Facing Your Future With Faith – Not Fear

Over the last several years, many people I know have gone through a variety of tests and trials in their lives. The year 2008 was a tough year for many. Jobs were lost. Homes were lost. Investments were lost and more. I’ll admit, the year and a few that followed weren’t exactly the best for me, either.

Over the last few years, many have asked, “Are we in the last of the last days?”

That’s when I began to think about what that really means. All of our days eventually come to an end. As a believer, I believe what the Apostle Paul said in the letter to the Philippians…

Philippians 1:23 AKJV
(23)  For I am in a strait between two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

There’s better and there’s far better. In other words, it’s far better on the other side if you’re a believer than it is here on this side. Even so, we’re here for reason.

John 17:14-18 AKJV
(14)  I have given them your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
(15)  I pray not that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil.
(16)  They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
(17)  Sanctify them through your truth: your word is truth.
(18)  As you have sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

Notice that Jesus said, “I pray not that you should take them out of the world…”

In other words, we’re here for a reason. We’re here as a light to the world. Jesus said, “As you’ve sent me into the world, even so I also sent them…”

When I think about Jesus, I think about someone who overcame everything. He overcame death and He overcame everything evil that led up to that point. That includes demons, the problems brought to Him by the masses (sickness, disease, etc.), attempts on His life, physical storms, lack of food, etc.

That same Jesus is now with you through the Holy Spirit and your faith. Remember, Jesus said, “Nothing shall be impossible to those who believe.” (Mark 9:23 and Matthew 17:20)

He also said, “I will be with you always.” (Matthew 28:20).

When you look at scriptures like these, you can see why we have to walk by faith and not by sight. When you believe in any given situation, the limits are removed from what God can do in your life. When you walk in fear instead of faith – you restrict what God can do and you enable evil forces to have access into your life.

The perfect example of this is in Psalm 78.

Psalms 78:40-42 AKJV
(40)  How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!
(41)  Yes, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.
(42)  They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.

The Israelites limited God… and we can do the same today.

You see, from a theological standpoint it feels good to say, “It’s all God. God’s in control and we can’t do anything.”

According to the Bible, though, it’s God who blesses to work of YOUR hands. In other words, you have to do something. Jesus called the Holy Spirit the “Helper.” The Helper comes to be by your side and work together with you.

The praying and believing are things YOU DO. The Helper assists you. If you do nothing, you reap nothing. If you speak words of faith, God watches over His Word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12). You proclaim the truth, you speak the Good News of the Gospel, and God confirms it with signs following.

In 1^st Samuel 30:6, it says David encouraged himself in the Lord.

1 Samuel 30:6 AKJV
(6)  And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

Remember, the Bible says we “wrestle not against flesh and blood.” Our problems and challenges appear to be 100% physical or circumstantial in nature. The Bible reveals a much different picture.

In Mark 4:17, it says – Satan comes immediately to steal God’s Word from you when it’s preached or spoken.  Why? Because that’s how faith comes. That’s your living connection on earth to God the Father through Jesus. If Satan steals the Word, he also robs you of having a living faith at work within you. You’re like a bird with a broken wing – stuck in adversity with limited options available to you.

If your faith is stolen and you fall into doubt or unbelief, fear closely follows. By faith, you always see a way out. Faith sees the victory. Fear, on the other hand, sees the exact opposite. It sees loss, defeat and death. God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear. Fear seems to have a stronghold in many lives, though, doesn’t it?

Some Christians are hoping for the rapture to come and save them from their current circumstances.  This reminds me of Jesus with the disciples on the boat in the midst of the storm on the Sea of Galilee. They cried out to him saying, “Don’t you care that we’re perishing?!”

After He rebuked the wind and the waves, he asked them, “Where was your faith?”

I guess the answer to that question was – buried beneath their fears of death and drowning.

If you’re wondering where God is in your situation, and you’re asking God, “Where are you?” maybe He’s asking you the same question?

Where is your faith?

Notice that Jesus didn’t pray for God the Father to remove the storm. He spoke to it and told the wind and the waves to “be still.” They obeyed.

In your own life, you can ask God for the things you have need of in Jesus’ name. You can also speak to the obstacles and demons and tell them to “Go!” Jesus taught asking in His name. He also taught commanding in His name and speaking to the mountains (Mark 11:23).

Jesus always spoke to obstacles. He spoke to the wind and waves. He spoke to unclean spirits and told them to go. He spoke to sick people and told them to be healed. Sometimes He laid His hands on people and healed them. Sometimes he touched them and spoke.

He basically taught by a combination of word and deed.

Someone might say, “I spoke to the problem in Jesus name, but it’s still there.”

