Faith not Fear

I thought this short summary on the topic of fear was well written by Dr. David Jeremiah and I wanted to share it with everyone as a reminder of the importance of faith.

(Links have been added for you to go to the readings)

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Reinhold Niebuhr (d. 1971) penned the original version of "The Serenity Prayer." The first line of the poem says, "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change," often popularized today as, "Don't worry about stuff you have no control over." The problem is, it sounds like it is okay to worry about the stuff you can control. However, Christians are told in Scripture not to worry about anything (Philippians 4:6-7).

Worry is fear--not necessarily the white-knuckle, knee-knocking kind of fear, but a fear that leaves us unsettled and anxious. Fear and worry are all about the future. Like when Jesus' disciples were afraid in a storm at sea (Matthew 8:26). They were definitely worried about their future--whether they would arrive safely on the distant shore or not. Fear is a lack of faith in God. We believe God knows "the future," but not our future. Yes, not worrying requires faith--but not blind faith. It is faith in a God who has promised He will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

If you know God through Christ, it's better not to worry about what you can't control. But it's biblical not to worry at all.

Nothing can cure us of fear till God cures us of unbelief.
-Francis Burkitt

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!