This week, Michael writes that Christian author Oswald Chambers said, when the crisis comes and courage is required, God expects his people to have such confidence in them that they will be the reliable and dependable ones. A crisis is a difficult situation that could deteriorate into a cataclysmic life changing event. A crisis produces an unstable series of events with the distinct possibility of an undesirable outcome. How do you get to the place where you will be the reliable one?
The Psalms say, He who fears the Lord will have no fear of bad news. There are many worldly reasons to be afraid. However, the most frequent command in the Bible is, “Fear not.” According to Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” To resolve a crisis of fear, we must pray as Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, “not my will but thine be done.” Pastor Charles Spurgeon’s devotional said, “You ought not fear the arrival of bad news for if you are distressed by it, how are you different from the world?” We have a new life in Christ and an eternal perspective. Others have not proven his faithfulness as God has proven to you over and over that He is faithful to His word. Your heart is hidden with Christ in God. If you are fearful of the things of this world, then you have believed the devil’s lies instead of the truth of the Word of God that says there is no fear in love.
Every decision is based on either faith or fear. God never honors fear. He always honors faith. According to Hebrews 11:1, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen.” Faith is the blessed assurance in the object of faith. According to Proverbs 3, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path.” The decision to forgive others is a faith-based decision according to the mind of Christ. Peter asked Jesus, how many times shall I forgive my brother who has wronged me? Should I forgive him seven times? Peter thought that this would go far beyond the requirement of the Old Testament law that said forgive him three times. Jesus said don’t forgive him seven times but seventy times seven. God’s grace and mercy is unlimited.
According to 1 Timothy 2, God’s desire is that all men and women would be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth. For those who are unsaved, God’s desire is for salvation. For those who are saved, God’s desire is that they would come unto the knowledge of the truth. There are two diagnostic questions to determine if an individual is saved. The first is, where do you think you will go when you die? If the person says, I think I’ll go to heaven, the next diagnostic question is, why do you think you’ll go to heaven? Most people will say that the good they have done in this life outweighs the bad and because of their good works, the scale would tip toward heaven. However, according to Ephesians 2:8, for by grace are you saved through faith (in Jesus Christ) and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works lest any man should boast.
Despite the injustice of this world and the inability of the authorities to uphold God’s righteous standards, God exhorts us in Ephesians 6 to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. Isaiah 40 says they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. Instead of being imprisoned by the bondage of fear, stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Oswald Chambers said, If God needs to break your heart so that you will learn that you are insufficient in your own power, then thank him for breaking your heart.
Saints have often sung praises to God in the hottest fires. In firm reliance on God’s faithful promise, let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. The wisdom and understanding of God and His word will keep us from confusion, doubt, worry, and fear. Feed your faith and your fears will starve. Set your affection on things above and not on the things of this world. Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
English writer, philosopher, and lay theologian, GK Chesterton said, courage is almost a contradiction. A soldier in a crisis must have a furious indifference to his own life. He must consider his own life not dear unto himself. When a soldier dies to himself, then he can proceed with courage in the face of enemy fire. Then the mission becomes more precious than the soldier’s own life. The paradox is that there is safety in courage when a soldier surrenders himself and is willing to sacrifice his own life for his brothers in arms and the success of his mission. The life-threatening danger is cowardice and fear. In fear, a warrior becomes a target of enemy fire. There is much greater safety in a soldier’s confidence and bold resolve to accomplish his mission.
The apostle Paul said, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. He had resolved in his heart that he was already dead to this world to live for Christ ... For I was crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me, and the life that I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Only when we die to self can we live for Christ. The word of God is full of paradoxes. The ultimate victory is in total surrender to the Lord.
The fear, awe, respect, and reverence of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. There is no fearfulness in the love of God, for perfect love casts out fear because fear in the negative sense has torment. He who fears is not made perfect in love. The promise that God made to Joshua 1:9 still holds true: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” … that with believing faith, we may ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Let's continue with the second part of Michaels message on faith and fear in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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