a dose of faith

credit: words from adevotion.org

a dose of faith
If it makes no difference whether we fear, or not, then God wasted a lot of time in Scripture telling us to not be afraid.

Fear is the absence of faith. It can be understood as faith in the devil. Fear is the opposite of believing and trusting in God. Fear stops faith from working. You could say that fear is faith in reverse.

Fear is the cause of all worry, for worry is meditation on fear.

Some may think some fear is healthy, but no true fear is good. We don't have to fear something to have a healthy respect for it, and thus to act wisely. Fear makes people do irrational things. Reverence for God, sometimes called the "fear of God" is healthy, but it has nothing to do with actually being afraid of God. 

2 KINGS 6:15-17 NKJ 
15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" 
16 So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." 
17 And Elisha prayed, and said, "Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

When we look at the world situation, it is easy to cry out like the servant of Elisha. But when we are tempted to be afraid, it is only because we are not seeing the reality of the whole picture. God is for us, so no matter what comes against us, it can never prevail over us.

We should ask God to open our eyes to the truth. Then keep our focus on God's Word, not on the temptations, lies, and roarings of the devil.

Fear is fed by what we look at and listen to. We can resist fear by choosing to always focus on God and His promises.

DEUTERONOMY 31:6 NKJ 
6 "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."

When you remember that the Almighty God is ALWAYS with you (and in you!) why should you be afraid?

LUKE 12:7 NKJ 
7 "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

One way to understand how valuable you are to God is to consider the great price He paid to set you free -- the life of Jesus Christ Himself!

Not even a good earthly parent would allow his child who trusted in him to be harmed. God loves you more than any earthly parent ever loved their child -- and God has the power to fully protect you. So you can trust in Him.

But when we act in fear, we run from the protection of our wonderful Father God and open the door to our enemy.

We should be free from fear because God is for us and watches out for us. The worst that can happen to us (from a worldly perspective) is to die, but even then we will go to be with Jesus. With God on your side, there is really nothing to fear.

Yes, there will be struggles. There will be trials. But these are just opportunities to overcome and gain eternal rewards. In all we face in life, God has promised to be with us, and to help us. So what is there to fear?

JOSHUA 1:9 NET 
9 I repeat, be strong and brave! Don't be afraid and don't panic, for I, the LORD your God, am with you in all you do."