Think of fear as here and faith is there. So we are going to go from here to there. From fear to faith.
On Easter 2020, a young man was walking down the sidewalk and he stopped to talk to Rick. Rick said, “What’s happening?” He said, “I’m afraid.” Rick says, “What are you afraid of?” He replied that the whole quarantine situation was making him afraid. Rick asked him, “What’s the worst thing that could happen?” He said, “That he could get the virus and die.” Rick said, “That definitely is not even close to the worst thing that could happen.” And the young man looked at him wide eyed and confused. Rick proceeded to say, “Actually the worst thing that could happen is if you were to die without Jesus.” Rick proceeded to tell him that today was Easter when the death and resurrection of Jesus is celebrated. He told this man that he came walking in this direction in fear but he could now continue on in faith. He wanted to know how he could do that so Rick shared the gospel, how to be born again, and how to have a personal relationship with Jesus. So he prayed to accept Jesus into his heart right there on the sidewalk in front of our house. The change that came over him was dramatic. He said, “I am different. I am not afraid.” Rick said, “Because the worst isn’t going to happen. God is with you. He is your protector and provider and everything you need is found in Him.” He walked away in faith and a saint of Jesus Christ.
This young man was in crisis and his whole being was shaken. God had favor on him and brought an answer to him through Rick. Rick offered a greater eternal perspective to his earthy fear. It is good to have the question of your eternal destination figured out. Then he took a step of faith and believed.
Believers need to be ready to offer hope and encouragement to others but if you do not have that hope and encouragement yourself, you cannot offer it to others. You have to have it to give it. When you have Jesus and the knowledge of salvation and you share that information with others, you are an evangelist. You are one who brings good news to another. The beginning of winning others is to recognize that in you lives this evangelist.The greater the crisis, the greater Christ is. Share with others where Christ is in it.
If you are feeling fearful, take steps to walk from fear to faith:
Take an inventory as to what you are feeding your mind, the battle starts and is won in your mind; identify that it is fear; decide you do not want to be in fear. Choose not to be afraid; realize that fear puts you in a weak position and you do not want to make decisions based on fear; declare who God is: He is in control of the whole world, He is taking care of me, He is with me, that He has always provided for me financially and physically, and know your position in Him; put the fear into God’s perspective; put God back into the equation; remove the What Ifs: What if, then God is bigger; What if, then God will take care of me; What if, then God will heal me; read your bible and pray and get around people who are in faith and can encourage you.
The bible says be not afraid. Some may say that it is natural to be afraid and maybe but then go from the natural to the supernatural and take a step of faith. You don’t know what courage is until you face fear. Go beyond fear and step into courage. It is a journey to go from here to there, fear to faith.
This is a good time to grow your faith. A lot of people just want to pray away a problem or pray out of a situation but in this crisis everyone is dealing with you cannot just skip to the end. Since you have to walk through it, God wants to walk through it with you and have you trust Him each step of the way. Walking in faith, walking in peace, not worrying. Keep your eyes on Jesus.
