Faith & Fear

Fear: An unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, harm or pain.

Faith: Complete trusts or confidence in someone or something.

A dear friend of mine said to me a few minutes ago that Faith is based on our Understanding of who God is. I had been wondering and just praying about what to share and literally 1 minute after fellowshipping with this friend of mine; it all came rushing in. (It’s really amazing how God works when you’ll let him guide and direct your every step)

The anchor scripture for what I'm about to share with you is the same one my friend and I declared while we were praying and it's Psalm 46.

Vs 1-3

God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
³ Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling. 

Looking over this scripture immediately after we had declared it, I got this very clear picture in my mind of what verse 2 and 3 described. I imagined an apocalyptic situation where the earth is literally torn out from underneath our feet. Where mountains are being flung into the sea. Waters and Seas are raging with the intent to consume the world. Smack right in the middle of this? A girl (one I’d like to believe is me) standing with a childlike gaze, looking straight up to the heavens trusting God to not allow any harm come to her.

This vivid picture my mind conjured up with the help of the Scripture is exactly what Faith demands of us. Faith doesn’t promise any one of us a storm free passage through life. What we are offered instead, is the revelation that no matter how heavy the storms are, no matter how much situations and circumstances around us rage, we serve a God that is mightier yet. One word from the mouth of God can and will quell an entire end time apocalyptic scene.

Joyce Meyer said; fear is budgeting for a situation that may not even happen and if you read between the lines, that is the very definition of fear.

Fear; An Unpleasant emotions caused by a THREAT of danger, pain or harm.

What’s amazing to me is that this is the first time I have ever googled the definition of fear.  (It’s funny how intimate we get with things we don’t even fully understand).More often than not, what we are responding to is not an actual situation but the threat of it. Oxford dictionary defines a threat as a person or thing likely to cause danger or damage. So in essence, fear is an emotion caused by a likelihood of a warning of danger, pain or harm.

I’ll be the first to admit that no matter how much we play the definition game, it doesn’t stop situations from being any less scary; but what God is saying is we need not be afraid. I have never in all my life heard of or seen someone with a loaded gun run away from an assailant with a knife. This is the exact picture, when we stack fear up against God. The funny thing about this is that we haven’t necessarily forgotten how mighty God is. What it is, is that we get so emotional and crippled about the potential for danger that we forget to pull the trigger (FAITH).

There is a reason the bible says that God may enlighten the eyes of our understanding. This is because God knows that when we really start to look at things with our physical eyes, the only thing that can get us out of it is spiritual perception.  Remember how well Peter was doing walking on water until the wind blew and he acknowledged the storm by looking at it? That is the picture of soo many of us when we get overwhelmed by situations. We get soo paralyzed by fear and we panic and; forget who God is, take our eyes of Jesus and forget to pull the trigger.It is soo important that we do not get caught up seeing situations with our natural eyes because what this does to us is that it makes us build a threat up into an indivertible reality in our minds.

Meanwhile here’s what God has to say about His children who would shut their natural eyes to circumstances. Turn on those spiritual visors and remember who their Father is and what He is capable of;

Vs 5-7

God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;

God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
⁶ The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

⁷ The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. 

So I decree and declare that for as many of us going through panic ridden obstacles that God is in the midst of us; therefore we shall not be moved. I declare that the voice of God melts every mountain and obstacle before us and I decree that the God of Jacob, The Lord of Host, sends his host to rescue us in Jesus name. Amen.