UNSHAKEABLE Facing our fears with faith – Part II

‘It is important to understand the giant we face is not going to go away on its own. So, to conquer the giant, we have to replace that fear with faith.’

FOR MANY of us, fears, like giants, are exaggerated and seem almost impossible to overcome. But we learned last week that we are born with only two fears, and therefore, all other fears are learnt.

God wants us to learn to overcome our fears, and today, we are going to look at the story of David and Goliath and lessons we can learn from it. Here’s the first lesson.

STAY FOCUSED ON GOD

In 1 Samuel 17:16 (NLT), we read, “For 40 days, every morning and evening, the Philistine champion strutted in front of the

Israelite army.” If we allow fear to be the only voice we hear, then fear is going to rule our hearts. Instead of inquiring of the Lord what to do, the Israelite army allowed fear to dominate their hearts and minds for 40 days. When fearful situations come upon us, we must focus on God, like David in 1 Samuel 17:45: “… I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of

the armies of Israel … .” And like David, we will be triumphant: “So, David triumphed over the Philistine … .” The second lesson is:

WE NEED TO FACE OUR FEARS

So many times, our fears can seem impossible, but they are not. That is the nature of fear – false evidence appearing real. No one in the Israelite army wanted to face Goliath, who seemed to be undefeatable. When David heard about Goliath, he immediately decided to face him. ‘Don’t worry about this Philistine,’ David told Saul, ‘I’ll go fight him!’ 1 Samuel 17:32 (NLT). The most effective way to banish fear is to repeatedly force ourselves to face what we fear. Research has found that this repeated exposure lowers the psychological fear response until it is more manageable or, in some cases, gone.

The third lesson is:

ASK GOD TO REPLACE OUR FEAR WITH HIS FAITH

It is important to understand that the giant we face is not going to go away on its own. So, to conquer the giant, we have to replace that fear with faith. As we lean in to God, our fear will decrease and our faith will increase.

And the final lesson is:

MOVE FORWARD WITH GOD THROUGH OUR FEARS

Our natural reaction when fear comes into our life is to either step back, run from it, pretend it does not exist, or allow it to paralyse us. But there is another option; we can move forward with God. We can decide today that we are not going to run, pretend or be paralysed, but instead, we are going to move forward through our fear.

Are you tired of being afraid, being paralysed, being stuck? Then move forward with God.

David, through faith in God, conquered Goliath. With faith in God, no matter what fears we face we will triumph as our victory comes through Jesus Christ. John 16:33 (NIV) tells us, “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Maybe you have never put your faith in Jesus Christ. It is very easy just say, “Jesus, you are my Saviour, you are my Lord. I believe that You died for me on the cross, and I also believe You were raised again in new life for me.” The Bible says that if believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be saved. So, why not believe today?

And those who are already believers, stop focusing on the fear. Face it in the name of the Lord, and allow God to replace your fear with His faith and choose to move forward in Him.