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New Article: Are You Living in Fear or Faith?


                Fear is a great motivator when you find yourself in a life-threatening situation.  Fear can cause you to run faster, fight harder, and act more quickly than normal.  For a brief time, fear-based reactions can be very useful.  Over the long run, though, a fearful approach to life tends to lead to problem avoidance and poor decision-making.  1 Samuel 17 is a perfect example of this truth.

               Twice a day, for forty days, a giant named Goliath challenged God’s people.  When the army looked at him, all they saw was his nine-foot-tall frame and the immense strength that he possessed.  We are told that “[King] Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified” (verse 11).  Every day, the army drew up its battle line and shouted the war cry as if they were going to fight (verse 20), but when they saw Goliath and heard his shouts, “they all ran from him in great fear” (verse 24).  The discussion focused on what they could not do, and the more they spoke about their fear, the more fearful they became. 

               Then, one day, a young man named David showed up.  When he heard what was happening, his response was, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; [I] will go and fight him” (verse 32).  After a brief discussion, King Saul decided he had no other option.  You likely know how the rest of the story goes.

               What made David run toward the problem when everyone else was running away?  What made him confident when men much older than him were scared? 

               David’s secret was that he was listening to a different voice. 

While the army focused on Goliath’s threats, David was reassured by the promises of God.  They listened to fear and discouraged each other from even trying to fight, while David found strength and confidence in the fact that God was with him.

Fearful thoughts produce fearful leaders which, in turn, produces fearful followers.  Given that each of us are leaders in some realm, we would do well to guard our thinking and what we are focusing on.

“So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid’” (Hebrews 13:6).

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