How To Move from Fear to Faith

There have been times in my life when I was afraid. Lingering worries from childhood traumas, dwelling on personal inadequacies before daunting tasks, and even our last pregnancy brought times of fear. But I had to come to a point where my fear gave way to faith. Let me illustrate from the Bible.

Overwhelmed by Fear

During Christ's arrest, trial, and crucifixion, His disciples were overwhelmed by fear. They hid together behind locked doors and pondered what their fate might be in the days ahead. They were afraid of people around them, particularly the religious leaders. They were dealing with the perceived failure of their movement and the possible waste of the last three years. They were even afraid for their very lives! After all, if their Master had been falsely accused, tried, and executed, certainly they could be next.

Christ Is Our Example

Had the disciples watched Christ closely during those last days, they would have seen that He showed absolutely no fear of those who sought to take His life. In fact, He walked right up to the mob of soldiers who came to arrest Him, catching them off guard.

He didn't worry that people may have perceived Him to be a great failure. All His followers suddenly abandoned Him and fled. He had no legacy except what was in the hearts of His admirers. Still, He was undaunted.

With courage, He faced death. He welcomed it, knowing that His death would not lead to His destruction, but to victory. In all that Christ did, He was fearless. I've heard it said that if you truly fear God, you fear nothing else. The disciples had not yet learned this truth.

Then the amazing reality of Christ's resurrection took place. The very One who had hung dead on a cross was standing there in their midst, and the doors were still locked!

In a little over a month, the disciples were transformed from the inside out. Peter and John were arrested for boldly proclaiming the resurrected Christ from the street corners. Although the very people they had been hiding from earlier commanded them to stop preaching Christ, they refused.

What gave these men the boldness to preach publicly? The risen Christ. They took their eyes off of themselves and their circumstances and placed them on the risen Christ.

All the failures of the past meant nothing compared to the knowledge that Christ was alive and had a purpose for them. They had been commissioned by the living Lord.

As to their fear of death, Paul unashamedly claimed, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). Each of the commissioned disciples devoted his life to the cause of Christ, and most were martyred for the gospel. Fear was transformed into faith. The only reason for such boldness was the indwelling presence of Christ.

Understanding Your Fears

So what about you? What do you fear? Fear will prevent you from experiencing God's plan for your life. If you let fear control whether or not you obey God, you have already lost the race.

Fear inhibits the heart, but faith strengthens the heart. Faith allows you to move into uncharted territory with full confidence that God is already there waiting for you. Remember what the Bible says about faith:

• "Everything that does not come from faith is sin" (Romans 14:23).

• "We live by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7).

• "Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6).

Fear will prevent you from experiencing once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and can steal the joy and peace Christ prayed you would have. Christ and His disciples could obediently follow the will of the Father because they had full confidence He would never give them a task He wouldn't empower them to do.

Some say people can experience a healthy fear, such as a fear of fire or a fear of strangers. I prefer using the words respect or an appreciation for potential danger. This can help us understand how to obey Christ.

For instance, we are not to fear our enemies; Christ commanded us to love them, to treat them well, and to pray for them, but not to fear them. We are not to fear Satan or his demons; Christ said not to fear those who can harm the body. Our fear is to be reserved for God alone.

Fearing God can be understood to include respecting, honoring, loving, glorifying, and being in awe of Him. There are over 30 references to the fear of the Lord in the Old Testament, including these:

• "The fear of the Lord adds length to life" (Proverbs 10:27).

• "The fear of the Lord leads to life" (Proverbs 19:23).

• "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Psalm 111:10).

Each time I encounter a particular fear, whether it is inadequacy, the unknown, change, or whatever, I have to immediately turn to God in faith to seek His will, His encouragement, and His strength. I don't want to miss out on what God has in store for me by allowing my fear to win out over my faith.

As we read the Book of Acts, we do not find the disciples still cowering behind locked doors. Each of them was outside, boldly telling as many people as possible about their living Lord. May we learn from their example and live with confidence in our Lord through faith.