I remember the location and day of our conversation very clearly. I was serving as a USAF Chaplain in a meeting with a ministry leader on our team. As we discussed a crisis we were facing, she made a profound observation.
“You know,” she said, “When we face a crisis in life we can either face it “in fear” or we can face it “in faith.” Our reaction makes a world of difference.”
Since that day, I have often considered that we all have a day when we were born. I like to think of the letter “L” as referring to our “launch” in life.
And, we all have a day when we will die. The “E” can refer to the “end” of our lives.
That leaves us with two letters in the middle “I” and “F.” These letters can represent living either “In Fear” or “In Faith.”
L.I.F.E.
How will you live your life? The way that we “live out” the middle makes all the difference.
How many times have we lived a life of fear instead of a life of faith? Sometimes we are clogged up with fear when God is calling us to boldly step out and to live in faith!
Obviously, we face a massive crisis around the world today. A pandemic which threatens our way of life, our livelihoods and perhaps even our physical lives. When we think about living in fear, we’ve got to ask, “What are we afraid of?” We may be afraid of loss. We may be afraid of how this crisis will affect our families and our futures. We may be afraid because we simply do not know what to do next.
The Bible says it is wrong to live in fear. There is a principle that we see all throughout Scripture. The principle is that if God calls us to endure something, He will equip us and He will go with us. We should never be afraid if we are walking with Him.
What did Jesus say about fear? In Mark 13:11, Jesus talked about His followers facing severe trials. They would be persecuted, attacked and lose control of their futures. Jesus said, “Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.”
This verse tells us not to worry beforehand about things that are out of our control. Jesus promises that God will give us the words we need. He said that God will give us the wisdom we need–when we need it. We do not need to live in fear, we need to live in faith!
Because we know that God will walk with us each step of the way, we can learn to live in faith!
Living
In
Faith
Everyday
In the midst of COVID-19, how will you choose to live: “In Fear” or “In Faith?”
Please join us in prayer for our Rwandan students and families. The government has asked all Rwandans to shelter in place and many of them face severe food shortages and unsafe living conditions. Pray for wisdom for our team as we seek to find creative ways to serve them during this season.