For every Christian there are moments of doubt, worry, and fear. We stray from our commitment to the Lord and His purpose and we succumb to the pressure of living for the approval of others.
Pastor Pete Wilson of Cross Point Church knows fear all too well. He shares how the real problem behind worry and doubt is not a fear problem, it’s a trust problem.
God is always faithful; He will deliver us from our fear if we cease to focus on our fears and learn how to trust Him. When we doubt that truth, we are stepping into fear.
Pete describes what happens when we fail to trust God with our lives.
“We assume a position in the universe that we don’t own… focusing on our fears takes our focus off of God and it puts us in a position that God never intended for us.”
According to Pete, the focus of Scripture is not fearing less, but trusting God more.
“I don’t think fear is ever going to go away. I think fear and growth are a package deal— if you’re growing in your walk with the Lord I believe that means you’re often moving into new territory.”
Pete sees a pattern around him of Christians who are simultaneously in the midst of a strong and active walk of faith with the Lord and are being called to things that are far beyond their own ability.
They are continually getting put in a position where they have to trust and lean on God. Fear itself isn’t bad, we can’t let fear paralyze. We have to expect fear and embrace it.
“When you allow fear to isolate you instead of it becoming the fuel that pushes you into a deeper relationship with God, that’s when it becomes destructive. I think fear can usually be a catalyst that can prompt us to trust God in new in deeper ways.”
As Christians we should seek to endure fearful situations with a heart that trusts God to deliver us.
Pete Wilson is the founding and senior pastor of Cross Point Church in Nashville, Tennesee. He is the author of best-selling book, .
Key Scriptures: Isaiah 43:2, 5
Featured Songs: Love Take Me Over by Steven Curtis Chapman; Beyond Me by TobyMac; King of My Heart by Love & the Outcome
