Faith or fear?

​In Sunday’s message we talked about how we are typically filled with either faith or fear in our lives. When we are filled with fear we become frozen and paralyzed…afraid to move because we don’t know what to do, or we are afraid we are just going to make things worse. But when we are filled with faith, we are motivated to take action.

Fear paralyzes while faith mobilizes! And Jesus understood this truth and our tendency as humans to be filled with fear. That’s why He told us 365 times in Scripture, not to fear!

What makes us afraid in life? It’s the shadows…it’s the potentially bad things that might happen, that we find ourselves worrying about…fearing. We fear the shadows because they are so immense and intimidating.

David says in Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me”(ESV). David was walking through the valley of the shadow of death…Saul and others were out to kill him, but David knew that God had the tools to protect him, and he trusted God even in the darkest of valleys.

Everyone is going through some sort of valley of the shadow right now…maybe it is the valley of the shadow of death, or maybe the valley of the shadow of conflict, or the valley of the shadow of debt, or depression, or discouragement. And shadows are scary…we haven’t like them since we were a child hiding under our covers because of them at night.

But here is the truth about shadows: First, shadows can’t hurt you. Second, shadows are always bigger than their source. And – here’s the good news about shadows – wherever there’s a shadow, there has to be a light. You can’t have a shadow without light.

So how do you get through the valley of whatever shadow you are dealing with right now? Choose to turn your back on that shadow and face the light! Because as long as you keep your eyes on the light – Jesus, the light of the world – the One who has promised to never leave you – the shadow will cease to scare you because you are no longer focused on it.

​God has a mission for you, but it will require faith for you to accept it! God doesn’t want us paralyzed by fear, but rather mobilized by faith. That’s why He tells us in Heb. 11:6, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” What is God asking you to do? Put your faith in Him and go and do it today!

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