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Facing the Cross -  Facing OUR FEARS

So do not fear, for I am with you;   do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

 (Isaiah 41:10)

Our faith tells that we have nothing to fear when we have Jesus at our side.  Well, it’s hard to convince a little 4 year old girl that when they are concerned there are monsters under her bed.  That little girl was my daughter and she was teaching her sister that those monsters come out at night!  So, along with teaching them about Jesus I needed to create a special formulated “monster spray” that smelled a lot like the scent of strawberry room deodorizer.  I would go into their room at bedtime and after reading to them I would help them with prayers to Jesus and then… just in case, I would spray the monster spray under their beds to get rid of those pesky things.  I mean, in the minds of my girls, having Jesus is good, but the spray couldn’t hurt, right?

We all have fears.  Even as adults.  And we all know Jesus is what we need but still… if there is a spray to help those fears to disappear, we will use it.  What do you use to chase away the monsters?  I think we all know what it is like to fear something or someone legitimately. Fear is our mind's reaction to a perceived threat, and it comes in all shapes and sizes and affects people in different ways.  Fear comes in many forms and can affect many areas of your life. It can creep into relationships, career, parenting, achievement and even the way that you manage your health.  For me, anxiety causes fear.  Anxiety can feel like a monster that is out of control and you have no way of conquering it: nothing could be further from the truth.

There are many ways to deal with anxiety and fear:  awareness, breathing exercises, muscle relaxations, other distractions, and still… even faith.  Some people believe that faith and fear cannot exist together… yes it can.  It’s how we deal with fear is what makes the difference.  Having faith over fear involves considering the situation, weighing the options, and understanding the danger but then making the choice to fight through the fear and trust God anyway.  It means pushing our fear to the side and replacing it with faith.  It is an absolute belief that God is constantly working behind the scenes in every area of our lives, even when there is no tangible evidence to support that fact.   Yes, life is full of fears and situations that bring us to doubt.  Faith brings us back to reality.

But, having faith in God's provision or protection does not mean that it eliminates our fear. Nor is it blind acceptance of something you have not thought about or know nothing about — that is blissful ignorance.  It is not saying you believe something that you're not actually acting on — that is hypocrisy. And faith over fear is not making decisions without any doubts or concerns of the outcomes — that is carelessness or foolishness.

Instead, having faith over fear involves considering the situation, weighing the options, and understanding the danger but then making the choice to fight through the fear and trust God anyway. It means pushing our fear to the side and replacing it with faith.

 We find that every fear becomes a stepping stone to a stronger faith. It gives us that ability to say, "Jesus sustained me in the past, he’ll carry me through today and he’ll uphold me in the future!" God worked this way in David’s life. When David volunteered to fight against Goliath, he said, "The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine" (1 Samuel 17:37). David knew the God who had sustained him through dangerous situations in the past. He had seen and experienced God’s power and protection in his life, and this developed within him a fearless faith.

Throughout life we will continue to face various trials that would cause us fear, but God assures us that we can know a calm peace through every situation: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7).  AMEN