Monday, July 18, 2011

Faith vs. Fear

 






Faith vs. Fear

By Michael Youssef, Ph.D.

"Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.
'You of little faith,' he said, 'why did you doubt?'"

(
Matthew 14:31)
      In 1 Samuel, we learn about two very different men: Saul and David. What was the core difference between them? Faith. When David faced difficult circumstances, he turned to God and trusted Him for the outcome. His faith remained strong, and he didn't let his fears deter him from following God's call to obedience.

      Saul, however, allowed his fears to destroy his life. Instead of trusting in the unending power of God, Saul put his faith in himself and in the strength of his army. David was guided by faith, but Saul was ruled by self-will.

      We see one of the first instances of this contrast in 1 Samuel 17 during the confrontation with Goliath.
"On hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified" (1 Samuel 17:11).

      What did David do?
"As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone" (1 Samuel 17:48-50).
      Prayer: Father, help me to have the faith that David had, responding obedience to You and trusting You for the outcome. Amen.




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