Fear and Faith

Fear and Faith
"Fear and faith have something in common. They both ask us to believe in something we cannot see."

Fear. An old friend of mine. It has kept me from attempting so many things. It has robbed me of peace and joy. It has taken residence in my heart and identified itself with my being. Fear is an emotion we all have. Often we use it to hold us captive. It is all-encompassing. It is irrational. It is often a liar. It feeds on small amounts of truth mixed with large amounts of unknown. This emotion- fear- demands we surrender to it. It isn't polite. It doesn't prefer us. It doesn't even encourge us. Yet, it dwells in me. It asks me to believe it. Why do I succomb to it so often? Easy- I let it talk. I try to ignore it, but it speaks non-stop. Until I start to listen. Then it has me.
Faith is a reliance on something we cannot see. It is a hope in the unseen. It is a choice. It is also something in all of us. We have faith every day. We have faith in objects, people, places, and circumstances. Blind faith. How many of us can see our heart every morning when we wake up? Yet we trust that it will continue to pump blood to all the vital parts of our bodies. Or air? Have you ever thought about it not being available to you when you wake up? No- we trust in unseen things based on principles of truth. So, why does fear (which takes from me) govern my life and faith (that I often do without even thinking) take a back seat in it? I have been pondering that for some time now.
I have been praying for God to help me in this area. Sunday's sermon was an encouraging reminder to take our fear and turn it into faith. It was a call to fix our eyes on Jesus to make that happen. So, the answer is that easy? Yes... And no. The answer is easy, the solution? That requires us to have an intentional faith. Not a "wake up without thinking of all the things you trust" faith, but a faith which requires you to command your thoughts and emotions. A faith that takes the unseen fear and pushes it aside to fixate on the Lord and His promises. Faith and fear are actions. They are choices. But only one of them will change me for the better. Only one will break the chains of bondage and rip the cords that fear has entangled around me. Only one comes with the promise of eternal life, and hope for the life we are in... And it isn't fear!

Ps. 27:1