By Pastor Anthony Scott
A massive circus elephant was once tied to an eighteen-inch stake. Many onlookers were dismayed, wondering why he couldn’t pull it out of the ground and be free? Certainly he could, but he tried when he was a small and was unsuccessful. Therefore the elephant concluded that he could never pull it out of the ground. So there he stood a massive creature capable of lifting whole trees, yet held captive by a puny stake. What small stake could faith release you from? What paralyzing fear do you need to conquer with faith?
Fear can be defined as an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger. Fear can also be described as reverential awe in the presence of deity. Faith on the other hand means fidelity to ones promises and a belief or trust in God.
Isaiah 41:10 proclaims, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand.”
There are certain facts about fear that faith helps us to overcome. We need not fear anyone. The Lord is our light and our salvation (Ps. 27:1). We need not fear anything. God is our refuge and strength a helper who is always found in times of trouble (Ps. 46:1). We need not fear darkness or violence. You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day (Ps. 91:5). We also have no need to fear bad news. He will not fear bad news; his heart is confident, trusting in the Lord.
The key to conquering our fears with faith is to learn the secret of trusting Him day by day. What is the believer to do when health, relationships, and finances are out of sorts? How do we trust Him amid the worst of personal storms?
First the Bible says to Fret not (Ps. 37:1). Fret is akin to the word friction. Friction causes destructive heat, it wears away, irritates, and annoys. The heat of such friction does not generate power instead it wears us down. Fretting has a destructive and progressive effect. Secondly, the Bible says Fear not. We often fear we will lose the things we have or be denied the things we want. Remember the Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the earlier (Job 42:12). He will always richly supply all of your needs (Phil. 4:19). Finally, the Bible says Faint not (Isa. 40:31). Fainting means giving in and giving up. Don’t give up or throw in the towel. Trust and believe to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Let your heart be strong and wait on the Lord.
A man was walking along a narrow path, not paying much attention to where he was going. Suddenly he slipped over the edge of a cliff. As he fell, he clung desperately to a branch. Realizing he couldn’t hang on for long, he called for help. Is anybody up there? A voice replied, “Yes”. Who’s that? The voice responded, “The Lord”. Lord help me. The voice said, “Do you trust me?” I trust you completely Lord. The Lord said, “Good, let go of the branch”. What? “I said let go of the branch.” After a long pause, the man finally said, Is anybody else up there? THERE IS NO ONE ELSE UP THERE, TRUST HIM!
An inspirational thought to help you through the week.
