“Faith vs. fear – what does the Bible say?”……Faith and fear cannot exist together. Faith is described in

Hebrews 11:1“Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see..”

It is an absolute belief that God is constantly working behind the scenes in every area of our lives, even when there is no tangible evidence to support that fact. On the other hand, fear, simply stated, is unbelief or weak belief. As unbelief gains the upper hand in our thoughts, fear takes hold of our emotions.

Our deliverance from fear and worry is based on faith, which is the very opposite of unbelief.

We need to understand that faith is not something that we can produce in ourselves.

Faith is a gift, …Ephesians 2:8-9God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

Faith is described as a fruit (or characteristic) which is produced in our lives by the Holy Spirit

Galatians 5:22

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,.

The Christian’s faith is a confident assurance in a God who loves us, who knows our thoughts and cares about our deepest needs.

That faith continues to grow as we study the Bible and learn the attributes of His amazing character.

The more we learn about God, the more we can see Him working in our lives and the stronger our faith grows.……A growing faith is what we desire to have and what God desires to produce in us. But how, in day-to-day life, can we develop a faith that conquers our fears?

The Bible says,

Romans 10:17

"So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ".

The careful study of God’s Word is of primary importance in developing a strong faith. God wants us to know Him and completely rely on His direction in our lives. It’s through the hearing, reading and meditation in the Scriptures that we begin to experience a strong confident faith that excludes worry and fear.

Spending time in prayer and quiet worship develops a relationship with our heavenly Father that sees us through even the darkest of nights.

In the Psalms we see a picture of David, who, like us, experienced times of fear.

He reveals his faith with these words,

Psalm 56:3

"But when I am afraid,I will put my trust in you".

David treasured God’s Word and expresses it in Psalm 119

Psalm 119:10,11,15

“I seek you with all my heart” I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you; I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways.

These are revealing words which speak wisdom to us today.

God is kind and understanding toward our weaknesses, but He requires us to go forward in faith, and the Bible is clear that faith does not mature and strengthen without trials.

Adversity is God’s most effective tool to develop a strong faith. That pattern is evident in Scripture.

God takes each one of us through fearful situations, and as we learn to obey God’s Word and to allow it to saturate our thoughts, we find each trial becomes a stepping stone to a stronger and deeper faith.

It gives us that ability to say, “He sustained me in the past, He’ll carry me through today and He’ll uphold me in the future!” God worked this way in David’s life. When David volunteered to fight against Goliath, he spoke these words,

1Samuel 17:37"The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!"

David knew the God who had sustained him through dangerous situations in the past. He had seen and experienced God’s power and protection in his life and this developed within him a fearless faith.……The Word of God is rich with promises for us to take hold of and claim for ourselves.

When we face financial trouble,

Philippians 4:19 tells us “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.“

If we are anxious about a future decision,

Psalm 32:8 reminds us that God say"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;I will guide you with My eye.”

In sickness we can remember

Romans 5:3 says “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance”

If someone turns against us, we can be comforted by the words in

Romans 8:31, "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us

Throughout life we will continue to face various trials that would cause us fear, but God assures us that we can know a calm peace through every situation,

Philippians 4:7"and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus".