FAITH IN THE MIDST OF FEAR

Fear is a powerful force and so its faith. These are two powerful opposing forces - yet have certain similarities - craving for space in our hearts with unforgettable impacts and experiences.

The impacts of these two forces come deep inside our hearts either positively or negatively. In as much as we all claim to have faith and want to exercise this faith as the Bible admonishes us to do in all circumstance, we can not deny the existence of fear or escape it's reality.

There is always the fear of failure, the fear of losing a loved one, the fear of a failed relationship or marriage, the fear of not being able to meet someone new who would love you like you deserve, the fear of public embarrassment, fear of unemployment, fear of failure in business, fear of taking risks, fear of being abandoned or rejected and even fear of of the unknown or what the future holds for us.

Fears are a part of our emotions and are borne out of legitimate concerns. There is nothing wrong if fear grips you at a certain point in life but what becomes wrong of it is when you let it cripple you completely preventing you from doing the things you can do, living life the way you ought to and taking on new opportunities in every area of life.

Having or feeling fears sometimes doesn't necessarily mean you lack faith. It simply shows we are humans who respond to situations where fear is present.

According to Nelson Mandela "Courage is not the absence of fear but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid but he who conquers it.

Andrew Moroz once said "To deny the presence of fear is not spiritual maturity - It is simply lying to yourself."

In most cases, it is in fear of something happening or not happening we acknowledge the existence of faith trusting God to help us pull through the negative circumstance.

With faith, we know God already is in the future. Before the problem He had the solution of whatever we may be facing. 

The Psalmist said in Psalm 23:4 "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

The courage to face and overcome fears in negative situations is usually fuelled by our faith in God to overcome.

In place of fear we can always have faith. In the midst of fear, even the smallest of faith like that of a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20) can deliver us from the claws of fear.

In the midst of fear, faith energises us, our strength is renewed and our trust, confidence and dependence rests on God alone.

While these two forces can't cohabit or coexist together because where there is faith, fear is driven away and where there is fear, faith seems so far away, they still have striking similarities.

SIMILARITIES BETWEEN FEAR AND FAITH

WHAT WE FEAR AND WHAT WE BELIEVE ARE YET TO BECOME A REALITY

In most cases, the things we are afraid of are fictions of our minds and imaginations that are yet to come into reality likewise what we believe - our faith. 

For instance, It is either you are afraid of the outcome of  a job interview coming out bad or you are hopeful and believe that it would turn out just fine like you want before it becomes a reality.

THEY BOTH HAVE THE POWER TO BRING INTO REALITY WHAT YOU CONCEIVE

If you think the worst can happen then it can happen but if you hope for the best then the best would happen as well. 

Job said in Job 3:25 that "What I feared has come upon me; What I dreaded has happened to me." The mind is a powerful tool and our most valuable asset that can direct the course of lives positively or negatively. So you decide which stays resident in your mind - faith or fear.

THEY BOTH HAVE THE ABILITY TO GROW

Fear and faith have the ability to grow if you feed them. You either feed your fears or you feed your faith. 

What you feed is what keeps growing in your head. Job in the Bible fed his fears until they grew so strong and became a reality in his life. Feed what you want to become a reality.

As a public Speaker, I once went blank on stage  and it was very obvious. Till date, anytime  I remember that event, my heart skips. 

If am invited to come speak at an event, my heart skips for fear of another failure. If am writing and remember it, my heart still skips, I have never worn same cloth I wore that day for the event till date because it reminds me of that awful day but doesn't stop me from doing what I love doing -writing and speaking.

I have been invited to speak at other events after then and they all turned out great because I conquered the fear of another failure. I fed my faith and not my fear. You too can do the same thing. 

No matter how afraid you might be, give life one more shot despite the fears - don't be scared of going for an interview one time, don't be scared of giving that relationship one more shot, don't scared of going into a new relationship despite the hurts and betrayals from past relationships - give love one more chance - don't be scared of taking that risk in business and don't be scared to pursue your dreams one more time.

Keep feeding your faith and not your fears. The fear may be there but you can always do it afraid with the faith inside of you  - even if its a tiny faith - and see the outcome turn out great. 

God said in 2 Timothy 1:7 that He has not given us the spirit of fear but of sound mind. Truth is God never gives us more than we can handle. The fear you are experiencing can be overcomed with faith.

So stop panicking in fear. Your breath every now and then is indicative of the fact that you can always rise above the occasion again and again, day in day out with faith well fed through God's promises in the scriptures. 

Quote for the day - "The time of fear is the time to trust." - John Macbeath

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