A complete absence of fear is only possible when one is either filled to the brim with faith or completely mad. Being fearless in the face of a particular threat at a precise moment in time is not unusual in human history. In contrast, there are very few examples of men or women who live day to day, year in and year out, both fearless and sane.
The Two Causes of Fear in Christians
Fear always accompanies an error of faith. Christians experience fear for one of these two reasons:
- A lack of faith that God can do what He promised.
- A lack of faith that God will do what you want Him to do.
Whether the fear is one of personal security, relationship failure, financial ruin, or fragile health, one of these two situations will exist.
Ten-Second Explanation for the Presence of Fear
Yesterday we listened to a noted preacher discuss the causes and nature of fear. After thirty minutes of scripture and illustration the message could have been shared in ten seconds. His conclusion? Fear is the product of a lack of faith.
The greatest theological scholars in history probably wrote volumes on the nature of fear. I’m just a retired horse trainer… the whole matter can be summed up in ten seconds. Just re-read numbers 1 and 2 above.
What issue in your life is too big for God to handle? Go ahead and name it. Is your fear really a lack of faith in God or the fear that you won’t get what you want?
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Number 2 is only correct if what we want is God’s will.
Hmmm. If what we want is God’s will then any fear will be explained by Number 1, the fear that God can’t do what He says He can. My hypothesis is that most fear is caused because we want what we want and are afraid we won’t get what we want. Whether it is the life-threatening illness of a loved one or the loss of a job, we fear because we don’t know that the outcome we want is the outcome we’ll get.
When we have exhausted our ability God takes over and will cause to happen what He wills to happen. The great question of my life is “Have I done all I could?” That includes prayer. God’s grace and wisdom is clearly seen in the rear-view mirror. Until we have gotten through and past a rocky place, or pass through the gate to heaven, we cannot always see how His plan is perfect.
Blessings.