Fearless Faith

There’s an old joke about a little boy who was afraid of the dark. You may have heard it. One night his mother told him to go out to the back porch and bring her the broom. The little boy turned to his mother and said, “Mama, I don’t want to go out there. It’s dark.”

The mother smiled reassuringly at her son. “You don’t have to be afraid of the dark,” she explained. “Jesus is out there. He’ll look after you and protect you.”

The little boy looked at his mother real hard and asked, “Are you sure He’s out there?”

“Yes, I’m sure. He is everywhere, and He is always ready to help you when you need Him,” she replied.

The little boy thought about it for a minute and then went to the back door and cracked it a little. Peering out into the darkness, he called, “Jesus? If you’re out there, would you please hand me the broom?”

Crushing the Voice

I don’t know about you, but I feel like that little boy on occasion. Whenever I’m fearful, I just want Jesus to hand me the broom – to solve my problems without having to face my fear and stand steadfastly on His Word.

I think it’s human nature to want the easy way out without having to venture into the unknown, but God wants us to trust Him completely, especially when we’re afraid of the unknown.

Just think of Joshua’s encounter with God after Moses’ death. God told Joshua four times not to be afraid. And He gave him four reasons for not giving into fear. God knew the biggest enemy Joshua would face wasn’t the giants in the land nor the naysayers among his own people, but the little voice inside telling him he could not do it.

God was instilling in Joshua a message of courage, fearlessness, and hope – despite the vast pressures of the moment. The Lord could have taken this time to give him the lowdown on everything from assembling a great army to being a great leader, but He didn’t.

Instead, He spoke to him where it mattered most: his fear. Why? Because God knew if Joshua allowed a spirit of fear to dominate him, he would shrink from the very call God had placed on his life.

The same is true with us. Maybe we’re fearful because of our current circumstances. Maybe we want to believe God’s truth that we can succeed, but we have allowed fear to weigh us down.

It’s important for us to keep in mind that stress in and of itself is not bad. But when it stems from an outflow of self-doubt swirling through our mind, it can be a destructive force as we fulfill our purpose in Him.

The enemy knows this. That’s why he’s so desperate to get you in a position where you’re fearful about any impending failure. He wants you worried about anything and everything, so you not only become hesitant and unsure about your identity in Christ, but also paralyzed with fear anytime you think about your situation.

Remember, God is able to come with the blistering weapon of faith against self-doubt. He not only wants you hopeful for the future in Him, but He also wants you to walk in a newfound confidence that pulverizes the plans of the enemy in your life.

What God said to Joshua, He’s now saying to you …

If you will be bold in obeying what God is telling you to do, you will succeed! If you keep from giving in to a spirit of fear, nothing the enemy can do can defeat you or rob you of your purpose.

Here’s His Promise to You

I want you to spend some time thinking about God’s power in your life. Because of His promise to faithfully be with you through every trial, you don’t have to be afraid of anything. Even if you must walk through “the valley of the shadow of death,” He has promised to be with you and give you His protection and comfort (Psalm 23:4).

Resolve today to replace fear with faith and anxiety with action. Believe God’s Word when it says Jesus has been given all power in Heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). Our God reigns (Isaiah 52:7; Revelation 19:6), and He desires only the best for you.

Remember, the instant you were born again, the Almighty miraculously took up residence in your body: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). Since your body is now God’s temple, you don’t have to let anxiety and fear in the door.

Like Joshua, you can have a newfound confidence in Him. No matter what you’re going through today, your Heavenly Father will give you victory. Medical research has proven beyond doubt that fear can cause heart trouble, high blood pressure, ulcers, stomach disorders, and more. If fear is damaging your physical body, it’s also hindering God’s purpose for your life. It’s one of the “weights” you must cast off if you’re to run with endurance and fulfill your calling in the Lord (Hebrews 12:1).

His Word affirms that through faith you “are kept by the power of God” (1 Peter 1:5). Even in difficult times, you can declare with the psalmist, “He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock” (Psalm 27:5).

In His great kindness, He stands ready to forgive your past, heal your troubled spirit in the present, strengthen your faith for the future, and cast out all fear.

In every situation, confidence can rise in your heart. However, this confidence won’t come from a reliance on your own ability, for the Bible says, “We should not trust in ourselves but in God” (2 Corinthians 1:9). The only way to have unshakable confidence is to trust in God’s faithfulness to carry out the promises in His Word. When everything is shaking around you, you’ll be able to rest secure that you “are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken” (Hebrews 12:28).

Remember, it’s the common, everyday fears in life that test our faith the most. But as a child of Christ, you don’t have to be ruled by those demonic arrows. I encourage you to start looking at Jesus instead of your problems. Stay focused on who HE is, and remember who YOU are in Him.

You can live in peace by choosing His truth. And you can “abound in hope” by trusting His life-giving Word (Romans 15:13). Never be afraid to step into the dark unknown. Just believe… and have confidence in your living God.

He is with you … and His love and mercy will always carry you through!

Your friend and partner,

David Cerullo