Faith over Fear

“Faith over fear.”

I’ve seen this phrase everywhere lately—on blogs and social media posts, on artwork and t-shirts, in devotionals. It’s simple but deep … and much easier said than done.

Recently, I’ve been wrestling with feelings of being woefully unqualified, with inadequacy and self-doubt. Does anyone else feel like they’re totally winging it?

Maybe it’s about life in general or parenting or homeschooling during this pandemic or studying and teaching about God’s Word.

For me, it’s been all of those, and I’ve questioned and doubted not only myself but also the path I’ve been walking, one that I know God has set before me. I’ve been fearful over what I don’t know and anxious about being “found out,” as if I’m somehow doing this all wrong OR not far enough along in my faith journey to be writing about it.

My head knows these ideas and fears are very much unfounded, but my heart takes more convincing.

That’s a precarious place to be, isn’t it? Satan is cunning and patient. He waits for our vulnerabilities to show and then takes full advantage of them, whispering his lies about us and God, encouraging us to compare ourselves to people at completely different points in their own lives and walks of faith.

It’s certainly not the first time I’ve been here (and likely won’t be the last), and so I’ve learned over the years that the next place I should go—as quickly as possible—is to God … in prayer and in mediation and deep into His Word.

While my heart sometimes lags behind my head in receiving and believing what scripture says, my Abba Father always has Truth for me there that dispels the enemy’s lies and exposes his tricks.

I was reading a short devotional on YouVersion’s Bible app this morning, and it included this perfectly timed prayer:

“Jesus, thank You for conquering death for me. I’m thankful that nothing can separate me from Your love, and no mistake can disqualify me from Your plans. Today, remind me of who You’ve called me to be. And when I start to feel unworthy, help me remember to reflect on Your resurrection and rejoice that You alone are my salvation. I love You, and today I choose to follow You.”

Amen.

How very much I needed to say those words today! Unworthiness is another good word for what I’ve been battling, and I know it’s the enemy at work because my Jesus would never. Instead, He says,

“I was willing to die for you because I love you so much. You are worth it to me, I’ve got this, and that’s all that matters here. Follow me.”

Now, I’m no Moses but I do struggle with some of the same emotions and self-doubt that he did in Exodus:

“But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?’ He said, ‘But I will be with you, …’”‭‭

EXODUS‬ ‭3:11-12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Who am I that I should _________?” Have you ever asked this question?

I love God’s perfect reply to Moses: “But I will be with you.” The Lord didn’t even answer his question but, instead, brought Moses’s attention back to where it should have been all along—not on himself but on God.

When we truly know and remember the God who created and calls us, who is with us and goes before us, who fights for us and equips us, we can walk forward in confidence, not necessarily in ourselves but in the One who lives within us, who never fails and never leaves us, who redeems even our failures and worst hurts, who loves us more than we can comprehend.

His gift of grace, His power, His love is sufficient for us. Period. Even when we feel unprepared and unqualified for the things life throws at us. Even when He calls us to do something new that we feel less than ready to do.

And so I ask myself …

• Where is my faith placed right now? In myself or in Him?
• Who is really in control?
• Am I doing this for His glory or for mine?
• Am I still being obedient?
• Has my Abba Father ever let me down? Would He ever lead me astray? Of course not.

The enemy is so good at using our weaknesses against us and throwing them up in our faces, as if they’re irrefutable proof of our inability to be used by God or to do any good in this world.

Lies, all lies.

Satan wants us to focus only on ourselves and our past and our flaws. But God, friends … God wants us to focus on Him.

What does God say?

God says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians‬ ‭12:9‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

God says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”‭‭ (Isaiah‬ ‭41:10‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

God wants each of us to believe, “I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]” (‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:13‬ ‭AMP‬‬)

God’s Word tells us, “Trust in and rely confidently on the LORD with all your heart And do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way]. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD [with reverent awe and obedience] and turn [entirely] away from evil. It will be health to your body [your marrow, your nerves, your sinews, your muscles—all your inner parts] And refreshment (physical well-being) to your bones.” (Proverbs‬ ‭3:5-8‬ ‭AMP)‬‬

Our weaknesses are nothing compared to God’s strength. Take a look in the Bible at all of the redeemed sinners (not unlike ourselves) whose lives He has used for good and for His glory:

• Moses
• Saul/Paul
• Abram/Abraham and Sarai/Sarah
• David
• Rahab
• Jonah
• All of the apostles
• The woman at the well
• Murderers
• Prostitutes
• Thieves
• Liars
• Doubters
• Adulterers
• People who were considered unclean by their communities
• Young and old
• Male and female
• Jew and Gentile
• Poor and rich
• Educated and uneducated
• People who were blind, lame, mute, sick and even dead
• Those who were scared, depressed, anxious, overly confident, shy, or heartbroken
• All kinds of people who wrestled with all kinds of emotions, questions, and baggage

They all began their faith journeys somewhere. Not one was righteous. Not one was unloved or forsaken by God. Not one was disqualified from participating in His plans and purposes. And neither are we.

Faith Over Fear: a Blueprint from Psalm 56

David, as in mighty King David, was once a deeply troubled man well before his reign. When he wrote Psalm 56, he had been on the run from his enemies and King Saul and was captured in Gath by the Philistines (Goliath’s countrymen). David’s lies—ones he had told to protect himself—had finally caught up to him and put his life in grave danger.

This is the same David who had courageously defeated Goliath with a slingshot and fought a bear and lion with his bare hands … but he was now utterly alone and living in great fear. It wasn’t unfounded; his adversaries were closing in on him.

As the psalm goes, he resolves to remember his God. He turns back to Him, he remembers His Word and promises, and God renews his faith. This psalm tells us that fear and faith can inhabit the same body.

