Hebrews 11.1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

People often say they take a leap of faith by believing in something that we do not see. But I think it is the same with fear.  Why be worried about the future?  We cannot see what happens in the future.  Only God can see this.

Faith and fear cannot co-exist together.  Faith is the absolute belief that God is working behind every scene in our lives even if there is no tangible evidence to support this fact.

Fear is the opposite of faith.  It is unbelief or weak belief.  This means that when fear/unbelief takes upper-hand it can take our emotions hostage.  Resulting in excessive worry.

Christian faith is the confident assurance of knowing that God loves me.  God loves you.  God loves us.   And the only way for this faith to grow is by trusting the Lord and by reading the bible on a daily basis.  We need spiritual food to grow in the same way that our body needs food to be nourished.

But i am going to ask you a question today:

Would it be easier to live with fear or to live by faith? 

After all you also do not see fear.  You do not see your future, and yet you fear it.  You think of all the things that could go wrong.  Wouldn’t it be much easier to trust God to see you through?  Remember God knows the end from the beginning.

Isaiah 46.10 All my plans will be fulfilled, for I know the end from the beginning.

It is hard to accept sometimes that God is in control of every aspect of our lives.  We are mere puppets in His bigger story.  But each of us has a role to play in His story.  Each of us has an opportunity to be like Jesus, to live like Jesus.  To be more humble.  God gives us ample opportunities to do this.  We are disciples for Jesus, thus enabling us to live for Him, and to serve others so that they may come to know their Lord and savior.

I think living by fear in reality is much harder than living by faith.  Though both notions are invisible.  I have an assurance and a deep conviction that God is in control of my life, and as the bible says God provides for our every needs.  All we need to do is ask and we will receive.

Matthew 7.8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Both notions (faith and fear) are invisible.  But why is it easier to succumb to fear than to live by faith?  What is it that draws us to live by fear more than by taking a knowing step of faith?

My current situation: I have just paid money for the printing costs of my book, and facing financial hardships.  I am more inclined to live by fear and worrying about how I will make ends meet then to believe that God can provide for my needs.  Again it boils down to our carnal nature versus our spiritual nature.  It seems to be an inbuilt characteristic to succumb to fear rather than to live by faith knowing full well that God can provide for my needs.  He’s done it before.  So why wouldn’t He do it now?

My wild guess is that Satan is determined to deter me from the plan that the Lord has set out before me. The closer the books are getting released, the harder Satan is pushing me into a corner trying to make me give up on what has been so carefully planned, and prayed about.

The only way I can see myself overcoming this is by doing the following: step up in prayer. Prayer. Prayer.  Prayer.  Prayer. Never underestimate the power of prayer.  God hears our needs, and will answer in His perfect timing.  And so I will place my trust in the Lord that my financial needs will be met.  That I will be able to send a box of 30 books to Slovakia in March and that I will be able to pay my editor sooner rather than later.

I need to remind myself of all the times that God has provided for me, and believe that He will continue to do so, because the truth is God will provide for me.  So I should not be blindsided by fear.

My challenge for today and for the coming days and weeks ahead of me is to live by faith, step up my prayer, trust the Lord, and believe that the Lord is my greatest provider, because He is my provider.

Psalm 27.1 The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?

One last thought for the day:

Mark 9.23 What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”

It is God who plants people in our lives and these people who see the potential in us.  It is these people that encourage us to make our dreams become a reality. The one thing I am a 100 percent certain of is this: God is my anchor in times of storms and times of tranquility.  Over the years I have come to rely on Him for everything.  I mean literally everything (even if it means sometimes going astray) I always come back to that point knowing full well the only way forward is LIVING BY FAITH.

In order to rely on God for everything you need to build up a relationship with him, daily conversation.  Spend time reading His word, worshipping Him, rather than focusing on your problems, and believe it or not the Lord will come and rescue you from the fowler’s snare.

Proverbs 3.5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Will you live by faith or let fear rule your world?