Which is Stronger, faith or Fear?

At first, I thought maybe fear because fear produces immediate results. But the consequences are temporary; why? Because most of the time, fear is an emotional response, not a faith reply. For instance, you stop smoking because the doctor says the cigarettes will steal your quality of life. You find a nicotine replacement that is supposed to be the bridge that gets you to be a non-smoker. You don’t want to stop smoking; you want to curb the ramifications of what the doctor predicts. A few months past and you’re feeling good, but you still want to smoke because this whole response was based on fear. So, in a happy place, you revert to what you want to do! Smoke!

Whether the fear base activity is physical or spiritual, the results are the same. A story in the Bible is about a man of faith that God promised him a son. But his wife was barren. After a few years, the man’s wife said, sleep with my maid; perhaps that is how God will bless us with a son. Well, the maid bore a son for her master. But that wasn’t God’s will for the maid to bore his son, but his wife. The man of faith is Abraham, and his wife is Sarah (Gen. 16). 

Abraham, a man of faith, appears to be operating in fear, but was he? I venture to say he was just like us. We know God can help us quit smoking or bless us with a mate and children. But we get impatient with the when! So, we concede to assisting God like Sarah, only to create another problem. We can’t, but God can!    

So, I Say Again, which is Greater?

It looks like fear is; it appears to be sitting waiting for its opportunity to pounce. But God says, in His word, He is love, and when we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God, and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. Imagine that with me for a moment! We are as He is in this world (1John 4:17). There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love (1John 4:18 MSG).

Love is Stronger!

To take up permanent residence in love is void of fear. The only reason why fear gets any space is that at some point, scarcity is entertained. When God created, He didn’t create lack. Man’s free will made lack. But even with that, God predicted man’s redemption in the Garden of Eden. Jesus is the crusher of Satan’s head (Gen. 3:13). Again, I am saying, when love has the run of our temples, and we allow Him to take up residence, He matures us so that we’re free of worry—again, our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. Jesus is free of fear, which means we are free of worry! 

No Fear in Love!

God is love (1 John 4:16) and loves never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8), and faith worketh by love (Gal. 5:6). Our faith worketh by the love of God for us. It is not our love for God that brings forth our faith, but His love for us. Practice the love of God by daily declaring: You are the disciple whom Jesus loves! That’s the transforming love that matures and brings you to full faith in Him.   

So, which is supreme fear or faith? Faith that works by love, and God is love, so the greatest is love!