And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

                                                                                                                 Hebrews 11:6 

There are two enemies to faith: fear and doubt. We have a spiritual enemy who would like nothing less than to see your spiritual life wane in excitement and go off the rails. He is cunning and sly and will stop at nothing to destroy your life, especially if you’re committed to making a difference for the kingdom of God. In his arsenal are the two powerful weapons of fear and doubt. However, we serve a God who is mightier than the enemy (can I hear an Amen!) We have been given armor in which to fight this spiritual war. In that armor is a shield and it is capable of extinguishing all of the fiery arrows of the enemy (Ephesians 6:16). And what is that shield? It is the shield of faith!

I can only recall one instance in all of the gospels in which Jesus actually told His followers to fear. Consider the context as you read:

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. Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

                                                                                                            Matthew 10:28-31

Jesus is teaching on the reality that as He would be persecuted in the world, so will His disciples (Matthew 10:24-25). So Jesus says don’t fear mankind who can only take away your physical life, rather we should fear God who is the judge of the souls of mankind. But immediately after that, Jesus reminds those listening that He watches over the sparrows and that “the very hairs of your head are numbered.” Jesus tells us that we should not fear because we are much more valuable (to Him) than are the sparrows. Jesus is making the comparison between fearing mankind and fearing Him. Even within this announcement to fear Him, He instructs us to not fear. A reverent, respectful fear of God is only appropriate and serves us well by keeping us focused on the only One that deserves our worship and praise. But living in a constant state of fear does not harmonize with the gospel. Knowing that we belong to Christ, who gave Himself for us, saving us, making us righteous, and declaring us sons and daughters of the King and fellow heirs of the kingdom of God, should bring a life of faith and service, not fear and cowardice. John dealt with the issue of fear. Consider the following:

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 

                                                                                                                       1 John 4:18

When we live in the absolute, unconditional love of God; that love drives out fear. I believe this is exactly what Jesus was conveying to His followers during His time on earth. Do not be afraid for “perfect love casts out fear.” In case you are wondering what type of fear John is referring to, it is the fear that persists in the life that is not settled in his/her salvation. The very next phrase brings clarity to this fear: “because fear involves punishment.” If we are constantly afraid of the punishment that might come from the wrath of God, we are not living in nor promoting the truth of the gospel. We have fallen back into a lack of understanding the scope and significance of the death of Christ on the cross. The wrath of God is reserved for the unbelievers, the enemies of God. The wrath of God does not and will not affect those that are in Christ (Romans 8:1). We need not fear because we live in the perfect love of Christ (even on our bad days). John completes this truth by announcing that “the one who fears is not perfected in love.” The shield of faith is powerful to overcome all of our fears.

Doubt can also act to disable your Christian life. Faith and doubt cannot coexist. Either we will give way to our doubts (and fears) or we will raise up the shield of faith and declare victory. Jesus spoke of doubt while teaching on prayer:

Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.

                                                                                                                   Mark 11:23-24 

“Truly I say to you” is a way for Jesus to announce that what He is about to say can be assuredly and eternally rested upon. Notice that the principle behind asking in prayer is believing. To pray without faith is to contradict the very teaching of Christ. Jesus also made sure that his hearers understood that it was not just believing but also ridding ourselves of any doubt in our hearts. Again doubt and faith cannot coexist. We either pray in faith or we do not, but the instruction couldn’t be any clearer. James echoes this prayer principle: 

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

                                                                                                                       James 1:5-8

Those who doubt are described as being tossed around like the waves. Doubting brings spiritual instability. The description of a “double-minded” man literally means “two-souled.” This person doesn’t know what they believe and their prayers yield little results. The doubter is described as “unstable in all his ways.”

So we can live in fear and doubt, always wondering whether or not to believe the promise of God OR we can lift up the shield of faith and extinguish any attempt the enemy makes at sabotaging our spiritual lives. The choice is ours. Live in the unconditional love of God and Christ by faith!