Of Faith or Fear - Part 1

Thank you Lord for allowing us to meet as a band of brothers and sisters, as like minded men and women who link together within the body of Christ to influence our surroundings not with our righteousness, but with your righteousness. Thank you Lord for reminding us that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man  or woman availeth much and for your blessed assurance that there is no fear in love, for perfect love casts out fear.

This week Michael writes that words reveal the heart of a person. It's not what goes into your mouth that defiles an individual, but that which comes out. Jesus taught a parable about a master who gave his servants talents (money) to manage. To one he gave five talents, to another he gave two, and to the third he gave one talent. The servants to whom he gave five and two talents both doubled their talents by the time their master returned. The master praised each of them, "well done thou good and faithful servant. Thou has been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things; enter thou into  the joy of the Lord."  The one who received one talent buried his talent and gave it back to the master when he returned. He said to his master, "I knew that you were a hard taskmaster, reaping what you have not sown and gathering where you have not planted. So in fear I buried your talent and have returned back to you that which is yours. This servant made a fear- based decision instead of a faith-based decision. The master said to him, "you wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gathered where I have not planted. You should at least have put the talent in the bank so that it would earn interest. Therefore, take the one talent that you buried in fear and give it to the faithful servant who has ten." The Lord has given each of us resources to allow the Master to bless us back abundantly when we invest wisely and in faith according to His purposes. That which is done in “believing faith” reaps rewards in eternity. Fear-based decisions result in weeping and gnashing of teeth.  

The only way to experience the love of God is to allow God to break you so that you can be reconciled back to Him. We must first experience a “Gethsemane” in order to experience the hope of the resurrection. Many years ago, when a pastor was in the father's waiting room, and the doctors told him that his baby might not live, God asked him, "no matter what happens to your wife and your baby, will you still love me, praise me, and serve me?"  These are the times that try our soul.  In the midst of adversity, will you be a man or woman of faith or fear?  When the doctor came back into the waiting room and said, "I'm sorry, we lost the baby," this cataclysmic event forced him to seek comfort in the Lord. The next few weeks, as he sought the Lord in faith, were the times of the greatest spiritual comfort in his life.

Let’s continue Michael message on faith and fear tomorrow,

In Christ, Brian