Fear

Fear is the opposite of faith, and is displeasing to God: "My righteous one shall live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him… Without faith, it is impossible to please God… " (Hebrews 10:38; 11:6a) Fear: Clouds our judgment. Paralyzes our actions. Causes us to delay. Rationalize. Over-spiritualize. Promotes paranoia. Induces us to think irrationally; to loose objectivity. Destroys our trust in others. Diminishes our ability to believe. Risk. Act. May be a reason we impute wrong motives to others. Is often the product of our pride. Refuses to believe God is there; is in control, and can be trusted or taken seriously. How do we break the bondage and cycle of fear? By choosing to believe God through acting upon His promises. So right now, if you are struggling with fear, choose to believe these promises: "God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7 – kjv) "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea… Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:1, 2a, 10) "I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears… The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles." (Psalm 34:4, 17) It was amidst the storm that Jesus told Peter to step out of the boat and walk on the water to Him. The moment he looked away from the Master to the circumstances Peter's faith turned to fear, and he began to sink. And so it is with us. (Matthew 14:22-34) You and I have a simple choice to make: Either we will allow the demons of fear, doubt, inadequacy etc., to paralyze and diminish us into spiritual midgets, or we will live above life's crippling circumstances by choosing to believe and act upon His promises. QUESTION: Today, which do you choose? Faith or fear? —Facts of the Matter