Faith over Fear 8-Week Challenge: Day 6 (Part One)

Week One:

The Expression of Faith:

Expression of faith helps us understand that faith gives feet to belief. This means that faith is the active expression of what you truly believe about God. However, if you have the idea that He sits in some far-off place called heaven and only half-heartedly listens to your prayers, then that will reveal itself in your day-to-day walk of faith. Your God will seem small, powerless and disinterested, who leaves you feeling helpless and hopeless in times of distress. Abraham’s actions demonstrated that he had a very large view of God and complete confidence in His faithfulness. Although, the patriarch misjudged how the Lord would rescue Isaac, it was evident that he knew God would fulfill His promise and make provisions for him and his family. Abraham’s faith was perfected or made complete when he demonstrated willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to the Lord.“Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?” James 2:21-22 (NKJV). Faith and fear cannot exist together. Faith is described in Hebrews 11:1 as being “certain of what we do not see.” It is an absolute belief that God is constantly working behind the scenes in every area of our lives, even when there is no tangible evidence to support that fact. On the other hand, fear, simply stated, is unbelief or weak belief. As unbelief gains the upper hand in our thoughts, fear takes hold of our emotions. Our deliverance from fear and worry is based on faith, which is the very opposite of unbelief. We need to understand that faith is not something that we can produce in ourselves.

Faith is a gift and faithfulness is described as a fruit (or characteristic) that is produced in our lives by the Holy Spirit.“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” Galatians 5:22–23 (NKJV). The Christian’s faith is a confident assurance in a God who loves us, who knows our thoughts, and who cares about our deepest needs. That faith continues to grow as we study the Bible and learn the attributes of His amazing character. The more we learn about God, the more we can see Him working in our lives and the stronger our faith grows. A growing faith is what we desire to have and what God desires to produce in us. But how, in day-to-day life, can we develop a faith that conquers our fears? The Bible says, Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God we believe, stand and trust God in all His promises.“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” Romans 10:17 (NKJV). The careful study of God’s Word is of primary importance in developing a strong faith. God wants us to know Him and completely rely on His direction in our lives. It’s through the hearing, reading, and meditation in the Scriptures that we begin to experience a strong, confident faith that excludes worry and fear. Spending time in prayer and quiet worship develops a relationship with our heavenly Father that sees us through even the darkest of nights. In the Psalms we see a picture of David, who, like us, experienced times of fear. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” Psalm 56:3 (NKJV). This text reveals God's faith and our trust in Him. The Biblical text: Psalm 119 is filled with verses expressing the way in which David treasured God’s Word: “I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands” (verse 10); “I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways” (verse 15); “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (verse 11). These are revealing words which speak wisdom to us today.God is kind and understanding toward our weaknesses, but He requires us to go forward in faith, and the Bible is clear that faith does not mature and strengthen without trials.

Adversity is God’s most effective tool to develop a strong faith. That pattern is evident in Scripture. God takes each one of us through fearful situations, and, as we learn to obey God’s Word and allow it to saturate our thoughts, we find each trial becomes a stepping stone to a stronger and deeper faith. It gives us that ability to say, “He sustained me in the past, he’ll carry me through today and he’ll uphold me in the future!” God worked this way in David’s life. When David volunteered to fight against Goliath, he said,“The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine”. To have faith is to defy logic. It takes faith to think positively. It takes faith to believe that there is a loving God who cares deeply about our pain. To believe in life, the universe, or yourself after numerous failures is to have courage. Faith is an act of courage, while choosing to get up in the morning and face our fears and believe that God will help us. Faith is choosing to believe that even though we may have failed one hundred times before that we can succeed the next time.“Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”1 Samuel 17:37 (NKJV). David knew the God who had sustained him through dangerous situations in the past. He had seen and experienced God’s power and protection in his life, and this developed within him a fearless faith.The Word of God is rich with promises for us to take hold of and claim for ourselves. As a Christian, we profess faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, but it's by our actions that we prove our faith is genuine. When God says not to be anxious about our physical needs, do we trust Him, or do we worry about our finances as we watch the economy fluctuate? Is our prayer our first reaction to a problem, or are we more prone to rely on ourselves for a solution? How confident are we more prone to rely on ourselves for a solution? How confident are we that the Bible is true and God will do what He's said?

When we face financial trouble,“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 (NKJV). If we are anxious about a future decision, Psalm 32:8 reminds us that God will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. In sickness we can remember that Romans 5:3–5 says, “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” If God is for us who can be against us! Throughout life we will continue to face various trials that would cause us fear, but God assures us that we can know a calm peace through every situation.“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” . “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:7 (NKJV). Believers must consider what your actions say about your perception of God. If you believe that the Lord is who He has revealed Himself to be in the Scriptures, then your life will show evidence of your faith. You’ll confront sin, pursue godliness, worship God with reverence, seek to obey Him fully, and be confident of His love for you.