Overcoming the incessant battle between Faith and Fear

Over the past few months, several life events forced me to take bold steps toward change. While mentally and emotionally, I did not feel fully prepared to embrace these changes, spiritually, I knew God was asking me to trust Him and lean on Him during this period of transition.

The Bible makes several references to two opposing forces: Faith and Fear. Usually, one is the antithesis of the other. Let us look at biblical examples where the two forces were at work with differing results:

• Gideon was cowering in a wine press threshing wheat (read Judges 6:11). He was hiding from his oppressors, the Midianites, when God called him a mighty "man of valor." He took the leap of Faith to believe what God told him, that he was a "mighty man of valor" instead of what he felt in his heart fear. If he chose to listen to his heart, he and the Israelites would have stayed slaves to the Midianites. However, because he decided to use Faith over fear, he and a comparatively minuscule band of 10,000 Israelites supernaturally defeated a mighty army of 135,000 Midianites.
• Another story where Esther was challenged by Mordecai (read Esther 4)  to speak to King Ahasuerus to deliver the Israelites from the death plot of evil Haman. She felt fear in her heart, knowing there was a good chance she could lose her life because of the decree issued by the King. Any man or woman would only approach the King if they were called for. She chose to have Faith that God had called her to the palace for such a time as this, and she overcame her fear of defying the kings' rules. Her Faith caused her to find favor in the eyes of the King, which led to the deliverance of her people. She and her people would have perished if she chose to stay silent in fear.
• David, a shepherd boy whom many commentaries state was a youth when facing Goliath, was around 5 feet tall. He took down Goliath, who historians believe was about 6 feet 9 inches, significantly larger than David, with just a slingshot and a smooth pebble. While highly skilled, equipped soldiers cowered in fear as they listened to Goliath's taunting, paralyzing them in fear. David's unshakeable Faith in the God of Israel gave the un-armored, un-skilled shepherd a distinctive advantage over the highly skilled soldiers. David's Faith was nurtured in the shepherd fields, where God helped him fight the lion and bear with his bare hands. This experience gave him the unshakeable Faith that God could deliver him from the hands of the burly giant. This is another lesson on the importance of growing your Faith, not just your skill.

The list of heroes of Faith who chose to believe and take a leap of Faith goes on and on. As stated in the book of Hebrews chapter 11, "And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell ..." All these examples make one thing abundantly clear. If you want to live the life God calls you to live to the fullest, you must be willing to "take the leap of faith and release the fear." Often, Faith is not the absence of fear but obedience to God's prompting despite the fear and self-doubt. 

Succumbing to fear can have severe consequences, as seen in the story of the Israelite's journey to the promised land. Out of the 12 spies sent to investigate Canaan, only 2 saw the promise of God through their eyes of Faith. The rest viewed this through their eyes of fear. The result…. all the Israelites older than 18 perished in the desert except Joshua and Caleb, who chose Faith over fear, and the new generation (younger than 18) trained to select Faith despite fear to attain that which only God can provide. 

Suppose today you are faced with circumstances that cause you to fear, but you know and believe God is asking you to step out in Faith and trust Him in life's journey set forth before you. In that case, I encourage you to follow the examples of the many heroes of Faith. These heroes were human, just like you and I, but their decision to choose Faith over fear helped them do incredible feats that only God could do through them.

Dr. Deepa