If that happens, don’t start doubting. Keep believing, keep thanking (that you have the victory) and don’t give up. That’s what Jesus said to do (Luke 18:1).

Paul put it this way – “Having done all to stand, STAND” (Ephesians 6:13)

You do the standing. The Helper, the Holy Spirit, will help you stand if you focus on God and His promises instead of your problem.

You stand by talking your faith out loud. You standing by thanking God for the answer before you can see it. You stand by trusting that your sins are forgiven and that you’re worthy to receive and walk in the victory through Jesus Christ.

You FIGHT the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12). Some fights are over quickly. Other’s aren’t. The thing is, we’re not fighting alone. The Holy Spirit is with us, helping us. You just have to choose to believe that.

Notice how the devil works in the following verse –

Isaiah 14:12 AKJV
(12)  How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how are you cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations!

You can take the word “nations” out and replace it with “people.” That’s what nations are. Groups of people. Satan weakens people through fear, doubt, worry and other negative things.

You may feel like God is far away and isn’t helping you. The situation may seem to confirm that “feeling.” You may feel like the victory will never come.

That’s what we’re fighting. We’re fighting feelings, thoughts, reasoning’s and emotions that oppose what God promised us through Christ.

Healing, deliverance, restoration… all these things belong to you in Christ, and in the world to come – eternal life. That’s what the Bible says.

We all face the same enemies to our faith. Fight those feelings with Faith! Say aloud so you can hear your own words, “These feelings are lies. God loves me. God is for me. I’m forgiven, healed, delivered and restored. I have the victory in Jesus Christ, no matter how I feel.”

That’s faith! Challenge your negative feelings with the spoken word. Confront the lies out loud. You don’t have to shout or increase the volume of your voice; you just have to mean what you say on the inside.

You have to get tired of being down.

Say out loud, “This feeling of tiredness isn’t from God. My strength is being renewed in Jesus name!” You may have to say that out loud several times before you notice a change.

There were times in the past where I just said the same thing over and over again for about 30 minutes. I was so tired, it was like my mind had shut down and all I could do was say the words like a broken record. I wasn’t even thinking about things like, “Is it working?” or “Do I really believe what I’m saying?” I just said the words. Then, all of a sudden, poof! Just like that – I was back to normal.

Words have power in the spiritual world. That’s why the Bible warns against idle words (Matthew 12:36).

Just because we don’t see results immediately, doesn’t mean our words are without power.

Proverbs 18:20-21 AKJV
(20)  A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.
(21)  Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Verse 20 says with the “increase” of his lips he shall be filled.

That’s why most people aren’t filled with whatever it is they have need of. Because they won’t “increase” the words of life they’re speaking over situations. You have to keep saying you have the victory in Jesus’ name in whatever situation you need it in. If you start speaking like it isn’t working and start speaking like it might not happen, you’re releasing death instead of life. It’s like pouring salt water on a plant.

There’s a little known story in 2 Kings 4 that talks about a woman who understood how the power of the tongue worked so well, that when she needed the Prophet Elisha’s help, she wouldn’t even “voice” what happened to her son. She understood how the spiritual dimension worked. Instead, she said “it is well” and she made Elisha come to her house to face the problem directly.

2 Kings 4:15-36 AKJV
(15)  And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door.

(16)  And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, you shall embrace a son. And she said, No, my lord, you man of God, do not lie to your handmaid.

(17)  And the woman conceived, and bore a son at that season that Elisha had said to her, according to the time of life.

(18)  And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers.

(19)  And he said to his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother.

(20)  And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.

(21)  And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door on him, and went out.

(22)  And she called to her husband, and said, Send me, I pray you, one of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again.

(23)  And he said, Why will you go to him to day? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well.

(24)  Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not your riding for me, except I bid you.

(25)  So she went and came to the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite:

(26)  Run now, I pray you, to meet her, and say to her, Is it well with you? is it well with your husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well:

(27)  And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the LORD has hid it from me, and has not told me.

(28)  Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me?

(29)  Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up your loins, and take my staff in your hand, and go your way: if you meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute you, answer him not again: and lay my staff on the face of the child.

(30)  And the mother of the child said, As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. And he arose, and followed her.

(31)  And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff on the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Why he went again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked.

(32)  And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid on his bed.

(33)  He went in therefore, and shut the door on them two, and prayed to the LORD.

(34)  And he went up, and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, and his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands: and stretched himself on the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm.

(35)  Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself on him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

(36)  And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in to him, he said, Take up your son.

If you’re struggling, learn the lesson from 2 Kings Chapter 4. Don’t explain in great detail to people about all your struggles, what the doctors, lawyers or anyone else says. Learn to speak faith or simply say “it is well” while you put your trust in God, the name of Jesus and the promises of God!