Certainty

When I reflect on my childhood, or childhood in general, it’s quite laughable at how easy fear comes to us as kids. All you have to do is turn off the lights. Even when all you’re really seeing is darkness, your mind starts to see so much more than darkness. God forbid you actually do see something like a jacket hanging from a chair, toys on the dresser, or stuff on the floor with the lights on: Once the lights are out, those things are anything but what they clearly were when the lights were on.

What is this? Most of us would say fear, but I’m not sure I totally agree. Fear is the response to this phenomena but I don’t think that fear is the phenomena itself. I know adults that still have an issue with things like ‘lights out’ that provoke a response of fear.

Here’s what I think the phenomena really is: at its basic level, it’s influence. Influence is benign until it’s followed up by a choice; an action that then gives form and function to the influence.

Here’s why I’ve come to the conclusion I did. I believe that two people, given the same influence, can respond widely different and on the other hand, two people can DO the exact same thing for opposite reasons.

I would venture to say that although they’re opposites, faith and fear are the same “types” of thing; A response to influence. Fear and faith are both responses prompted from varied influences. And speaking of responses, either can be considered ‘dead’ if there’s no action to measure it by. Even if the action looks like inaction, this is not to say that the influence didn't promote a response. You could stand still out of being overwhelmed with fear, or you can stand resolute, knowing that the next move is God’s and His alone. Faithfully.

Fear is a substance, just as faith is, However, as faith is a substance that supports hope, fear is a substance that supports dread. Just as faith is the evidence of things not seen, fear is also. The difference is that the evidence of faith is something desirable, that of fear is not.

This is about provoking you to think. And in thinking, that you would seek to come to resolutions and conclusion on how you perceive the world around you as well as your faith walk. That you would analyze and interrogate your motivations.
This is so you can effectively take captive every thought that would exalt itself against the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:5). I’m not trying to give easy answers as much as I’m encouraging us to strengthen our ability to strive for right thinking. Not just to defeat blatant sin but to identify misdirected thinking and to enrich and enlighten a right understanding.

Fear is to Uncertainty as faith is to Certainty. Don’t mix the two.

When you see the proverbial monster under the bed, the first thing that comes is uncertainty. You’re not certain that there’s a monster, you’re just uncertain that there’s NOT a monster. Just like as some adults after watching a scary movie – the movie hasn’t created a certainty in you that something is about to happen, it’s created an uneasiness, a fear that something uncertain can “likely” happen and cause you harm.

Faith is different. The more that we not just learn about God but really begin to trust Him and start to truly ‘taste and see that The Lord is good.’ This truth begins to command our influence. It’s not that we start to deny that there is uncertainty in the world, but that our certainty is stronger. The overriding certainty is that God CERTAINLY knows our situations and still plans ‘good’ for our lives.

Certainty shouldn’t just be present in an opposing kind of way to uncertainty, but overpowering it in a “Casting down imaginations” kind of way. Even when uncertainty is pulling out all of the stops, trying to shake our faith, we would resolve to “fear no evil.”(Psalm 23) You DO know that God is stronger and His mercy abides forever and that there is nothing that can stand against that.

Here's The Word:

Mark 4:40 And he(Jesus) said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

Hebrews 11:27 By faith he(Moses) forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing HIM who is invisible.

Everyone always uses Hebrews 11:1, feel free to look it up. I eluded to it earlier, but I didn't use it outright because I think we can become too used to what its meant for us in the past. Not that we don't have a good understanding, but I think that sometimes, having such familiarized ideas makes it harder to stir up new motivations. Faith and fear are both very powerful, but what makes them powerful? As for fear, it derives its power from many things, but none of those things can dare compare to The One Who is the power and promise behind Faith.

In Him,
Cros