Faith 2: Faith Over Fear
The last time we discussed faith, we talked about what “faith is not”.
In this blog post, we will be talking about faith over fear. It is very important, as we discussed last time, that we understand faith is knowledge based, or rather, word based.
Let us paint a quick scenario. A father told his child that he would get him a tablet if he aced his examinations. The main reason the child would believe his father is primarily because of “what he said,” and also because the father is capable of doing it. We can liken this scenario to God, and we have faith or believe in Him because of what He has said and also because He is capable. And of course, God’s word is seen in Scripture.
The book of Hebrews speaks about the “heroes” or “patriarchs of faith,” and among them is Abraham.
Hebrews 11:17-19
[17] By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, [18] even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” [19] Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
And so we see in that verse that Abraham acted by faith because of what the Lord had said about his promised child, and he also knew that God is able to raise him up.
Hebrews 11:7
[7] By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
Another example here is Noah. Noah never even smelt the scent of rain when God told him to build the ark because of the coming flood, but he acted in faith because of what God had told him about it.
Where am I going with all this?
We can consistently see in Scripture that those who acted in faith, or had faith in the Lord, did so because of what God had told them and because of the knowledge that He is capable.
As believers, we should hold on to the word of God above everything else, above fear, above bad circumstances, above any situation, because of what God has said concerning us or to us, whether through the word, through revelation, or in other ways, and also because God has a “track record” of keeping His promises, and because He is capable.
The Bible says,
Romans 4:20-21
[20] Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, [21] being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
Contextually, this verse speaks of how Abraham trusted the Lord and held on to His promises, and this is a reminder for us to do the same.
God does not go back on His word, and so we can be rest assured. The Bible says,
Numbers 23:19
[19] God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
Have faith in God, above all fears!
Faith 2: Faith Over Fear
