Faith over Fear: Lets talk about faith

Guest post – Lets talk about everything that’s been going on in our country.  Protests against Gender Based Violence,  #enoughisenough,  wearing black on Friday and all the things that come with it.

It’s been a harrowing week for women and children in our country, but it didn’t start recently.  It’s been coming over years and years. Time has passed and our society has become so numb to violence, so conditioned to accept things for what they are, and to just live a life of fear. I have read so many posts on social media when the news broke of Nene and little Amy-Leigh’s kidnapping about how women were afraid. How they try to have strategies to escape being a victim, and how they can’t sleep at night or fear walking down their own street in broad daylight.

I can totally relate.

I’ve been afraid, I’ve been cautious in my routines, I’ve always made sure I park my car in a crowded place, I don’t walk alone and I sleep with my dogs and kids in my bed when my husband is away.

But do I shrink back and allow fear to overtake me? Do I become a nervous wreck when I need to leave the house?

No!

And here’s why.

As a Christian, we have a wonderful book FULL of advice and truth and some of those are:

• 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
• Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
• Psalm 91:5 You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day.
• 2 Corinthians 7:5 & 6 For when we arrived in Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were pressed from every direction—conflicts on the outside, fears within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the arrival of Titus,

I have learned, over the years, that Fear disables us, it’s stops us from living a full life. Fear keeps us captive and oppressed. It not only disables us, but when we allow fear to take root in our hearts and minds it makes us ineffective as believers in bringing the Salt and Light to those around us.

I have faced many seasons of fear, been tramped down in my thinking by the aftermath of an experience. I’ve had to take it to God and ask Him to give his perspective on it, I’ve had to allow God to show me that He has never left my side, He’s been with me through everything. I’ve come to understand that the choices of others (with regards to hurting others – emotionally and physically) are their choices and there is nothing I can do to change that, but I can change how I respond to it. I cannot allow the enemy to silence me, I cannot allow the forces of evil to stun me into silence and doubt of who’s I am and how much God loves me.

So I have come to the conclusion through all of the news and social media posts that, yes, we are allowed to be outraged and protest and share our experiences, but as believers, we have a mandate to FIRST go to God and allow Him to direct our opinions so that they match up with his word. Let us sow words of hope, joy and encouragement. Let us sow seeds of love and truth. We cannot live in fear for our lives, we must boldly declare the truth of God over our minds and our hearts and walk it out, with the help of Holy Spirit.

I know it’s hard, I struggle with fear every day, but the key here is to keep walking the walk believing the truth above the facts of the current conversations.

My anchor scripture on this whole thing is Romans 15:13

May the God of HOPE fill you with all joy and PEACE as you TRUST in him, so that you may OVERFLOW with HOPE by the POWER of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13 (emphasis mine)

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