Living with Purpose by Matt Dobson

(Part II of Fear vs. Faith)

Personal challenges and the on-set of self-doubt can make life very interesting! To overcome these, you need a healthy amount of faith in yourself. Faith in yourself banishes fear. Faith in yourself means you believe your life is important, your work is purposeful, and your contributions to God and society count for something. This week is a continuation of a previous column addressing Fear vs. Faith.

Faith is positive, fear is negative. Therefore, fear is lack of belief in yourself. You need to understand if you don’t believe you can solve your problems, no matter how, then there is little chance you will solve them. Fear of the future can paralyze your growth mentally, professionally, and spiritually. Lack of faith in yourself makes it close to impossible to solve your troubles. That’s how important this is!

Listen to this story of fear and faith: The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the highest and longest single span bridges in the world. A mile of it hangs over the bay in San Francisco. When it was being built, the bridge was so high the men who were building it, even though they were experienced bridge builders, felt a terrible fear. The bridge cost thirty-five million dollars to build. At the time there was a superstitious attitude among bridge construction workers for every five million dollars spent on a bridge, a human life would be lost. Five men had already plunged to their death on the Golden Gate Bridge. Although every safety device was being used, they still fell. It was fear that sent them over the sides. One day construction engineers decided to put a “safety net” under the bridge—woven steel strands, like a great huge fish net. This was to eliminate any more deaths due to falls. The bridge was as high as before, the girders just as slippery, the water just as deep and far below. But something happened. From the time the net was installed, not a single man fell off the bridge into the net. Why? Because they were no longer afraid. The fear of falling was gone. They realized even if they did fall, the safety net was there to catch them. When they lost their fear of falling they didn’t fall.

Today, faith is your safety net! Your own work may be hard, the way may be slippery, and the dark waters of discouragement may swirl beneath your feet. But, if you realize between you and the deep, dark waters of fear and worry, is the “safety net” of God’s love, you too, will not fall. If by chance you do fall, God will help you; He will save you, and set you back in your place. There’s an old saying, often misunderstood as a quote from the Bible: “God helps those who help themselves.” The Scripture verse that might be akin to that saying is found in Psalm 37:40, “And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them…and save them, because they trust in Him.” Faith can always overcome fear. Exercising faith in God does not require a miracle from God. With God’s help in overcoming fear, most of the power needed is already in your possession. If you are saved and filled with the Holy Spirit, God will very seldom create new powers, but many times adds to the power you already have. A person: man, woman, or child normally has a great deal of latent physical power in reserve. Drawing near to God triggers the release of the Holy Spirit’s power in your life (body and mind). When a crisis finds you fearful and you start to panic, call upon your God-given power. We might call it “spiritual adrenaline”, and if the situation calls for enhanced physical strength, the mental state can produce it. There is power in positive thinking. Believers know they can draw upon extra power reserves. Always remember, there is more strength in you than you realize or can imagine.

Faith is the one power against which fear cannot stand. Do your best to fill your mind with faith and in due course the accumulation of faith will crowd out fear. The importance of freeing your mind of fear cannot be overemphasized. Fear something long enough and it could turn into a psychosis. Fear something continuously and there is a real possibility that by fearing, you may actually help bring it to pass. “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me” (Job 3:25). But we shouldn’t despair over this fact because the Bible assures us “…but with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26); and “Everything is possible for him/her who believes” (Mark 9:23); and “According to your faith will it be done to you” (Matt. 9:29).

Prayerize your fear so that you may actualize your faith. Saturate your mind with healthy thoughts, not fear and you will produce faith results. There is within every person, born of God, an incredible power. This power heals and keeps ourselves clean and healthy in mind and body. Join with others this week by finding a church, attend faithfully, and follow God in all your ways.

•  This weekly column is written by Matthew Dobson. A graduate of Florida State University, University of West Florida, and Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, he is Pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church in Jay, Florida. Matthew can be reached by email:  rmdobson@liberty.edu. He welcomes your thoughts and questions concerning faith, belief, and Christian living. Visit the Living With Purpose website at www.living-with-purpose.org.