Fear is not a gift that the Lord has given to those that trust in him. 1st Timothy 1:7 tells us, I have not given you the spirit of fear but of love, power, and a sound mind. As we trust in God the fear that enables us to move forward disappears. Fear is the enemy’s greatest weapon and is a stumbling block and a stronghold for those that allow it to operate in our lives. It is where the church has become stagnant and unable to move on what God has in store for those that love him. If we are afraid of what God has for us, then we will never have what God has for us. “If God be for us then who can be against us.” Fear is a natural, powerful emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger. There is fear that overcomes us when danger is present, but even during a storm God did not give it. Jesus demonstrated it inside of the boat when the storm rose.
(Mark 4: 35-41 NIV) That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Fearing means that faith is not fully activated in our lives. Many of us are afraid to step out in what God has called us to do because fear has paralyzed us to do so. We have so many disagreeing thoughts that we thought ourselves out of a good thing. The good is God. The goal is to trust Him. If we believe that God knows the plans that he has for us, the plans for good and not to harm us then what has stopped us from moving forward for his glory. There will be challenges along the way. The enemy is not going to easily allow break through without trying to deter you. But move by faith anyway. Faith is the substance of things hoped for but the evidence of things unseen. (Hebrews 11:1). We are called to walk by faith and not by sight. To believe without seeing and to trust without knowing. “But the people who know their God shall be strong and carry great exploits.” (Daniel 11:32). Great exploits mean achieving remarkable, sometimes supernatural, feats, or breakthroughs.
God is our present help in times of trouble. David wrote this in Psalm 46:1 and Jesus demonstrated it when he walked the earth. God is faithful even when we are fearful so we can step out while we are afraid and do great things. Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John14:12). Fear will not just disappear; you will have to replace it with faith. Believe God and GO.
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