Gary & Linda Brownlow
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Translations: Fear vs Faith
Fear is a problem that I dare say we all face from one time or another. If we say we never fear, then I think we are deceiving ourselves. Fear is a real thing in our world today. What is it that we REALLY fear? We are afraid that we might loose our job and not be able to find another one. We are afraid that the stock market will fall and we will loose all our money. We fear that there could be a plague of some kind, without an antibiotic to cure it. We are afraid that we may never marry, or that we will, and we will be miserable. We fear that we may get cancer and die, or we may fear that we will live. We fear that a new medicine on the market that helps us in some area may be recalled tomorrow because it is considered a dangerous drug. We are afraid that we may never get our debts paid, and afraid we will get in debt again. We are afraid that if the democrats get into office, our world will fall apart and afraid if the republicans get in they won’t care about the needs of the people. (They are all just politicians and will say anything to get elected.) We are afraid to love for fear that our hearts will be broken. We are afraid that if we allow some one to get to close to us that they will take advantage of us. Or if we are too transparent, they will laugh at us. We are afraid that a terrorist may bomb us, or that war could escalate. We fear that diets may cause us to get bigger, and that the diet sodas may cause death. We fear that our anti-per spirant/deodorant or our artificial sweetener will give us cancer. We fear that our food source may be tainted with bacteria, or that the toys we buy our babies will have enough lead to harm them. There is more expected of us than ever before. On our jobs we do the work of two or three people and we can never do enough. There is always more expected. If you are looking for a pat on the back for a job well done, forget it. All you will hear is you didn’t do enough, or that you didn’t finish the job. We are being stretched to capacity in every area of our life. Our minds and energy are being pushed to the breaking point. Face it; we live in fear of everything and everybody. Jesus tells us not to fear. Of all people, He had every reason and right to be afraid. He knew from day to day what He would have to face. He had to face the scoffers and unbelievers constantly. He even had to face it with His own disciples. He knew where His source for day to day strength was, and it wasn’t in Himself. Our problem today is WE DON’T BELIEVE GOD. We say we have faith, but when it is put to the test do we fold, or do we stand tall. We need to know “whom we have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day”, 1 Timothy 1:12. Until what day, you may ask? Well I guess it would be until the day we need Him or the situation we need help with, which is everyday until He takes us home to be with Him. Jesus said “I’ll never leave you or forsake you”. When we feel that God has left us, we need to realize that He has not left us, but we have probably left Him. I don’t know about you, but I have to confess, that in this fast pace world we live in, sometime I don’t always get to read my Bible daily. I am fortunate to have a job where I can listen to the radio all day long. I get to listen to Christian music or teaching all day. That doesn’t take the place of me reading my Bible every day, but I still am able to put something good into me by hearing the word through others. I long for the day that I can see Jesus face to face. I long to hear the Father say, “well done my good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master”, Matthew 25:21. I long for the day that all tears and fears will be wiped away, but for today I live here. This is a real world just like heaven is. The problem with this world is that it has people in it. We have to deal with different kinds of situations on a daily basis. Not everyone thinks and feels like I do. Not everyone wants Jesus and all He has to offer. Not everyone wants the things that have been promised to us. So, I have to live in this world of negativity and fear. But, that doesn’t mean that I have to think like they do. Jesus has promised He would send the comforter, and I need that comfort. He would send the one with all the answers and I need the answers. The Holy Spirit is here now, today, to erase all of our doubts and fears, if we will just allow Him to come in and do that. That’s His job description. I have to “have the mind of Christ”, 1 Corinthians 2:16, so I can make it through. It won’t be easy; He never promised us it would be, He only promised that He would be here with us through the tough times and the good times. You see, when we realize that God loves us, and accepts us just like we are, that takes a lot of pressure off. We don’t have to measure us to anyone’s standards, just God’s. If we will accept Jesus Christ and everything He has finished for us, then we CAN make it through this world. We need to realize that doubt or fear, and unbelief pushes Him away from us. It doesn’t bring Him closer. I need Him right beside me, now, daily. If you haven’t accepted Him as your Lord and Savior, I invite you to make it a priority today. Then you won’t have to fear anything anymore. You won’t have to work so hard to measure up to anyone else’s standards. Just believe and receive, today. He loves you more than you can imagine. Don’t be afraid; just believe in your heart that Christ was raised from the dead. When you do, then you will realize that we have a God that is alive and well able to handle our day to day life. Fear wants to consume us. But today you choose, will it be fear or faith? Choose wisely.
Linda Brownlow, PhD
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