“Fear Not!”
(Part II)
One
of the most important truths we must understand about fear (and faith) is that
it must eat to survive. Furthermore, the more it eats, the more it grows. In
Luke 17:5-6 Jesus answered his disciples’ request for more faith by saying,
“if you had faith like a mustard seed you would say...and it would
happen.” His point was not that they needed only a tiny amount, but that
they needed to plant what faith they had. The faith (or fear) that is “planted” is that which is
alive in our hearts, growing steadily as it feeds on the words, and
circumstances we feed it.
If
we are feeding our hearts the living Word and promises of then healthy faith in
(Or “fear of”) God and His word will grow within us. This is why Paul said,
“faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans
10:17) If, on the other hand, we are
feeding our hearts the words and circumstances of the world, then we are giving
fear the very diet it needs to grow big and strong inside of us. For this reason, we must be all the more
careful about what we allow our hearts to “feed” on! (Proverbs 4:23, Mark 4:24)
Ultimately, both faith and fear stem from knowledge of something. The example we looked at in Matthew 8:23-26 illustrates this point very well. In this story, the disciples responded to a violent storm in fear. This fear of the storm stemmed from their knowledge of the power of the wind and the sea. Jesus, on the other hand, reacted to the same storm in faith - which stemmed from His knowledge of God's power (Psalm 89:8-9, 93:4) and promises to protect His children (Psalm 34:7, 91:10-12).
The
importance of these truths cannot be overstated. Ultimately, what we believe
God will do in our lives rests upon our knowledge of God. Similarly, those
areas in our life in which we are afraid are ultimately areas in which we have
allowed something to “exalt itself above the knowledge of God” (2 Corinthians
10:4). This, as we saw earlier, is actually a form of idolatry.
God
has gone to great lengths to reveal Himself to man through His word and His
spirit, so that we could know Him (John 17:3, 1 John 5:20). The more we come to
know Him, through time spent in His Word and His Spirit, the more we can and
will put our faith in Him to be and do what He has promised. Then we too can
confidently say with David,
“I
will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4)
And,
“In
God I have put my trust, I will not be afraid...” (Psalm 56:11)
And,
The
LORD is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)
Fear NOT!