Faith Overcomes Fear

Recently our country has been gripped with fear due to the evil act of one individual bent on destroying life. With a total of 58 dead and hundreds injured in Las Vegas, people are scared. Sure it happened in Las Vegas this time but next time it could happen in our community right? Whenever evil reigns, fear is close behind. Fear paralyzes progress, makes us retreat into ourselves, and it stops us from letting the light of Christ shine in our lives. Evil affects our daily lives removing our sense of security. Instead of planning for the future, we hide from it.
 

​God does not want believers to fear evil, He wants us to live by faith. The Bible is full of examples of people who fought against evil with impossible odds… and they won! One great example is King Hezekiah. King Hezekiah faithfully rebuilt Jerusalem, the spiritual and political center for the Jewish nation. When the King of Assyria decided to invade them, the people were gripped with fear. The Assyrians represented evil itself. They had a large army, war technology, ample resources, and the willingness to kill anyone in their path. They had no regard for human life, especially Jewish life, and did not fear the God of Israel. If I were in Jerusalem at the time, I would have been gripped with fear. Everyone feared for their lives until King Hezekiah spoke to the people. Second Chronicles 32:7-8 records what he said:
 
 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.” 2 Chronicles 32:7-8
 
Even though the odds appeared to be against Hezekiah, he knew that God would give them victory over the evil Assyrian empire. Here are three reasons why you should not fear evil.
 
1. God is victorious. The ultimate source of evil is sin and sin is Satan’s playground. Satan uses people, circumstances, and events to steal, kill, and destroy God’s creation and God’s plans. But we know who wins. I have read the end of the book.
 
“6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.” Revelation 21:6
 
God wants you to join His team, through faith, but he loves you enough to give you the free will to reject him. If you want to be on the winning team believe in Jesus and what he did for you on the cross.
 
2. God is stronger than the enemy. God is more powerful than anyone or anything. We will still feel the effects of evil in our lives because we live in a fallen world full of sinful people, but God is stronger than the enemy and even when the enemy tries to destroy us, God promises to deliver us. We may not always see the bigger picture on the front end, but we must trust God’s promise in Romans 8:28 that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him.”     
 
3.  God holds the future. We are on God’s timetable and the entire world runs on it.  God is leading the world to his desired conclusion at the appropriate time. I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know that God holds the future. He holds your tomorrow in His hand. So hold his hand and walk with him.  
 
The bible does tell believers to pray against evil. Jesus taught his disciples to pray saying: “and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one’” Matthew 6:13. It tells us to overcome evil with good like Paul admonishes us to do. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” Romans 12:21.
 
Don’t let fear ruin your future. Let Jesus take control once again and follow him into the wonderful and awesome future that he has in store for you. In a world of evil trust God to remove the evil that causes fear. You don’t have to fear going to the mall or to the airport because God is victorious. You still need to be wise and smart, but you don’t have to live in fear. Trust God to be with you and protect you in every circumstance and situation. When you do, you will have peace in your heart.   

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