 | By Silvannas Mckenzie (Kingstown Church of Christ, SVG) How do you live? By FAITH or by FEAR? For indeed, do you think that the scriptures say in vain in Hebrews 10:38, “For the just shall live by FAITH.” But what is “Faith”? According to Collins Student’s Dictionary for the Caribbean, 'faith' is described as a “strong belief in something”, but let us see what the Bible has to say about “Faith”. |
The book of Hebrews (famously known as the book of Faith) states in the chapter 11 verse 1, “Now Faith is the substance of things Hoped for, the Evidence of things not seen.” Let us consider the words Hope and Evidence. Hope according to the dictionary is referred to as “a feeling of desire (trust/ believe) for something.” Evidence is something that provides ground for belief or disbelief, in other words “proof of a belief.” We also read in the same chapter of Hebrews 11 about different persons who forsake FEAR and chose FAITH. Verse 6 reads, “Without Faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Earlier in verse 3, it states, "By Faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”
| As we turn to the subject of FEAR, it should be noted that the word 'fear' does not always have negative connotations. For example, we as disciples of Christ need to have 'godly fear' just as Noah did. In Hebrews 11:7, we understand that, "By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with Godly Fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith." Fear in this context refers to reverence or respect. |  |
Fear (according to the CS dictionary) is “a feeling of distress or alarm caused by danger or pain that is about to happen.” This means that fear is only created in our thoughts. If you can create it we can also destroy it with our mind. F.E.A.R. is referred by motivational speakers as False Evidence Appearing Real. Fear is not real, it is only created by negative thoughts within an individual’s mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 states, “For God has not given us a spirit of FEAR, but of POWER and of LOVE and of a SOUND MIND." Power – The ability to do something. Love – an intense emotion of affection towards a person or thing. Sound Mind – To be disciplined in the way we use our thoughts.
Fear is what keeps most of us back from reaching our full potential. Yes all of us have, are and will go through some serious types of fear, but it is how you deal with that fear is what makes the differences. As we are assured in Romans 8:28, God works all things (whether good or bad) together for our good. Children of God, we have to choose whether we live by FAITH or by FEAR. The choice is ours. For indeed the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Romans 8:18). Amen!
Fear is what keeps most of us back from reaching our full potential. Yes all of us have, are and will go through some serious types of fear, but it is how you deal with that fear is what makes the differences. As we are assured in Romans 8:28, God works all things (whether good or bad) together for our good. Children of God, we have to choose whether we live by FAITH or by FEAR. The choice is ours. For indeed the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Romans 8:18). Amen!
