…for we walk by faith, not by sight. – 2 Corinthians 5:7

I knew that I could trust Jesus, but when called to love and forgive my enemy, I was scared. I didn’t know where this was going. I didn’t know how it would end. Yet, I knew that I had already allowed fear to motivate me far too long.

When the anxiety first came, it hit hard. The once fearless, self-sufficient, social woman I knew crumbled and left in it’s place a scared little girl who had little energy to get out of bed each morning. Panic attacks would come out of no where, with no warning. It was all so irrational. The worst part was that I knew it was irrational, but I didn’t know how to conquer it. Fear had taken over and was my main motivator.

But when I was saved, God gave me the grace to overcome my fears. Just as the song Amazing Grace states, “T’was grace that taught my heart to fear. And grace, my fears relieved.” Truly, it was only by the grace of God that my fears ceased, and that I was able to regain a sound mind once again.

Fear is a God given emotion, and its purpose is to protect us from harm. This fear is good. But much of the fear we frequently experience is irrational fear––the fear that holds us back from living the full life that Jesus died for us to have. This fear never allows us to see true growth of character. This fear never brings good. And in these cases, when we choose to live in fear, we will never see the promises of God to the extent that He would like us to.

I heard it once said that we can choose to live each day motivated by fear or by faith. Christian reformer, Martin Luther, was quoted as saying “Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.” This is the faith we all need.

In my prayer journal at the time, I wrote, “I am seeing more and more that the Christian life is NOT a life of passivity, but a life of choices empowered by the Holy Spirit. I pray Lord God for You to help me to walk in Your Spirit….” It was then that I chose to live by faith.

But I must make this decision each and every day. As a reminder, I have the following written on a post-it in my bathroom. “Each day, I can choose to live out of fear or out of FAITH. What do I choose? To live out of and by faith!” Below this, there’s another reminder. It says, “Jesus died for me, loves me, and will work all things for good in my life! TRUST HIM!” It is this truth that allows us to conquer fear in our lives and empowers us to live by faith.

So, I encourage you today to came to Jesus and allow Him to show you His heart toward you. See and know in your heart that He loves you, that He is for you, and that He is your comforter and your guide, and you will be empowered to live your life differently (though not perfectly), for you will be walking by faith.

{Faith drives our fear!}

Have you ever been paralyzed by fear? I certainly have! Share with us… 

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To read more about the anxiety and depression I experienced when saved, read my post Torn Down and Saved.