"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 NIV
I have always wanted to walk in faith, to live in faith, to be a woman of faith. It hasn't always been easy.
Anyone whose loved one struggles with addiction or behaves recklessly has felt fear, even terror, at times. We understand the feeling all too well. We are scared to death when the phone rings at an unexpected hour. Our heart sinks at every unannounced knock at the door. We lay awake imagining the worse-case scenarios.
Yep, that pretty much sums it up.
Even if you are not living with the chaos of addiction in your family, fear can take you hostage for so many reasons. Marriage problems, financial burdens, the state of our world, and so many other concerns fight to take up real estate in our minds.
Fear is demonstrated in us as:
Doubt
Pessimism
Insecurity
The Bible describes for us a better way of living, one with a mind trained to take on the concerns of this life with an attitude of faith. But what does faith look and feel like?
This verse describes faith as:
Confidence
Hope
Assurance
Not in what we see, but in what we do not see.
Which description best suits you right now? And how do you get from a place of fear to a place of faith?
The Bible gives us clear instruction on how to become women and men who live by faith in every situation, no matter how fearful it may be.
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17 NKJV
During this journey of life, there are two paths before us. We are called to make a choice and step out on one of them. We can choose the path of fear, doubt, pessimism, and insecurity. Or we can choose to step onto the path of faith, confidence, hope, and assurance.
It's really our own personal choice. It comes down to who we choose to identify with. Do we choose to identify with the world that calls us away from the truth, or do we choose to identify with Christ and the Word of Truth?
"For we walk by faith, not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV
God's plan for us from the beginning was to walk in truth and not be deceived by the enemy's lies. These lies cause us to worry and become agitated as they pull us away from the One who has promised to never leave us and to always strengthen us and guide us.
But in our minds we can doubt and be filled with angst over the smallest of decisions. We doubt because we have forgotten the sound of His voice.
The Word no longer brings us life and hope and love because it is drowned out by chaos, calamity, and the constant news that we should not hope because there is no hope!
Today is a day of choices. Living by faith takes determination. Living by fear is actually pretty easy because it comes so naturally to us. But we were not made to take the easy path. We were made to live by faith. Living by faith can be a very rough, rocky road to walk on at times.
Who and what do you choose to believe in today? Will you passively sit by and let the enemy of your soul steal your hope? Will you choose to live fearfully? Or, will you fearlessly fight to keep your faith? Will you hold onto the promises in God's word as if you were holding on for your very life, because you are?
There are two paths before you today. The path of Fearfulness and the path of Fearlessness.
You can pick up your baggage of burdens and walk the path of fearfulness, or you can hand that heavy load over to Jesus, let Him carry it, and walk the path of Fearlessness.
Your choice. Which will you choose?
Dear Lord,
Set your light upon the path of truth. May we walk closely with you as we grow in faith and surrender to your will. May we choose the path of faith instead of the path of fear. We know we will be scared at times, but even when we feel fear, we will still choose to listen to your voice and walk in faith.
Amen.
Beautiful Blessings, Dawn