Less Fear, More Faith
Mark 4:36-41
The emotion of
is a gift from God.
Fear protects us from
Fear keeps us
Fear is wired into our survival instinct.
Fear is problematic when we are
in the absence of
.
“The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.” —Proverbs 28:1
Fear and worry reveal us.
Fear consumes the lives of those who do not live by
.
“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” —Revelation 21:8
Fear is a logicalof sin.
“And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” —Genesis 3:10
The
of fear is not a sin.
a life of fear is.
Fear chooses to trust
over the promises of God.
Fear chooses to trust our interpretation of the circumstances over the
of Jesus.
The
The
Fear causes us to
our better judgment.
They
Fear is not
Fear needs
is the answer to fear.
“Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.” —Isaiah 35:3-4
“The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” —Proverbs 18:10
“I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.” —Psalms 18:1-3
Fear crowds out the
allocated for faith.
Fear wants to be in
The
of fear and the
of faith can coexist.
A
of fear and the
of faith cannot coexist.
The most often-repeated command in all of the Bible is “
.”
”Search Scripture and find that our fears are not trivial to God. “Do not be afraid” are not the words of a flesh-and-blood friend, a mere human like yourself. They are not the hollow words of a fellow passenger on a sinking ship, who has no experience in shipwrecks, can’t swim, and has no plan. These words are more like those of the captain who says, “Don’t be afraid. I know what to do.” When the right person speaks these words you might be comforted. Remember, “Do not be afraid” are the words of the one who can match speech with action. He is the sovereign King who really is in control. The efficacy of the words is directly related to the authority, power, and love of the one speaking them.”