Listening to the Holy Spirit:
I am pleased with faith. As a father is pleased with a son who trusts him, or a daughter who desires his strength, so am I pleased with the child who walks according to faith. Trust is the essence of faith, but where there is no doubt, there exists no faith, for even he who is sure of My hand, fears. It is the fear that makes the faith strong – the desire and confidence for My hand which remains invisible until the past reveals My motion. He who risks on My call, the one who steps out without knowledge, but with the assurance of He who saves, it is he who finds the way of the blessed – those who have testimony of My great work in their years. The timid hear me not and do not trust, that their way would remain in safety, but they too die and their story is alone theirs. Hear My call, verify My Spirit, eat the Word as nourishment for decision, then follow in faith. I lead and already understand the way.
Rom 8:28 (ESV) – And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Phil 4:6-7 (ESV) – Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Ps 118:6 (ESV) – The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?
Taking It to Work:
Can fear and true faith exist together? That sounds like a loaded questions doesn’t it? If we say we don’t fear, we know that’s not true, but does admitting we have fear show our faith in God is not true, or strong, or real? Should I discount my faith if I still have fear in difficult situations?
So, can fear and faith exist together? Biblically, that clear answer is “yes”. Should fear dominate over your faith? Again, the clear answer is “No”.
Throughout scripture we see that fear and anxiety were part and parcel to life, even the lives of the faithful. Abraham, David, Isaiah, Gideon, Moses, Peter, even Jesus was deeply distressed the night before His horrible suffering and execution.
The key focus is not on the fear itself, all men and women experience fear. It’s the faithful response in the face of that fear that counts. Bottom-line: Fear must bow to faith. They may coexist, but the biblical contest says, through prayer and petition, that our faith needs to come out on top.
The workplace is a great practice ground. Our work is a major part of our lives, and in many cases God uses it to strengthen our faith. Every time were given challenges, difficult assignments or hard-to-meet deadlines, anxiety can raise its ugly head. When it does, DECIDING to make that fear take a back seat to your faith; that is the real measure. Fear is not the issue. It’s letting our fear override our faith.
Don’t let it happen. We have a great big God to help see us through, and a great track record of Him doing it before. Fear may want to still hang around, but faith get’s center stage, as His Word works in you, today.
