FEAR NOT; HAVE FAITH IN GOD

WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL

NOVEMBER 01, 2022

TOPIC: FEAR NOT; HAVE FAITH IN GOD

 BY T. O. BANSO 

“Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself” (Philippians 1:28 New Living Translation).

The battles of life are real. It is possible you have just come out of one or you’re currently fighting one. One doesn’t need to be a prophet to say that some people will soon start fighting one battle or the other.

Life’s battles are diverse and vary from one season to the other. They could be related to destiny fulfilment, academic pursuit, career, finances, marriage, childbearing and rearing, health, and so on. Battles of life are inevitable. They sometimes begin unexpectedly and their duration could be unpredictable. Victory in one battle does not mean it is the last battle.

There are some weapons you should have in your armoury as you fight the battles of life. I want to talk about one of them: faith. Fear not the enemy; have faith in God. As God commissioned Joshua to take over from Moses, His servant, whom He had recalled home, God told Joshua to be strong and of good courage. He told him repeatedly in Joshua 1:6, 7, 9.

As you face the battles of life or fight the battle you’re currently in, fear not; have faith in God. Philippians 1:28 says, “Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself” (New Living Translation).

If you allow the devil to make you continue to live in fear in the battles of life, he has already defeated you. The Bible says  God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). Fear is an enemy; never befriend it.

Fear comes to everyone. Fear is often described by the acronym F.E.A.R: False Evidence Appearing Real or False Expectations Appearing Real. One would be living in denial to say that he has never been afraid in the battles of life. The devil sometimes succeeds in making us afraid when we take our eyes away from God or when we listen to what the enemy or our condition is telling us. Nevertheless, we must quickly change our focus back to the Word of God, especially His promises. Don’t let fear defeat you.

As long as Peter was not looking at the wind, he kept on walking on the water to go to Jesus in response to His command after he had told Jesus, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water” (Matthew 14:28 New King James Version). But when Peter saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid. Then, he began to sink and cried to Jesus to save him (verse 30).

Verses 31-32 say, “And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’ And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased” (New King James Version). Jesus is always near to you to catch you if your faith fails. Peter did the right thing by crying to Jesus. You should too. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved, whether from the danger of hellfire or any other danger (Romans 10:13). “The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth” (Psalm 145:18 New International Version).

As Ray Palmer said in the first two lines of the lyrics of the hymn, “My faith looks up to thee”, let your faith look up to the Lamb of Calvary. He will save you in the battles of life even as He saves whoever believes in His name from hellfire. Jesus has already defeated Satan and his cohorts (Colossians 2:15). You must never forget that whenever he wants to make you afraid.

In Psalm 56:3, David, who was talking about the time the Philistines seized him in Gath, said, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You” (New King James Version). Notice that David did not say “If I am afraid”. He said, “Whenever I am afraid” There are times you could become afraid in life’s battles but don’t continue in this condition. Stop and renew your faith in God.  Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Fear can also come by hearing negative reports.

The servant of Elisha was afraid when he got up early in the morning, went outside, and saw troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. He cried to Elisha, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” (2 Kings 6:15b New King James Version). But Elisha replied that he should not be afraid because those who were on their side were more than those on the side of their enemy.

Elisha then prayed to the LORD to open the eyes of his servant for him to see. The LORD did and he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire (verse 17). As the Syrian army advanced toward Elisha, he prayed to the LORD to make them blind and He struck them with blindness (verse 18). The LORD fought for His servant.

The Bible says when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him (Isaiah 59:19b). I pray that when you are afraid in the battles you are fighting, the Holy Spirit will remind you of the promises of God in His Word about divine protection and victory.

Fear not; have faith in God. The Lord shall give you victory. The battles of life will not overcome you. Very soon you will talk of the battles in the past tense. You will share the testimony of your victory. David said, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4 New King James Version). No matter the battles of life you’re fighting, don’t be afraid. If you’re getting afraid, bind the spirit and cast it out. Confess the Word of God.

See David’s faith in God again: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident” (Psalm 27:1-3 New King James Version).  

You should have this kind of faith: faith in the presence of God even in the worst situations. He says He will be with you always even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20b). Likewise, God says in Isaiah 41:10 that you should not fear for He is with you and not be dismayed for He is your God; He will strengthen you; He will help you, and He will uphold you with His righteous right hand. This is the promise of God.

He says further that when you pass through the waters, He will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. Also, when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze (Isaiah 43:2). Fear not; have faith in God.

Your faith will give you victory; your faith is the victory. “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4-5 New King James Version). Don’t cast away your confidence, which has great reward (Hebrews 10:35).

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Exercising faith in God in the battles of life means that you believe that what the Word of God says He will do for you, He will do. It is believing that God will fight for you and give you victory. It is believing that the enemy will not overcome you but you will defeat the enemy.

David’s battle with Goliath was a physical battle. But it was also spiritual. When Goliath saw David, a boy, step forward to fight him, he asked if he was a dog that he came at him with sticks. Therefore, he cursed  David by his gods (1 Samuel 17:43).

But David also came against him in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom Goliath had defied (verse 45). Just as David said, God delivered Goliath into his hands. He struck him down and cut off his head. Whatever Goliath you’re fighting at the moment in your life, you will defeat and cut off its head in Jesus’ name.

Fear not; have faith in God. Don’t trust in chariots or horses; remember the name of the Lord your God (Psalm 20:7). Trust in the Lord. Don’t let your confidence be in yourself or human resources. “Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint” (Proverbs 25:19 New King James Version).

Fear not; have faith in God. Psalm 146:3-5 says, “Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish. Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the LORD his God” (New King James Version).

The Lord shall give you victory as you have faith in Him, pray, follow His instructions, and do what you’re supposed to do. Fear not; have faith in God.

TAKE ACTION!

If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.

Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.

I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.

PRAYER POINTS: I shall not fear; I shall have faith in God. I rebuke you, the spirit of fear; I bind and cast you out of my life in Jesus’ name. The battles of life shall not overcome me; I shall be victorious. Any Goliath that is fighting me is defeated in Jesus’ name.

(For about 800 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit  www.cedarministry.org).

T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org