Faith Over Fear 1.0
"Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.” Mark 11:24
What if you actually lived this way? For most of us, we say we do. Yeah, I believe God can do it… but do you believe He will?
It trips me up when I ask myself this, because of course I believe God can do anything. But when I question if He will, I start to question the heart of a good and loving Father.
See, oftentimes when we pray, we pray out of fear. We beg God to come through for us, but deep down we really don’t believe that He will. Why is that? Could it be we’re disheartened from praying, asking, and receiving no answer? Or could it also be that we’ve lost sight of who God is and who we are?
Maybe we need to remind ourselves that not only is He God, infinite in wisdom and power, but He’s also Abba. He’s our Father, our Provider, our Protector, our Shepherd, and our Friend. He looks at us and calls us sons and daughters. And He’s the same God who longs to graciously give us all things.
Jesus didn’t die a sinner’s death so you would continue to live in fear, but He died to make you an heir, an heir to the throne of the kingdom of God and a co-heir with Himself. He died to bring you close, for there is no fear in His great love.
But sometimes we give way to fear, causing us to lose sight of the foundation of this whole thing, and that is faith. Maybe in the midst of our prayers, we wait in silence for God to answer us, when really He’s trying to teach us something so much bigger. Maybe He’s trying to grow in us a faith that’s not based on what we see but based on who He is.
See, God is looking for faith. Nothing pleases Him more. Our faith combined with His power creates a stage for miracles, for breakthrough, and for God to move.
Our level of faith is reflected in the words we speak, in the way that we pray, and the way we live every day. Do our lives reflect a heart centered on the promises of a good Father, or do our lives reflect a heart full of doubt and disbelief?
“With the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach will be satisfied; he will be satisfied with the product of his lips. Death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18: 20-21
Our words have so much power, the power to shape the reality in which we live. Do we speak of the faithfulness of God or do we worry about tomorrow? If you can trust Him with the salvation of your soul, then why can’t you trust Him with the little things? Your exams, your next step, your future (or current) job, your finances, who you’re going marry, *insert whatever occupies most of your thoughts*—why not trust Him with these things too?
See, faith doesn’t require understanding, it doesn’t demand our eyes to see, it doesn’t ask for prior knowledge, or make reason a need. But it does require something great of us, a sacrifice and a risk, so to speak: faith requires evidence of your belief.
It’s a call to action, a different way to live, and an assurance of a reality that is yet to be. “To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see” Hebrews 11:1.
More so than anyone else, I need this. For I’ve wavered in unbelief, but I know the Lord is growing my faith. He’s teaching me what it means to be a daughter who’s confident in who her Father is and what He’s capable of doing. Having faith, to me, is expecting God to move, thanking Him in advance for His provision, and resting peacefully in His promises.
For Jesus Himself said,
“According to your faith let it be done to you.” Matthew 9:29
“O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.” Matthew 15:28
“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:7
“And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” Matthew 21:22
“And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Luke 11:9
“Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.” Matthew 18:19
“If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” John 14:14
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:23-24
“Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” Matthew 21:21-22
“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:11
“And [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, ‘In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, “Give me justice against my adversary.” For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, “Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming”.’ And the Lord said, ‘Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?’” Luke 18:1-8
