Faith Over Fear
Read The Daily:
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7
Aaron Fields shared a humorous story about a childhood visit to “Big Bertha’s Funhouse” that turned out to be far more frightening than fun. The experience left a lasting impression and became a picture of how fear can shape our thinking. Many of us carry fears that seem smaller on the surface but still influence our decisions, relationships, and spiritual lives.
Paul’s words to Timothy offer a different perspective. Aaron reminded us that believers are not called to be driven by fear. Instead, God has given us power, love, and self-discipline through His Spirit. Fear often asks, “What if everything goes wrong?” Faith asks, “What if God is with me through it all?”
Jesus repeatedly told His followers not to be afraid because He was giving them the gift of His presence. When fear begins to control your thoughts, remember what God has already given you. Through Christ, you can face uncertainty with courage, trusting that His Spirit is stronger than the fears that try to hold you back.
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Prayer for the Day
God what are you showing me? What am I going to do about it?
God help me to see one person that I can serve through a kind word, random act of kindness, or simple gift today?
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Read The New Testament In A Year
He went down to Capernaum, a village in Galilee. He was teaching the people on the Sabbath. They were surprised and impressed–his teaching was so forthright, so confident, so authoritative, not the quibbling and quoting they were used to. In the meeting place that day there was a man demonically disturbed. He screamed, “Ho! What business do you have here with us, Jesus? Nazarene! I know what you’re up to. You’re the Holy One of God and you’ve come to destroy us!” Jesus shut him up: “Quiet! Get out of him!” The demonic spirit threw the man down in front of them all and left. The demon didn’t hurt him. That set everyone back on their heels, whispering and wondering, “What’s going on here? Someone whose words make things happen? Someone who orders demonic spirits to get out and they go?” Jesus was the talk of the town. He left the meeting place and went to Simon’s house. Simon’s mother-in-law was running a high fever and they asked him to do something for her. He stood over her, told the fever to leave–and it left. Before they knew it, she was up getting dinner for them. When the sun went down, everyone who had anyone sick with some ailment or other brought them to him. One by one he placed his hands on them and healed them. Demons left in droves, screaming, “Son of God! You’re the Son of God!” But he shut them up, refusing to let them speak because they knew too much, knew him to be the Messiah. He left the next day for open country. But the crowds went looking and, when they found him, clung to him so he couldn’t go on. He told them, “Don’t you realize that there are yet other villages where I have to tell the Message of God’s kingdom, that this is the work God sent me to do?” Meanwhile he continued preaching in the meeting places of Galilee. Luke 4:31-44
Friends, let me go over the Message with you one final time–this Message that I proclaimed and that you made your own; this Message on which you took your stand and by which your life has been saved. (I’m assuming, now, that your belief was the real thing and not a passing fancy, that you’re in this for good and holding fast.) The first thing I did was place before you what was placed so emphatically before me: that the Messiah died for our sins, exactly as Scripture tells it; that he was buried; that he was raised from death on the third day, again exactly as Scripture says; that he presented himself alive to Peter, then to his closest followers, and later to more than five hundred of his followers all at the same time, most of them still around (although a few have since died); that he then spent time with James and the rest of those he commissioned to represent him; and that he finally presented himself alive to me. It was fitting that I bring up the rear. I don’t deserve to be included in that inner circle, as you well know, having spent all those early years trying my best to stamp God’s church right out of existence. 1 Corinthians 15:1-9