).png)
Week Two:
It’s Necessary to Choose Faith Over Fear:
The Bible challenges you because God knows human beings are prone to be afraid. You are not living in some small little scarce world of resources. God has all that you need. If you look at your life from a scarcity mentality you are going directly opposite of all that the Bible teaches of what a follower of Christ looks like. We are people who give, we are people who share, we are people who believe that God provides. Where God guides God provides. I have seen it over and over again in my own life and in many people’s lives. You have to have an abundance mentality in which you believe God has plenty for everyone. You don’t have to live your life protecting your little piece fearful that somebody else might take it. Think in terms of how it is that fear breeds a scarcity mentality and how that mentality goes against what God wants for your life. Welcome in what Jesus said about the abundant life that He has for you. Whatever it is you need God can provide it for you and now it is time to test your faith. If you claim to be a follower of Christ, this is your greatest hour to actually put into practice what you claim to believe.
Will you live by fear or faith? What is it going to be? You can make fear based decisions or you can make faith based decisions. You will look back on those faith based decisions and you will see how God provided, and you will be so pleased that you put your trust in God and did not give into fear. There are so many being blindsided by this coronavirus pandemic has felt like a perfect storm of turmoil. At the eye of this storm is the virus itself. As unknown and uncontrollable as it is dangerous, it is a manifestation of the sum of humanity’s greatest fear, true vulnerability. Many believers feel that in a state of dismay or distress which leads may down the path of darkness. As darkness can be defined as the absence of light, fear can be defined as the absence of control. It’s almost as if fear is the vacuum created by control vacating space. Fear is spreading and it is spreading throughout this country and world. When you give into fear, you do nothing to help yourself and you do many things that can harm yourself and harm your future. You must believe that pressure doesn’t make the person it reveals the person. How you respond to these challenging times is huge for you. “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1(NKJV). You control your response to what is happening. What I can tell you is that God has always provided and He always will. To those who claim to be followers of Christ, this is your finest hour to show what you say you believe. If we are people of Faith, then it is now time to exercise that faith. Are you going to stand strong or are you going to give in to anxiety and fear?
There was an element of fear in these responses. Living in fear is draining, exhaustive, and crippling. Faith, on the other hand, produces the opposite effects - rejuvenation, revitalization, and growth. I would like to suggest we live by faith instead. Fear is the opposite of faith. If we only trust in the things that we can see in this world we will be fearful. On a regular basis, we are dealing with terrorism - domestic and international, economic downturns, natural disasters, health scares, unemployment. We are consumed by what the future will look like for our children. There is always something to worry about! However, the Bible provides excellent comfort on why we need not live in fear. So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you. “The Lord will give them over to you, that you may do to them according to every commandment which I have commanded you. Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you” Deuteronomy 31:6 (NKJV). Ultimately, when we are fearful or living in fear, we are only relying on ourselves, and we know our limitations. We think with a limited mindset. But God is not like that - He's not like us in this regard - He is above all, understands all, and controls it all. Instead of relying on my limited self, I will trust and hold on to an unlimited God and in so doing live by faith instead of fear. If we are ever in fearful situations, the Lord will give us the faith and corresponding actions, to make the best decisions at the time.