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FAITH CONQUERS FEAR
by Shirleen Mitchell
Faith is a state that I constantly desire to walk in, I’ve found that with faith, nothing (no thing) is impossible. 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
So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20 NKJV
Sometimes I trip and fall, losing my sense of direction in faith but with God’s help and my perseverance I get back on track. There are many, many benefits to exercising faith, I personally have grown spiritually, experienced a closer relationship with God, received healings and miracles. For we walk by faith and not by sight. 2Corinthians 5:7 NKJV
Faith is defined in the dictionary as confident belief in the truth, value or trustworthiness of a person, an idea, or a thing; belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence; secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance of God’s will. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
Daily I find myself coming face to face in some way with fear. I know that I’ve been delivered from the spirit of fear but maintaining against the bondage that it causes is a battle for me. Fear is a feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by present or imminent danger. I’ve never received a positive outcome from experiencing fear, only stress, worry, horror, panic and disappointment. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but power and of love and of a sound mind. II Timothy 1:7 NKJV
I begin my day by thanking God for awakening me with my mind and heart concentrating on Him. You see, I used to wake up depending on the alarm clock, with my mind on troubles and how I was going to solve the cares of my world. Now I know who I can actually depend on to solve all my concerns. “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 NKJV
I begin to speak faith into the impossibilities that I know I’ll face throughout the day. All the obstacles, even ones that I’m not even aware of, I give them to God with faith in advance that He may help me to overcome. But sometimes because I am Shirleen and not God, I come up against an obstacle that frightens me (obviously of mammoth proportion in my assumption) and fear attempts to dominate over faith. Reasoning with my own thinking and ability conclude that devastation is imminent. I’ll seek the opinion of other people who have minimal or no faith, and they usually confirm my worst fear. At that moment I’ve allowed faith to fade and fear to flourish.
How many of you have found yourselves in this same position? What do you do when you are at this point? Do we go to people for answers or help and spend money for temporal quick fixes or go to God and be lead to the permanent solution?
I want to share this example with you, as a parent, I often think on the safety of my children. Every morning I ask God to keep them safe as they proceed to school, work or just out socializing with friends. Sometimes as I’m going along with daily chores, I may by way of the news or newspaper view a misfortune that could pertain to my children being placed in harms way. From that incident I’ll begin to worry about their protection. In that time of fear and worry, I seem to forget about the promises of God for their lives and how I had already petitioned Him to keep them safe. I may call someone to share my apprehensions with but to no avail I don’t feel calmed. I know at this point I need to talk with my comforter. ...God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation... II Corinthians 1:3-4 NKJV
With prayer and scripture as the Holy Spirit leads, I stop focusing on fear and start exercising faith. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” Mark 4:40 NKJV
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17 NKJV
I realize that it is God who keeps them safe daily even when I may forget to ask Him. I truly believe that faith in God is as a rocket ignited by hope and once fired off it will destroy satan’s plot for fear every time! We all have an obstacle in our lives that carry the bondage of fear with it, so whatever your fear is, daily speak faith into it.
...With God all things are possible! Matthew 19:26 NKJV
I am determined to only fear God with reverence and love Him with all that I am. I will not allow satan to use fear as a stumbling block in my life anymore, but with God’s help and faith, fear will be a stepping stone! I desire to please God in all that I do!
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 NKJV
If you’ve been there, are there or may be going there, please feel free to share...
Shirleen@hearministries.net
We are free from bondage and victorious with God!
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