Dave’s Monday Blast – February 13, 2017
The juxtaposition of faith and fear is really what we have been chatting about the last couple of weeks. Our loving Heavenly Father admonishes to “live by faith, (2 Corinthians 5:7) not by sight”. The object of our faith is God; the problem at times is that our view of God can change based upon what we see.
God understands this tension we experience and fills His Word with examples of people who found divine strength in the most perilous times. Biblically INTENTIONAL men know these names:
Daniel in the lion’s den, Paul in the Philippian jail, Moses standing before the Red Sea, Peter and John on trial before the Sanhedrin, David before Goliath, Esther appearing before Xerxes without being summoned. I know you could name countless others. Each faced imminent death. And yet each found the faith to trust God with their fears.
What can they teach us today? Faith is a prayer God empowers!
Paul counseled us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). Moses taught us to “be strong and courageous” (Deuteronomy 31:6). Peter advised us to “cast all your anxieties on God, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
Pastor Jim Denison comments, “God always gives us what we need…to accomplish what He says. The key is not to try harder or do better. It is to admit our fear and ask God for the faith we lack. Then God redeems our challenges by using them as conduits of his courage.”
He continues, “Erasmus noted that Satan hates nothing so much as for evil to be used for good. So let’s anger our enemy. Name the fears you face this morning.” Your admission will not surprise our God, remember that He is omniscient. Ask God for the strength to surrender your fears to His omnipotence. And know, that your Father will give you what you lack…to do what you must!”
