Faith is confidence in God. Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see. CEV) Google dictionary says faith is ‘complete faith or trust in someone or something.’
Fear is faith in the enemy. Google dictionary says fear is ‘an unpleasant emotion caused by belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.’
Google dictionary says belief is ‘the acceptance that something is true.’ Both fear and faith contain belief. It just differs on what we accept to be true.
Let’s start at the beginning. Genesis 3:10 “And he [Adam] said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”
Adam feared his loss of innocence, he believed the lie that God’s punishment would be unbearable. Hmm…. I John 4:18 “there is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath torment.” [“The thought of being punished is what makes us afraid. It shows that we have not really learned to love.” CEV]
Mark 5:36 – “As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, ‘be not afraid, only believe.’ [loss of child]
Jesus draws a clear parallel between faith and fear. It’s one or the other.
Luke 8:50 – “But when Jesus heard it, he answered him saying, ‘fear not, believe only, and she shall be made whole.’ [the result of faith: wholeness]
Galatians 2:12 – “For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when theywere come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.” [loss of reputation] [the result of fear: sin]
Matthew 10:26 “have no fear of them” [loss of reputation/career/life]
Matthew 10:28 “do not fear those who can kill the body” [loss of physical life]
Luke 1:47 “might serve him without fear” [God’s desire]
John 7:13 “yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly about Him” [loss of reputation/career/life]
Romans 8:15 “fall back in to fear, but the Spirit of adoption” [loss of fleshly lusts]
2 Timothy 1:7 “God gave us not the spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-control”
Luke 18:8b “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”
Matthew 9:29b “according to your faith be it done to you”
We fear what we foresee as a loss… do we view the loss as a punishment?
Some of the things I believe God has shown me that we as humans fear. It is my opinion that each one of us individually fears one of them above all the rest. Sometimes (oftentimes) we don’t even realize we fear it until we’re face to face with it.
Loss of spouse [infidelity or death]
Loss of children [disease or death]
Loss of health [disease, sickness, handicap]
Loss of career [status, stability]
Loss of reputation [status, name]
Our fear leads to controlling behaviors. The need to control is actually fear at the root. “Because the allure of control is actually an illusion, to strive for control is to set yourself up for endless frustration and disappointment. Fear results in controlling behavior, and when this behavior doesn’t give us the results we’re seeking (which is usually the case), it further intensifies our fears because the results are proof of the uncertain world that we’re so desperately trying to control. This in turn, leads us to even more controlling behavior.” – Kirsten O’Donovan. It is spiritually beneficial to be very honest with yourself. When you find yourself trying to control everything, ask yourself, what am I fearful about in this situation. Take it to Jesus. Have a transparent heart to heart, acknowledge the fear, don’t try to hide or mask it. Allow Him access to the fear and work it out of you through prayer and study of the word (and fasting). It may be a process.
I had a boy in my 5th grade classroom whose home world was out of control. It was abusive and neglectful. At 10 years old there wasn’t much in his life that he could control. He figured out that what food what into his body was something he could control. So that’s what he did. At school he would refuse to eat because it was something he could control.
Perhaps we feel like there’s some things in our life we can’t control, so we look for the things we can, and becoming this control-driven individual. God has brought me to a place, more than once, of feeling like everything in my life was out of control. Every time, He reminds me of the one thing I can truly control and that is my submission to Him. I can control whether or not I say yes to Him. I cannot control others, and to try to do so is both harmful to them and to me.
However, this is Paul’s opinion about loss:
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” Philippians 3:8
So why and how does God use fear? Because to fear is to human. The phrase “fear not” is found 62 times in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Faith is found 247 times in the Bible from Deuteronomy to Revelation. “Live by his faith” – Habakkuk 2:4 “Live by faith” Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38. ‘The just = the innocent’.
Going back to I John 4:18 in the CEV “The thought of being punished is what makes us afraid. It shows that we have not really learned to love.” That is a huge statement, because…
Our greatest commandment is “to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” Deuteronomy 6:5
It is impossible to love God the way He desires us to so long as we are fearful. Therefore, it is my biblical-study/Holy Ghost-experience opinion that God brings us face to face with what we fear the most in order to grow our faith to the dimension He desires.