Faith Or Fear
Living life is a series of choices. These choices are either fear based or faith based. God never honors fear. He always honors faith. According to Hebrews 11:1, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen.” Faith is the blessed assurance in the object of faith. According to Proverbs 3, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path.”
Thomas learned this lesson after the resurrection. Jesus had appeared to the other disciples and they said to him, “we’ve seen the risen Christ.” Thomas said, “I won’t believe until I put my finger in his nail prints and feel the wound in his side.” Eight days later, Jesus appeared to the twelve and said to Thomas, “Reach for my hand and examine the nail prints. Put your hand in my side and be not unbelieving (without faith) but believe.” Then Thomas exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said, “You believed because you saw me. Blessed are they who have not seen and yet believe.”
Without God, men put their faith in their own abilities and their own performance. They live for their own accomplishments and the praise of others. However according to Ephesians 2:8-9, For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works lest any man should boast.
The devil’s ploy is to distract our attention away from trusting in the Lord. The most frequent command in the Bible is, “Fear not.” According to Isaiah 41:10, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” To resolve a crisis of fear, we must pray as Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, “not my will but thine be done.”
Coach Bobby Bowden said he and his family attended an old fashioned revival. The evangelist had a 2 x 4 plank on the stage, pointed to Bobby and said, would you walk across this board? Bowden answered, of course. The evangelist said, If I took this plank and placed it to between the Twin Towers, would you walk across it? Bobby said, Of course not. Then the evangelist said, If I dangled your child over the edge of the tower, and said, I’ll drop your child if you don’t walk across, then would you walk the plank? Bowden thought for a moment and said, “Which child?”
Do we value life on earth more than we value life in heaven? What does it take to conquer fear and walk by faith? A wise man once said, “men fear death like children fear the dark.” An oncologist said to Pete and his wife Suzan when cancerous tumors had returned and spread all over her brain, “how aggressively do you want to treat this?” Pete said, “What do you mean by aggressive?” The doctor said, “We’ll take her to the operating room today, drill a hole into her skull and inject medicine directly into her brain.” Pete asked, “How much more time will that give her?” The oncologist said, “If we do nothing she may have another two months to live. If we operate, it may not make any difference or she may live another two years.” Suzan had already undergone brain surgery at MD Anderson in Houston to remove the tumors when they first discovered her cancer a few months earlier. Suzan had said to Pete, “When I woke up this morning, I was soooo disappointed.” When Pete asked her why she said, “Because I thought I’d wake up in Jesus’ arms but here I am with you.” She knew that she had finished her course and she was ready to leave this life. God had said to Suzan, “I’ve got this.” They opted not to operate. She died two and a half weeks later.
Hebrews chapter 11 is known as the “hall of faith”. In this chapter, Enoch was taken up to see God. He was a man of faith.
James said, Faith without works is dead. Show me your works and I’ll show you the fruit of your faith. Faith is evidenced by the results when we love, praise, serve and honor the Lord.
Men fear what they cannot control. Through trials, God will teach us that he is In control… that he is sovereign over all. Pete learned this lesson in the father’s waiting room when his wife was in labor with their second son. Just moments before, he had been in the delivery room helping his wife focus her breathing during her contractions. The doctor said to Pete, “We’re losing the baby’s heartbeat. You then need to leave the room so we can perform an emergency c-section. Pete prayed, “Lord please save my wife and baby.” God answered, “How much control do you have over this situation? Pete answered, “none.” God’s next question was, “no matter what happens, will you still honor, love, and praise me?” Pete searched his heart. He and Suzan were a young couple who had dedicated their lives to full time Christian ministry. He asked himself, “does God do everything with our best interest in mind? Do all things really work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose? Pete answered, “Lord, even if you take my wife and child, I’ll still honor, love, and praise you.”
The doctors came into the hospital room where Suzan and Pete were waiting, they said, “I’m sorry but we lost the baby.” God had prepared their hearts for this news. Even though their baby did not survive, Suzan said, I think God’s teaching us through this trial. Pete found her devotional, “come away my beloved”. Pete turned to the chapter about comfort and affliction. As a young Christian couple they read, “Trust in the Lord. Don’t lean to your own understanding. Do not take matters into your own hand. When have I promised and not kept my word? I will make your paths straight. Will you not then trust me in this present crisis as you have trusted me before. I deepen you in the furnace of affliction.”
Pete had prayed, Lord I want to follow you. I want to become more like you. He realized that God had given them this trial to deepen them.
“What seems to be a wind of destruction is a trial so that you can rest in my love. Through the pain and affliction, I will show you that my love is certain and unshakable. Through the trial and discipline you will learn, like as a Father cherishes his children, so the Lord has mercy on them that fear him. Rest assured that I have you in my own intensive care. Through the pain of loss, draw on the resources of my grace. If I’ve allowed your heart to break, heaven rejoices when you proceed through the trial with a singing spirit. If you abide in me and my word abides in you, ask whatsoever you will and it shall be given to you. Therefore be as beacon light to reflect the glory of the Lord. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.” For we have this treasure in earthen vessels so that he excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.
The testing of our faith works patience. According to James 1:2-4, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” Verse 12 says, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”
As Cory ten Boom said, “We will never know that God is all we need until he’s all we have.” Through trial God will comfort us as he transforms us according to purpose to which he has called each of us to be holy and without blame before him in love.
Through the testing of our faith we will understand that our purpose is that we should live to the praise of the flory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael