Monday, September 13, 2010

Walking by Faith or In Fear?

2 Timothy 1:7, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (NKJV)

Recently, I was privy to a discussion among Believers in a Bible study setting and they were talking about the escalation of crime in the surrounding areas and of the precautions they were taking. For about 20-30 minutes they recounted the various shootings and deaths that had taken place recently and how they can't even feel safe when their children's friends visit their homes, etc.

Let me first say that I understand and that we must use wisdom. However, my response was a little different. I felt as though all the talk of what the enemy was doing was generating fear which puts us, as Believers, on the defensive and not on the offensive as I believe we should be as children of God. I don't know about you, but I'm sick of being put on the defensive.

As I shared with them, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Furthermore, greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. Yes, we must use wisdom, but my fear is not the enemy, but that we as God's children, as the Church, as the Body of Christ, are cowering instead of attacking. We're succumbing to the schemes of Satan not destroying them. We've become too much of a social club. It bothers me that we can have churches on so many corners and little change in the communities around us. We're weak. We have a lot of programs but little power.

Doesn't your heart cry out? My prayer on January 1st this year was, "Lord, teach me to walk in the power of your Holy Spirit." I want to grow to the next level. When I think of the power houses of the Bible, they were ordinary men and women that God used to bring about change in the earth. They had to face the evils of their day and overcome them. Remember the Israelite army and how they cowered before Goliath and the Philistines in 1 Samuel 17? God used a boy, David, with no military experience, but he had personally experienced God's power in helping him to destroy a lion and a bear. He was full of faith in God to help him destroy this giant as well.

Remember Gideon? He was scared at first to do what the Lord was telling him to do, so he did it at night when his family and the men of the town were not watching. But God saw something in Gideon and used him mightily. Remember Jesus' disciples? They were bold and strong when Christ walked with them, but they all fled when Jesus was arrested and crucified. When the Holy Spirit came upon them, however,  in Acts 2, they received power to change the world around them. Some did so boldly through the preaching of the good news. Some did so through giving, some through prayer, some through hospitality, but all that received the power of the Holy Spirit were moved by the Spirit to share the good news through whatever gift the Holy Spirit had given them and make a difference in the Kingdom of God.

We're in the last days. We are not a defeated church, we are a victorious church. Our minds must be renewed and we need the baptism of the Holy Spirit to fill us with the power we need to be able to stand and do His work in these last and evil days. Ephesians 6:10 (NIV) says,

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground and after you have done everything, to stand."

Pray for what God would have you do, then pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to enable you to do it. Every day we're in a battle. Satan is seeking whom he may devour and he uses our loved ones, our co-workers, our friends, our neighbors, rush hour traffic, or circumstances that occur throughout the day. Remember, we are not fighting against flesh and blood. Don't be ignorant of the devil's schemes. But know this, you are more than a conqueror, for greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world! Walk by faith and not in fear.
Soar

8 comments:

  1. Wow! Powerful post! Just what I needed to read. Very often fear overtakes me for no reason at all. It is nothing but the enemy as you have stated. As long as we're walking in the power of the Holy Spirit and in God's will, we have nothing to fear.

    We need to pray for our communities, our families and for our protection as we go about our day every day. God promises to protect us from all harm and danger (Psalm 91). All throughout the bible, God says "Fear not." We need to be more cognizant of God's presence and in constant communion with Him in order for fear to flee! Amen my sister!

    I just wrote about how the power of God can move the mountains in every aspect of our lives so we can live for Him and walk in His plan and purpose for our lives. Please visit my new post. Looking forward to your next post! :-)

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  2. Hi Beverly -

    GOD is truly the Master Planner...

    For the second time, you and I posted similar
    postings. Tonight I posted "NO FEAR HERE" on www.lioneaglesoar.blogspot.com and later came here to your blog and noticed that we both posted on fear this week.

    The Lord obviously is stressing the matter of forsaking fear...

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  3. We are more than conquerors. Good word!

    http://youcanfacetodaybecausehelives.blogspot.com

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  4. B. - I just found your blog! Oh, powerful words! I have enjoyed reading all your posts, but this one was INSPIRING! YES, my heart cries out...I want to be brave, I want to be strong - I want the POWER of the Holy Spirit! I agree with you, I believe we're in the last days...and I want to take a stand and speak out for the Lord! I want to "soar like an eagle."
    Thank you for this post - a rallying cry for all of us to walk by faith, not fear!

    ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS!

    p.s. I am gladly becoming a follower of yours - and looking forward to more of your writing. Please feel free to come over and visit me, too!

    BLESSINGS to you!

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  5. What a blessing and encouragement you guys are. Thank you.

    Please forgive me for not being more current on posts and comments. This month is crunch time for the publishing of my first book, "Celebrating Men." Hence, I've been a little delayed in my responses. I should be back on track soon.

    God Bless!

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  6. Hi Beverly,

    I did not read this post yesterday when I visited, but I do recognize the similarities in what we both emphasize; too many Christians are living in fear for their lives.

    I believe this type of fear is rooted in unbelief and a lack of trust. It is exemplified by the ten spies who gave a bad report (Numbers 13), resulting in widespread fear, panic, and unbelief within the nation of Israel. Fear operates like a viral disease that spreads rapidly.

    The resounding message from God throughout scripture is, "Do not fear...do not be afraid...I am with you" The issue for me then is, Do I believe God or my eyes?

    Since the word teaches that I must walk by faith and not by sight, I will trust God. The outcome of events becomes irrelevant to me because trusting God is paramount.

    This is what I understood when the Holy Spirit led me to Daniel (Chapter 3). The response to king Nebuchadnezzar by Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego clearly indicates that their position of faithfully trusting God was not rooted in being delivered from a painful fiery death. This is what the apostle Paul must have recognized when he encouraged the believers to "present your bodies as a living sacrifice..."

    As believers in Christ, we must move from the place of fear to the position of faith.

    I pray you find favor and success with the publication of your book. It is particularly encouraging to find an African American publishing for the Christian community.

    I've only begun my journey of writing but I believe the Lord has given me a passion to write. Whether that leads me in the direction of publication is not important or relevant at this point; I have much to learn.

    Blessings and peace.

    MTJ

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  7. You write well MTJ. Just be obedient with what he's given you to do now, as indeed you are doing. Your one step of faith and obedience will open unexpected doors.

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