do it right or we mess up, we are in BIG trouble. It becomes our daily reminder of how stupid and/or incompetent we are.
Down the road, we will soon see how things could have been SO much better had we not let our fear overthrow our faith. How brave, courageous, and victorious we could have been if we would not have let fear rule our lives and steal our joy. BUT, it is through that journey of fear, worry, and doubt that our faith is strengthened. It is these types of hardships that stretch us so thin and make us feel the size of an ant that shows us all we can do, is TRUST and FEAR NOT. It is through our trials and tribulations that we begin to see just how FUTILE fear is. It drags us down and weakens our faith, telling us we will NEVER be good enough. We will NEVER be something for the Lord. BUT, faith is there.. every step of the way. It guides us and helps us make those decisions where fear is telling us otherwise. Faith is our strength and courage. Faith helps us get through the day. Faith tells us we ARE enough. We CAN and WILL do something for the Lord. Faith helps us face our fears head on, loosening fear's grip on our lives.
So, what will you choose? When fear meets faith, where will you stand? Remember who you are in the Lord. He does not want us to fear. He does not want us to be afraid. We are His, created in His image. Do NOT depend on fear. Lean on His word. Find shelter in his arms. We are His. Fear not, for HE is with us.
"So that we may boldly say, The LORD is my helper, and I will not fear..." Hebrews 13:6
