Living by fear of by faith?

Fear seeks to pull the rug from under our feet while faith will help you find a rock to stand on. Here are some thoughts for anyone seeking to step out in faith

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I find it quite easy to write about fear and faith. Every day there is fresh opportunity to practise faith while fear is not far away seeking to pull the rug from under my feet. That’s why fear seems very familiar. I might even be an expert in the subject. When it comes to faith though, I am an amateur. I have a lot to learn.

How about you? Is there anything you’re afraid of this week? What about any of these: 

-You need to do a presentation at work and you’re not sure how it’s going to go
-You have just moved to a new area and turning up at the local church and wondering what it will be like
-You have an idea for a new project or business but not sure if you’re just making it up in your head
-You feel like you want to create content on social media but not sure if anyone will like it or whether it will be shot down
-You have an idea to connect with people in your neighbourhood but not sure how it will be received
-You want to write a book, but not sure how you’re going to find the time to manage it all
-You’ve been reading about the coming recession and not sure if your job is secure and what your finances will look like

“Fear seems very familiar. I might even be an expert in the subject. When it comes to faith though, I am an amateur. I have a lot to learn. ”

In all of these instances, there is an element of unknown. You don’t know how things are going to pan out because you’re this side of what feels like a challenge. You have an opportunity to shrink back in fear or step out in faith. To live by fear or live by faith.

I’ve been struck by the story of the Israelites after they were set free from slavery in Egypt. While in bondage, God says to them:

‘I am the Lord, I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm … I will take you as My people and I will be your God’ - Exodus 6.6

This seems pretty straightforward in my mind. If God says it, then it must be happening, right? Poor old Israelites. They spend a lot of their journey to the promised land in fear of the unknown. This was manifested in different ways but exposed their lack of trust in God. In the end, only a few of those who came out of Egypt actually stepped into the promised land. Someone once said, ‘it took one day for Israel to come out of Egypt, but 40 years for Egypt to come out of Israel’.

A lot of what seemed to drive the Israelites was fear rather than faith which is perhaps why so many times God speaks to them and says, ‘do not be terrified ... the Lord your God who is going before you will fight for you…’ (Deuteronomy 1.29).

“ Someone once said, ‘it took one day for Israel to come out of Egypt, but 40 years for Egypt to come out of Israel’.”

When faced with an unknown especially when reputation, finances, careers feel like they are on the line, it can be  left the familiar and facing the unknown, it's easy to be afraid. It feels uncomfortable and unfamiliar. We feel out of control and that can cause anxiety.

God doesn’t call us to a life of fear though, he calls us to a life of faith and trust in him. In fact ‘having faith in’ can be translated, ‘trust in’, ‘lean on’, ‘rely upon’. In these instances we have fresh opportunities to trust in and rely upon and lean on the Lord. If we sense he is leading us forward, just as he was the Israelites, then there is every reason to trust in and lean on the Lord. We can have every confidence in him that He is 'going before us'. That He is preparing the way. I find such comfort in these verses.

When I’m tempted to worry about the unknowns both of this season, but more generally in life too, I can remind myself that God is going before me. If He’s preparing the way, then I just need to follow him one step at a time. He is the good shepherd who provides for us (Ps 23.1); who leads us (Ps 23.2), who guides us (Ps 23.3), who protects us (Ps 23.4), who comforts us (Ps 23.4). As I reflect on that I find faith rising in my bones. How about you?

Here are some suggestions for what you might do to take the next step of faith: 

1.Invite one or two trusted friends into the journey

Let them in on your fears. Ask for their counsel. Get them to pray for you. So many times I have found this is such an extraordinary source of blessing that has strengthened my own faith.

2.Spend time in worship and prayer

It’s a battle ground. How did the walls of Jericho come down? As they worshipped. Come before God in worship. Bring your battles before the Lord. Let him fight for you. 

3.Present your requests

Philippians 4.6-7 says ‘don’t be anxious about anything, but by prayer and petition present your requests to God and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus’. Paul wrote those verses while in Prison. He could only comfort the church in Philippi from that place because he had first received the comfort and peace of Christ right there in his cell. Bring your prayers, all kinds of prayers and requests to God.

4.Break it down

Whatever is in front of you can seem like a mountain. But as anyone who climbs Everest will tell you, they didn’t do it all in one go. They did it in stages, one step at a time. What of that the thing that’s in front of you can be broken down into steps or stages? Taking the examples from above, if you need to do a presentation at work, you don’t start with the presentation, you start with the preparation. You gather the information, plan out your slides, make the slides, practise the delivery, refine the delivery and then deliver the presentation. That’s a total of six steps. Maybe you could use the same principle for the thing that’s confronting you today? Invite the Lord into every step.

Let me know if any of this has been useful or interesting. Equally if you’re reading this and have your own practical ideas that might help people take a step of faith I would love to hear them. Feel free to post your comments below so others can read too.