Scripture makes it clear that God's desire for His people is to not live in fear. He does not want any of His followers to go throughout every day, letting fear overpower them. If you are like me, you are likely thinking, "How do I let go of fear and live free of that fear?" The good news for all of us is that Scripture teaches that there is a way to move forward from fear, which is faith.
Jesus called us out of our fear when He said in John 14, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me" (verse 1). Further on in the chapter, Jesus said, "I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid (verse 27). Why did He call listeners not to be afraid? He did not call listeners not to be afraid because hard times would not come. Instead, He called listeners not to be afraid because He would be returning one day, and no evil enemy force has power over Him. Because of that, Jesus taught that His followers can have hope and peace, even in the darkest times.
Jesus wants you to be able to have peace, too. His message is the same today, "Do not let your hearts be troubled." He gave us an alternative— "trust in God, and trust also in Him." We can trust in His power, His strength, and the fact that He is working in our lives, and He will continue to work. Faith in Him is indeed the answer to stepping away from fear. If we trust Him and His power, we truly can trust Him to work in every situation that we will face, good, bad, and everything in between.
Faith offers us a better way than living in fear. As we think about faith, the truth is that our faith is only as strong as the object of our faith. The question is, how powerful and strong is our God? He is all-powerful. Take some time today to search what Scripture teaches about God's strength and power. As you read about God's power and His strength, how does this give you the confidence to walk forward in faith, not fear?
“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but the other disciple with that name) said to him, “Lord, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us and not to the world at large?”
Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me. I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really loved me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, who is greater than I am. I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe.
“I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over me, but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let’s be going.
