I have authored articles in the past about phobias that we as humans can have that can be a genuine concern. They can be spiders and bugs, mice and other critters, heights, flying, storms and so much more, and can usually be pinned down to a certain thing. However, I have seen people live in a general state of fear, of seemingly everything. They are not scared to death like someone hiding in the corner because they saw a mouse, but they are walking around trying to function in their daily lives, yet with fear in their hearts, which may or may not be able to be seen by those around them. I remember as a child the late missionary to Africa, and author, Nona Freeman saying to us, “Each time you experience dread about something you have to do, like going to the dentist for a root canal for instance, you have relived that moment, instead of not worrying or thinking about it, and only going through it once.” There is nothing that you can change by worrying. You cannot change the past nor do anything about the future.
In Matthew 6:25-30, Jesus is teaching the disciples, “Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you, by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” James 4:13-15 tells us, “Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”
The reality is that being ‘afraid to believe,’ as the title of this article states, is the opposite. If you are afraid, it is because of doubts to some degree that are haunting you, which denotes a lack of faith or trust. Let us take a closer look. The dictionary definition of afraid is, “to be filled with fear or apprehension, filled with concern or regret over an unwanted situation, filled with fear and dread, or having a dislike for something. Fearful implies often a timorous or worrying temperament, afraid often suggests weakness or cowardice and regularly implies inhibition of action or utterance.” The dictionary definition of believe is, “to consider to be true, genuine, real, or honest, to accept the word or evidence of, to hold as an opinion, to have a firm or wholehearted religious conviction or persuasion, to regard the existence of God as a fact, or to have a firm conviction as to the goodness, efficacy, or ability of something.”
This would be what you would call an oxymoron, though the dictionary does state it is not related to the word ‘moron,’ as some would think. The dictionary definition of oxymoron is, “a self-contradicting word or group of words, a combination of contradictory or incongruous words, such as cruel kindness, something (such as a concept) that is made up of contradictory or incongruous elements.” This is what our discussion, ‘afraid to believe’ denotes, or it could be considered a paradox. The dictionary definition of a paradox is, “one (such as a person, situation, or action) having seemingly contradictory qualities or phases, a statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet is perhaps true, a self-contradictory statement that at first seems true, an argument that apparently derives self-contradictory conclusions by valid deduction from acceptable premises, a tenet contrary to received opinion.”
In John 12:1-24, the setup for the passage is that Jesus had made his entrance into Jerusalem on the back of a new colt. The people laid palm branches on the ground to pave the way for him and waved them crying, “Hosanna, Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.” Though this had been prophesied, his disciples were having a tough time understanding what was going on. The crowds had gathered there for the Feast of Passover, and the Greeks had heard that Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, so they had come also, to see Him for themselves. The chief priests were not only seeking to shut down Jesus, but they wanted to kill Lazarus as well, because they blamed him for starting the whole commotion, because people were starting to believe in Jesus because of the miracles they saw him performing. During all of this, Jesus began teaching as was his normal Modus Operandi, but this time, he was trying to get the point across that he was about to be put to death; however, he used terms that could have more than one meaning. He said at first, “the hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.” He also stated, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” They did not realize that he was speaking of his crucifixion on Calvary.
He continued in verse twenty-seven, “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people, therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, an angel spoke to him. Jesus answered and said, this voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die.” The voice from heaven was a sign for the unbelievers to see who Jesus was, and that he was not just an ordinary man, yet they continued to question. The reading continues to say that their eyes were blinded, and their hearts hardened so that the prophecy of Isaiah could be fulfilled, because he had not yet died on the cross to purchase our salvation.
Jesus on several other occasions rebuked the Pharisees who were the religious Jews of his day, in Matthew 12:39 and 16:1-4, “But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, when it is evening, ye say, it will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, it will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them and departed.”
