Fear Versus Faith

Fear versus Faith

Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” 

 The Bible’s commands to “fear not” are plentiful and occur in a variety of contexts. As God’s people, we are not to be fearful. We have no reason to live in fear.

 Yet, the fear of God keeps us from sin; while the fear of man leads to sin, and that is what we as Christians are to avoid.

 The fear of things that occur in this world can only get us involved in a faithless snare. 

 Also, the biblical command throughout scripture “do not fear” does not negate the need for prudence and caution in this world. We are not to be cavalier, but prayerful anytime we are in the face of personal danger.

 The Bible mentions two specific types of fear. The first type of fear is the “fear of the Lord.” This type of fear does not necessarily mean to be afraid of the Lord. 

 Conversely, the Bible is instructing us toward cultivating a reverential awe of God, and a reverence for His power, his majesty and glory. 

 However, the fear of the Lord is also having a proper respect for God’s wrath and anger. This is the "spirit of fear" mentioned in II Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

 The second type of fear is a detriment and it is a natural byproduct of living in a fallen world. This kind of fear can only be remedied by God and an abiding faith in his Word!

 The key to overcoming fear, then, is total and complete trust in God. Trusting God is a refusal to give in to fear. It is a turning to God even in the darkest times and trusting Him to make things right. This trust comes only from knowing God and knowing that He is good; and will work all things out to our eventual good!

 Faith and fear cannot exist together; because they are diametrically opposed to one another. As our deliverance from fear and worry is based entirely upon faith; then we need to learn how to grow our faith.

 Faith is not something that we can magically produce in and of ourselves. Faith is a actually gift. Ephesians 2:8-9 conveys to us that Faith is a gift of God. 

 When that Faith is utilized by a believer, it activates fruit (or characteristics) in our lives by the function of the Holy Spirit.

 Now, this is not to say that Christians will be exempt from fearful situations in this life. Far from it! Adversity and fearful things in life are often God's most effective tool to develop a stronger faith in us.

 God always sustains each one of us through any fearful situations, and, as we learn to obey God's Word and allow it to saturate our thoughts, we find each trial becomes a stepping stone to a stronger and deeper faith.

But you may ask; how can we develop a faith that conquers all of our fears? 

 The Bible says in Romans 10:17, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” 

 The careful study of God's Word is of primary importance in developing a strong faith. God wants us to know Him and completely rely on His direction in our lives. 

 It is through the hearing, reading, and meditation in the Scriptures that we begin to experience the inner personal victory over fear that we must have in this evil world.

 Therefore, if we abandon the reading and the hearing of God’s word, what should we naturally expect? (Answer: more of the worldly type of Fear!)

 The Fear of the Lord can be defined as “the continual awareness that our loving heavenly Father is watching and evaluating everything we say, do, or think. 

 When we fully come to grips with the reality that Almighty God, who has all power, and can either deliver us from evil, or condemn us to Hell; it should cultivate a healthy Fear of him!

 And with that reverential Fear of God, comes an inner Spiritual Wisdom that thrives on his “gift of Faith!”

by: Darrell G. Young

April 2, 2021