Faith over Fear 8-Week Challenge: Day 16

Week Four:

Let your Faith be Bigger than your Fear:

The story of Daniel in the lion’s den had taken on a whole new meaning in my life when dealing with fear and anxiety, and through the story of Daniel, God moves me forward into His continued peace. When faced with something that makes me feel uncomfortable, I look to God and I think of Daniel. Like sitting with lions, I can also sit with whatever is before me now. Whether it’s a global scare or just nagging anxiety, fear is not fun. But dwelling in the presence of God allows for fearless living. As the Bible story goes in the book of Daniel 6: Daniel was one of three presidents that King Darius had chosen for his kingdom because of his “excellent spirit.” Jealousy and hatred caused other officers to conspire against Daniel. Knowing of his deep devotion to God, the officers created a law, which they persuaded the king to sign, saying that anyone found worshiping anything but the king for the next 30 days would be thrown into the lions’ den.Daniel knew about this law, but “prayed before his God” anyway, as he always had done. He worshiped faithfully and openly in the presence of God and man, not out of spite, but because putting God first was the most natural thing for him, even at the risk of losing his life. Lying in wait, his conspirators threw him in the den. Fear is not your portion. It is not your birthright. You have been given everything you need to overcome fear and it all starts with God’s promises. There is so much fear right now. So many questions about the future. When will they find a cure for the coronavirus? Will the kids be able to go back to school to finish the school year? What will the summer look like? How many will be affected and will someone I know get it? “So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. Then these men said, “We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God” Daniel 6:4-5 (NKJV).

Although, you may have been emotionally beaten down. Then, over time, that emotional upheaval can steal your sense of value, self-worth or well-being. Possibly, you’ve been going through difficulties, and often pangs of fear come into your mind. Or, you might be continually beating yourself up for past mistakes. And, thus, obliterating who you are and what you can accomplish for the future. Then, expecting the worse and going over all the reasons why your situation won’t work out, those negative, inner voices may tell you,“You’re not going to get ahead,” “You won’t get well,” “It’s too late, you are all done,” or “It’s so unfair, you’ll never be happy again.” There is another reality to my feeling of dread one cannot escape; there is no more denying that our world is unsafe and bad things can happen virtually anytime and anywhere.Sometimes, it can be a constant inner struggle or battle against discouragement and fear. One small negative, fearful thought can expand and multiply and grow out of proportion. Fear and uncertainty. Fear is everywhere right now and the enemy is trying to use it to steal your joy and make you forget who and whose you are. Because fear trickles into every crack in our life, and it can spread like wildfire. But just as fear is contagious so is hope. So is light. Hope and joy is our birthright, given to us by God Almighty and we should not let anyone or anything take it away from us. Fearful thoughts can be overwhelming and intimidating. They can dominate your thoughts and increase, compound, and build up over time. Fear can make things look bigger than they really are now. “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith” Romans 1:17 (NKJV).

Facing unknowns is very difficult. In the face of an epidemic, we are uncertain how to respond. Threatened by contagion, terrified by unknown risks, we move into survival mode. We worry, we ruminate and we have the urge to connect and the fear of contamination. We want to lock the door; but fear isolation. We become saturated with media warnings and shaken by shards of frightening information and even conspiracy theories. Fear can pull us into anger and blame that rarely takes away risk and uncertainty. If anything, it exhausts our resources for planning and coping. Today, break away from the fear and what’s holding you back. Release the weight of it. This is your time; it’s your day to be set free. God tells us how to be in peace. “You will keep him in perfect peace,Whose mind is stayed on You,Because he trusts in You” Isaiah 26:3(NKJV). Thus, do not measure problems according to your own abilities. Instead, hand situations that you cannot manage yourself over to God and He will do the rest. When you wake up each morning, keep God foremost in your mind. Pause to pray and praise Him. Then, during the day, ponder upon God’s presence and know that He is with you wherever you go. Don’t let your imagination run wild, or allow negative images to play like an old movie in your mind. If something happens that causes you to worry, refuse to give in to it. Rather, build your faith by replacing fears by verbally reciting God’s truths: Cast your cares on God, for He will intervene, meet your needs and bring all things together for your highest good. It is only a matter of time before circumstances turn around. There is nothing too big or so broken that God cannot renew and restore it. And you will not only regain what you have lost, but in addition, God will give you much more. Boldly choose to live each day full of hope, joy and peace. Regardless of what you’re up against, God is saying to you today, “Do not be afraid.” “Be strong and courageous.” “Fear not.” “You can trust me.” Let your faith be bigger than your fear. You’re near to the success you seek in all areas of your life. So take a single, courageous step forward into the amazing future of blessings God has in store for you. “So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord” ​2 Corinthians 5:6-8 (NKJV).