The Simple Key To Faith | June 2021 Monthly Newsletter
Written by Ps. Nicholas Hung | Senior Pastor of Antioch Gospel Church
Hello Church!
As I began putting pen to paper for this edition of ‘from the pastor’s desk’ I couldn’t help but think about the many times over the years that Pastor Grace and I have conversed about the need to constantly stretch ourselves to keep stepping out by faith, overcoming fear, pushing forward in the things of God and accomplishing more for His glory! I believe this is an exhortation that everyone needs to hear from time to time …
So this month the message I want to bring to you is, “Stop being crippled by fear …” and it’s probably a lot easier than you think.
The psalmist put the whole topic of fear into perspective with just three words – ‘do not be!’
“DO NOT BE afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day.” (Psalms 91:5 NLT, Emphasis Added)
Choosing faith over fear happens exactly the way the Psalmist put it – by a choice! A choice not to be … worried, afraid, fearful, anxious, overthinking. While fear tends to be the default pathway that many of our hearts and minds tend to slant towards, faith requires intentionality. We must choose not to be afraid, in order to be courageous!
The angel spoke to Mary’s troubled heart, “Do not be afraid.” A rudimentary search of these words and other similar exhortations in the Bible, such as, “Do not fear,” “Do not worry,” “Don’t be anxious,” turns up literally hundreds of examples. Obviously this is a big issue for the human heart! God’s will is that we DO NOT FEAR!
Fear really doesn’t do much more than set us up for negative atmospheres and emotions and it robs us of our joy and sense of satisfaction.
FEAR IS A JOY KILLER. FEAR TAKES ALL THE FUN OUT OF LIFE! AND THAT’S NOT THE WILL OF GOD!
When the angel told Mary not to fear, he was literally saying, “I know that what I’m telling is out of the ordinary, but there’s nothing for you to be afraid about – so don’t even let your mind and heart wander there!” It says a lot about the human heart that these words even needed to be said in the first place. But we all need to hear them from time to time. Like Mary, fear is a gut felt, knee-jerk reaction for most of us that just springs forth whether we desire it or not.
Mary could have legitimately appropriated a million reasons for the fear that she felt deep inside of her. Instead, she surrendered wholeheartedly to the will of God. She could have thought, “What will my parents think about me getting pregnant out of wedlock? What will Joseph think? What if I’m rejected and treated like an outcast? I’m too young for this – I’m not ready for a child yet.” She had more than enough reasons to lie awake in bed at night, pondering this fate and destiny that had been delivered to her.
Instead … MARY CHOSE FAITH! She chose not to be afraid. And with her decision, she chose all the fun that comes attached with living life in faith! Today she’s the the highly favoured one; blessed among women, that the angel told her she would be, all because she chose the God adventure rather than living in worry and fear.
The good news is that we can overcome our fears too!
We also can live our lives in joy as overcomers! We’ve just got to keep choosing faith in God over fear. For sure Mary must have had moments when fear tried to grip her again. But she kept saying, “No, I will not be afraid – I will put my trust in God!”
What’s God calling you to in this season – out-of-the-box, larger than you imagine you could achieve, beyond your current capabilities and capacity? Make the right choice and let your faith trump your fear!
God bless you church. Keep rising higher for His glory.
Many blessings,
Pastor Nicholas and Grace