It's strange how both fear and faith can become a certainty—but not at the same time. We train ourselves in one or the other.
Fear moves to certainty when all evidence (e.g. what we have gathered, inferred, or imagined) points to a fear being true. We become convinced of its truth.
Far too often, we gather a fear's evidence for so long, it takes a miracle from God to deliver us from it. Sometimes we are relieved when it's proven wrong. Other times, we seem to cherish our fears or resent having someone address them. Have you ever dealt with a particular fear, only to have it return, possibly morphed into a slightly different one? Fear often lingers, waiting to be put back into play when all the "signs" begin to point to it again.
I recently realized I feared being the weak link. Insert me into any situation, and I am happy to be of service in any capacity, but I do not want to be the weak link. This fear reminds me of an old fear I dealt with long ago of being "not enough." When I was walking through a process of fully surrendering my life by the leading of the Holy Spirit (thank you, Andrew Murray's Absolute Surrender!), the Lord asked me to trade him my worst fear. It took me weeks to isolate it. I finally did so when my cousin (who was also a pastor's daughter) told me that her worst fear was probably being sent by God to work with cannibals somewhere. My heart immediately responded with, "No! If only I was sent by God at least I would know he sent me." The Holy Spirit drew me away to a quiet place and let me know that my worst fear was getting up on the altar and God passing by without accepting my surrender. My worst fear was that my whole self was not enough for God to notice.
Instead of giving him full surrender, for over twenty years of my Christian walk with God I had contented myself with giving him portions—which I must say he was always faithful to accept. However, realizing he wanted all of me led me to full-on, absolute, point of no return, no going back, no holds barred, white-flag surrender.
Fear is only obliterated when we surrender it to the One Who Loves Us With Perfect Love. Sometimes it's suddenly gone, like I experienced. Other times it gradually recedes in the light of what he says about us, as a part of our daily walk with God and dying to the self. This is why it is absolutely necessary to remove ourselves from all flows of gossip which spread the contagion of fear and hate, both in opposition to love. We must also remove ourselves from the influence of those who would define us (toxic people)—we must know and practice what God says about us when the gavel of Heaven strikes. We must also stay surrendered to the Holy Spirit so he can "finish" making those things that God says about us bear fruit. We must also take captive every vain imagination or fantasy, pulling them down around us so they no longer block our vision of our God who is even more real than the world we touch.
And, if we've not consistently been those things God says about us, we simply repent and surrender again. So, here I am, in the still watches of the early morning, facing a cousin of my old fear, cloaked in service.
This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. - 1 John 4:17-18
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. - Romans 10:17
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. - Hebrews 11:6
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. - John 3:16-17
Fear is driven out by knowing God and his goodness intimately. Perfect love drives out fear because we no longer fear punishment. We not only know he exists and rewards those who seek him, but we have heard him call us to flourish in his eternal life. We are learning by his Spirit to take up his cross and walk in that call through faith.
When we fear, we self-promote and self-protect, which is the opposite of the love of Christ. When we love like Christ, we lay down our lives for others. Love and fear are polar opposites.
Scientifically, fear is the opposite of love. Physiologists can demonstrate that the response in our brains when we fear is the opposite of the response in our brains when we experience love. Biblically, perfect love—the Person of Love, Christ, and the truth he both is and the truth he brings—is the antidote to fear. Faith in Christ who is Perfect Love himself, also eliminates fear. You could say that faith in Christ who is Love is the opposite of or antidote for fear. A faith-filled person is someone who takes God at his word, believing the promises of God both written in the word and direction delivered to us personally. If we deeply know who he says he is and understand that what he does stems from his character, we become convinced he simply cannot fail us.
"True Faith relies on God's promises and thereby releases God's power." - Warren Wiersbe
My Great Aunt Eveline, when close to death, met with her Episcopal priest, a younger woman who depended greatly on her. The priest at her funeral told us that she had been struggling with Aunt Eveline's dying and wanted to know how she was so confident facing it. The priest said my Aunt Eveline's words would never leave her: "The same God who keeps me in life will keep me in death."
This is who we have to know to our core—this God who keeps us in life and death. Faith beholds the Living God whose loving promises we can rest in.
Grace unveils the Living God and drives away our fears.