“Only one thing concerns me: Be sure that you live in a way that brings honor to the Good News of Christ. Then whether I come and visit you or am away from you, I will hear that you are standing strong with one purpose, that you work together as one for the faith of the Good News, and that you are not afraid of those who are against you. All of this is proof that your enemies will be destroyed but that you will be saved by God.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:27-28‬ ‭NCV‬‬

Everyone is afraid of something. One thing I have come aware of is how deeply ingrained fear had been in my life. It’s a part of my family history, just like my Italian relatives coming over from Italy on a boat or my Irish relatives being established in the US before the Revolutionary War. Fear informed so many actions and reactions in my family. Fear doesn’t always look like cowering in a corner. For me, fear might be procrastination and indecision, not making any choice for fear of making the wrong one. Or fear might be constantly trying to “help” loved ones, constantly informing them of the “right” way to go or the best way to live. An uglier word is control. Yuck! I hate that in me! Fear tries to manage and control all kinds of situations from finances to friendships.  At the root fear is a sense that something bad is going to happen. We expect danger in a variety of forms. God has designed us to react to danger by protecting ourselves. That is a good thing, right? Yes. IF we are really in danger. The problem with fear is that when it is a dominant reaction to life it is convinced that danger is around every corner, so you are constantly trying to protect yourself from the imagined peril. When we are dominated by fear we are always waiting for the other shoe to drop, the other person to hurt us or leave, the money to run out, or a host of other things. BUT God does not want you and I to live in fear. He especially does not want us to live in fear of those who oppose the Gospel. He wants us to stand firm, confident in our own salvation and confident in the God who saved us, NO MATTER WHAT!

So, Dear Friend, let’s start to live that way. Let’s begin today to demonstrate what faith in the Gospel looks like. Here is where we begin. 

Let go of fear. You may not realize just how deeply fear has ahold of you. Are you constantly questioning “what if” and “why”? Those questions are rooted in fear. Are you constantly trying to orchestrate situations or convince people, even approaching prayer as trying to convince God to do what you are asking? Fear tries to control through any means possible, even prayer. Make a decision today to let go of fear. 

I came to a point in my life where I realized that fear was causing me to question every step I was taking toward the future that I believed God had for me. My greatest fear was, maybe still is, the fear of making a mistake, of being less than perfect. Well, that’s going to happen every time. I will always be less than perfect and making a mistake does not invalidate my existence. I made the decision that I did not want fear to be the reason that I did not do something. I did not want fear to keep me from fulfilling God’s purpose for my life. I did not want fear to keep me from fulfilling my divine potential or from taking my place in the advancement of the Kingdom of God. I purchased a little refrigerator magnet with a quote attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt as a reminder to push past fear: “Do one thing every day that scares you.” I don’t expect to be bungee jumping or anything like that, but I will keep pushing forward toward the promises and purposes of God...even when I feel afraid. 

Don’t fear opposition, it’s part of life. I don’t know where we got the idea that when we made the decision to follow God He would smooth every bump and solve every problem, but it is one of the most faith-destroying concepts out there. If I expect God to remove all opposition and every obstacle, then I will be constantly disappointed. The awful part of that is that I will end up blaming God because He is not behaving the way someone told me that He should. He will blow past ever obstacle and He will remove all opposition...in the end. Victory IS mine, but not necessarily in the here and now the way I expect it. 

Let’s face it . LIfe is full of disappointments and discouragement. BUT our faith helps us to take the long view. We have the promise that there is an inheritance waiting in heaven. (Ephesians 1: 11) We have the promise of God’s presence in every shadow place. (Psalm 23: 4 ) We have the assurance that nothing can EVER separate us from the love of God. (Romans 8: 35-39 ) We also have the promise that in this world we will have trouble, but that we don’t need to fear because Jesus has overcome the world. (John 16: 33) When someone opposes your stand for Jesus, when it seems like your enemy (spiritual or otherwise) is constantly throwing obstacles in front of you, stand firm. In the end you WIN because of JESUS!

Hold on to faith. Faith eradicates fear. Lack of fear proves the presence of faith. Faith invites the presence of God. When God is present, He always wins. Without fail. Your lack of fear proves your faith to those who oppose you. It testifies to them that God is real and will vindicate you. It may confuse them and they may not be able to articulate it, but they will see God at work through the absence of fear in you. They may not recognize it, but your lack of fear will prove your trust that God will win. He ALWAYS wins. Hallelujah!

And you know what? Your lack of fear will also prove to you that you will win. Have you ever been surprised to find yourself unafraid in a situation that should scare you? That lack of fear is evidence. Evidence that God is at work in you and for you. 

I have some family members who are far away from God. There is nothing that I want more than to know that they are saved and to see them walking in righteousness and faith. I should be afraid of some of the choices they make that seem to point them away from God...but, I honestly am not. There are moments of questioning and hurt as I wait for God to do what only God can do in their lives, but, the thing is, I really am confident that He WILL do it. I just don’t know when, or if it will happen in my lifetime. But I KNOW that He will do it. I have to say, that faith is a gift, but that faith eradicates fear for me. I can let go of trying to control and convince and just trust God to work. That is proof to me that God will win in the end. He ALWAYS wins. No question.

My Dear Friend, there are a lot of things to fear in our world. We don’t know what will happen from day to day. People and situations constantly arise that seem to threaten God’s work in us, our family members, even society as a whole, but you and I don’t need to live in fear. We can let go of fear, accept opposition as part of life and hold on to faith. We can let faith eradicate fear in every situation. We can keep the winning end in mind. That will give us strength to persevere under the normal trials of life and the added trials that come along with the journey of faith. But we can walk without fear because we are confident of this: God ALWAYS wins. Hallelujah! 

Key thought: Lack of fear testifies to the presence of faith. 

A Scripture to consider: “Only one thing concerns me: Be sure that you live in a way that brings honor to the Good News of Christ. Then whether I come and visit you or am away from you, I will hear that you are standing strong with one purpose, that you work together as one for the faith of the Good News, and that you are not afraid of those who are against you. All of this is proof that your enemies will be destroyed but that you will be saved by God.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:27-28‬ ‭NCV‬‬

A YES challenge: Ask God to show you where fear is at work in your life. Choose today to let go of that fear and let faith eradicate it. Find a scripture that speaks to God’s promise for you in that area and work on memorizing it to help you walk in faith. 

Prayer: Lord, You know my struggle with fear even though I don’t always recognize it or admit it to myself. Help me to recognize when fear is at work in my life. Help me to choose You over my desire to control outcomes. Help me to let You eradicate fear in my life. Let faith prove to me and to those who oppose me and my faith that You are at work in my life and You ALWAYS win! Amen.