“We walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
An Indian fable talks about a mouse that was constantly in fear of a cat. So, one day, a magician changed teh mouse into a cat. But then the cat was afraid of a dog. So, the magician changed the cat into a dog. But the dog was afraid of a tiger. So, the magician changed the dog into a tiger. But then the tiger was afraid of a hunter. Finally, in exasperation, the magician said, "Be a mouse again, you have only the heart of a mouse and I cannot help you" (https://www.hotsermons.com/sermon-illustrations/sermon-illustrations-fear.html).
Irrational fears have a way of shrinking our humanity down to useless level. Moreover, scientific research indicates that the stress caused by fear can have grave effects on the human body. According to Dr. Marilyn S. Cebelin of Cleveland and Dr. Charles S. Hirsch of Cincinnati, acute stress can provoke changes in the heart that may lead to death. The two doctors identified fifteen cases in which people died after a physical assault, although the injuries alone would not have been enough to kill them. Eleven of the fifteen cases showed heart-cell death called myofibrillar degeneration, which is similar to a reaction in experimental animals who are helpless to anticipate or avoid danger (https://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/f/fear.htm). Perhaps we should be careful how we flippantly toss around the old saying, “I’m scared to death.”
Fear can also interrupt our fidelity to God and Christian service. God told His people, Israel, in Isaiah 41:10: “Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” According to Luke 12:6-7, Jesus said to His people, “Are not five sparrows sold for two cents. Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.” The psalmist declared, with assurance, in Psalm 118:6-7: “From my distress I called upon the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me in a large place. The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?” From the Old Testament to the New Testament, God’s faithful people are told repeatedly not to live in fear of their lives, circumstances, well-being, or any earthly thing. The one fear we are told to have is the fear of God. In Matthew 10:28, Jesus said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
The person who has experienced the new birth having trusted Jesus Christ as Lord has a power within him or her that enables them to overcome all fears by faith. That power is the person of the Holy Spirit. Never forget the promise of 1 John 4:4: “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” Therefore, the well-known Bible preacher, teacher, and radio host, Woodrow Kroll, said, “With the power of God within us, we need never fear the powers around us” (https://www.christianquotes.info/quotes-by-topic/quotes-about-fear/).
Francis Frangipane’s exhortation rings true: Beloved, I say, let your fears go, lest they make you fainthearted. Stop inspiring fear in those around you and now take your stand in faith. God has been good and He will continue to manifest His goodness. Let us approach these days expecting to see the goodness of the Lord manifest. Let us be strong and of great courage for the Lord will fight for us if we stand in faith” (https://www.christianquotes.info/quotes-by-topic/quotes-about-fear/).
Yet, the Bible compels us to, not simply let our fears go, conquer them with faith. Pay close attention to what God conveys to us in Hebrews 11:1-3: Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out things which are visible.”
Imagine a man standing behind a concrete wall on his tip-toes looking over the wall. Ask yourself, “Why is that man looking over the wall?” The reason is clear. He cannot see through the wall. Similarly, when we find ourselves up against a high wall of fear that we cannot see our way through, we must rise up and look over the wall of fear to Jesus Christ trusting that He knows the way.
Meld the message of Hebrews 11:1-3 with our example of a man facing a wall of fear, and know for sure that our great God and Savior is challenging us to trust Him with everything in life, especially those things for which we cannot see, perceive, and understand outcomes. As Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, emphatically stated in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “We walk by faith and not by sight.” Particularly when fears fill our minds and hearts, we are to turn to Jesus Christ in full faith trusting that He sees and knows what we cannot including the outcomes and resolutions of the fears that torment us.
On one occasion during His earthly ministry, Jesus was being followed by two blind men who were crying out with earnest pleas for healing. According to Matthew 9:28-29: “The blind men came up to Him, and Jesus said to them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ They said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord.’ Then He touched their eyes, saying, ‘It shall be done to you according to your faith.’ And their eyes were opened.” Undoubtedly, their greatest fear was spending their entire lives blind. Their minds could not conceive how blind eyes could possibly be made to be seeing eyes. Their only hope was to trust Jesus by faith. Even though they could not see how this miracle could happen, they believed that Jesus could make it happen. They, by faith, were sure of what they hoped for and convinced of the healing they could not see. Thus, Jesus assured them that the healing they believed in would be done according to their faith. Hear this, beloved one, their faith in Jesus was the key that unlocked their miracle. Consequently, the way to defeat our fears is with great faith in Jesus. Put it down in bold letters: WE. FOIL. OUR. FEARS. WITH. FAITH.
Now, friends, what frightens you? Perhaps your fears pertain to finances, children, parents, weather, health, marriage, education, employment, or transportation. The list is endless. The question is: are you ready to crush your fears? Do you believe that Jesus can do this? If so, trust Him, cry out to Him, and let Him.