“Faith over fear” simply means that the faith God gives us has to become more important than the fear within us.

This world can be a scary place, and fear has its rightful time. Fear is a human emotion that serves to protect us, but it can also keep us from obeying our good Father if we leave it unchecked.

We can be anxious and afraid and still follow God, friends.

In our earthly bodies, we will never be able to honor and rely on the Lord with every part of our lives. We are imperfect people and will never trust Him perfectly as such. He knows this and He loves us still. He gives us His undeserved gift of grace and mercy.

Be assured that God is actively working in our lives to make us more and more like Him. Our earthly journey of faith is about closeness with our Father God and about progress not perfection. Nothing in our lives, good or bad, will ever be wasted when we abide in Him.

So, there may be times when He calls us to take that next right step, and in order to be obedient, we must do so afraid and allow God to continue building up our faith and reliance on Him.

“The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41 ESV)

In all things God calls us to do, His will and what we know of Him have to transcend our fears and what we don’t know. Our healthy, respectful, awestruck fear of Him must become greater than any unhealthy fears we have.

David gives us a wise blueprint here for handling fear:

“Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled on me; All day long the adversary oppresses and torments me. My enemies have trampled upon me all day long, For they are many who fight proudly against me.

When I am afraid, I will put my trust and faith in You. In God, whose word I praise; In God I have put my trust; I shall not fear. What can mere man do to me?

All day long they twist my words and say hurtful things; All their thoughts are against me for evil. They attack, they hide and lurk, They watch my steps, As they have [expectantly] waited to take my life. Cast them out because of their wickedness. In anger bring down the peoples, O God!

You have taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not recorded in Your book? Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call; This I know, that God is for me.

In God, whose word I praise, In the LORD, whose word I praise, In God have I put my trust and confident reliance; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

Your vows are binding upon me, O God; I will give thank offerings to You. For You have rescued my soul from death, Yes, and my feet from stumbling, So that I may walk before God In the light of life.”

PSALM ‭56:1-13‬ ‭AMP‬‬

What did David do when he was afraid?

1. He prayed. This psalm essentially is a prayer sung to the Lord.

2. He took his fears to God. David, a courageous former Israeli army captain, did not deny that he was afraid. He very much was, but he took his fears straight to God. Fear is a real emotion and nothing to be ashamed of. It’s what we do with it and how we proceed that is more telling.

3. He placed his trust in the Lord. Despite his fear, David put his trust in the One he knew would never forsake him or let him down. I love how Charles Spurgeon, who often struggled with fear, describes this moment:

“We are men, and therefore liable to overthrow; we are feeble, and therefore unable to prevent it; we are sinful men, and therefore deserving it, and for all these reasons we are afraid. But the condition of the psalmist’s mind was complex—he feared, but that fear did not fill the whole area of his mind, for he adds, I will trust in thee. It is possible, then, for fear and faith to occupy the mind at the same moment.”

4. He praised God’s Word. The Word of the Lord was how David came to truly know God. David’s trust in Him was based on His revealed truth and on His faithfulness in David’s life. God keeps His promises, friends, and David knew this even in the midst of fear. If we want to know God as David did, we must read and study what He’s revealed about Himself in His Word … and then allow all of His goodness and love to sink down deep into our hearts and minds.

5. Having remembered God’s promises and trusted in Him once more, David could say, “I shall not fear.” It was a steady progression from being afraid … to remembering who God is … to trusting Him again … to letting go of some of his fear.

6. He recognized that God is more powerful than any human being. David asked, “What can mere man do to me?” Well, we are broken creatures who can do a lot of harm to one another. David answered his own question in a way by listing his enemies’ strategies to hurt him, but then, he remembered God’s comforting presence throughout his wanderings. God knew all about David’s sadness and pain and turmoil and would hear his song and deliver him.

7. David remembered that God is for him. God had promised that he would be King one day, and God is faithful to fulfill His promises. What He begins He will complete, so David reminded himself again that he didn’t need to be afraid (even if he still was), that he could trust in God. He said again, “What can man do to me?” but this time, it was more confident statement than question. No human being could destroy God’s plans or David’s relationship with the Lord. God would be with him, His will would be done one way or another, and that’s what truly mattered.

That’s how faith triumphs over fear.

Sisters and brothers, our faith is a gift from God and is rooted in what He reveals to us through scripture, in His constant goodness and faithfulness in our lives.

Our Abba Father wants us to remember Him and His Word, to choose obedience and faith over self-sufficiency. He is our true sufficiency in all things. Whatever strength and peace and faith and provision and ability we have is because of Him … and going forward it all will still be His at work within us.

We can trust in and rely on our faithful Lord. And when we do, He will direct our path forward. It’s really His path, friends, and He lovingly wants us to walk it with Him. Not our will but His be done.

What now?

As I come to the end of this post, any feeling of inadequacy I had has certainly paled in comparison to my Savior. He is able and, therefore, makes me able to carry out the good work He sets before me. The same is true for you, friends! Our definitions of success are irrelevant. Only His matters.

So, now we keep going and we set our eyes on Him.

Sometimes we need a gentle reminder that God is still on His throne. And other times it’s as if we need a clanging gong sounding His presence and guiding us back to truth and peace. Some days we need both … because we’re human.

Remember: when Satan feeds us lies and twists the truth, we can take those thoughts captive, give them to God, and replace them with the truth of His Word.

If you’ve been struggling as I have, PRAY. Get to know the Lord. Allow the truth of His Word to settle into your heart. Remember Him when you’re anxious and afraid. Place your trust in the One who never fails. God is for you!

Now, keep walking in faith … over fear.

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