We can show our faith and trust in the Lord by taking him at his word. The only sign that we need that Jesus was God come in the flesh, was his death, burial, and resurrection. If we are looking for anything further, we are not believers. Why are we wanting Him to keep proving himself repeatedly? When Gideon and others asked for a fleece or a sign in the Old Testament, it was because they did not have a relationship with God as we can have now. The relationship between God and man was severed by the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the garden but has now been restored through the shedding of the blood of Christ Jesus. In John 20:29 it says, “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” Yet they did not believe even when they heard the voice from heaven, they still cried, ‘Crucify Him, Crucify Him.’ They lacked faith because they lacked understanding. If crucifixion was reserved for thieves and murderers, like Barabbas and the two unnamed scoundrels, why were they taking part in the false accusations against Jesus and calling for his death? It was a lack of understanding not only of the law that had been given, and was now being fulfilled before their eyes, but also of the deeper spiritual significance of what was taking place. They did not realize that the very salvation of the world depended upon this moment in time.
Paul later tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:20, “Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness, but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” We do not need to keep looking for a sign and crucify Christ afresh every time we sin, but believe and repent, because the work has already been done. If we are afraid, we have doubt, and if we doubt, we are lacking faith. We must seek wisdom and understanding through the word of God, so that our faith can be made strong.
In our setting in Jerusalem in John 12, verse forty-two says, “Nevertheless”, this word indicates that something else was about to happen despite the previous statements. It goes on, “among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” So, we have seen those who did not believe because of their ignorance, and here we are seeing those who clearly understood, yet were afraid to believe. Just as Jesus had rebuked those who were still looking for a sign, he rebuked those who believed, but would not confess him, because they were afraid of what others would say. He continues in John 12:44, “Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that sees me sees him that sent me. I have come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hears my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejects me, and receives not my words, hath one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of myself, but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.” He gave them the ‘what’ they should do, the ‘why’ they should do it, and the ‘where’ and ‘when’ they should do it. It was all doable, but it requires faith.
Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” So, we see the ‘what’ is faith, and the ‘how’ is by hearing the word of God. The ‘why,’ we saw in the prior verse because it is the word that will judge us in the end, and the ‘where’ and ‘when’ can be seen in James 2:17-20 which states, “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, thou hast faith, and I have works shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” Faith is seen in the ‘follow through’ daily, not just a verbal statement, “I believe.” Fear can immobilize us and cause us to be of none effect in the kingdom of God and in life in general. Being afraid to believe in ourselves, others, and God, will put us at a stale mate, a complete full stop. Yes, we are human, and we wrestle with insecurities at times, and we all need an inoculation of confidence from time to time, but if we would show our belief by completely surrendering to the Lord, and taking a ‘hands off’ approach, we will see him do marvelous things in our lives.
When we forge ahead through thick and thin walking hand in hand with Jesus, we will see the rewards of our faith, which God will show us in His timing. If we stop to wallow in self-pity and fear, we will not see the miracles he has in store for us. Simply because we were afraid and stopped short. It is said that ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’ whether negative or positive is real. It is a prediction you are making and manifesting so much that it will eventually come true. Just like the story of the ‘Little Engine that Could,’ written by Arnold Munk, using a pen name of Watty Piper, in the early twentieth century. He little engine kept saying as he was huffing and puffing up the hill, “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.” And so, he did! We must be cautious of what negative rhetoric we say about, and to others, because it can become self-fulfilling. Such as when we speak to our children in anger and tell them they are stupid. One stupid act does not a stupid person make. Just as one failed attempt at something does not a failure make. We are all going through the ‘boot camp of life’ and when we do have children or face difficulties in life, we wish there were a manual to turn to. Well indeed there is, but it is so often put on the shelf to collect dust. It is the Word of God. It will not only give us the answers we are searching for, build our faith for the daily trials we face, but Jesus said it will be what judges us in the last day.
We must stop worrying about what others think, because that is a form of fear, and will cause us to live in doubt. No matter if we lose status, fame, fortune or embarrass ourselves, we must believe. We must pursue after God and his kingdom, no matter the cost. Those who just cannot believe that they are lovable enough that Jesus would die in their place, are being self-centered. Just like a child we see throwing a temper tantrum in the grocery store because they could not get what they wanted. Though you may not want to acknowledge that, if you are guilty of thinking this way, it is true. The attention that should be on the Lord, the cross, which is the hope of our salvation, is being wasted on focusing on yourself. What sign can he give you that will cause you to believe? What more than He do, to show you he loves you?
I have seen how fathers and daughters can form a close relationship in life. They have formed a bond; the home is peaceful and contentment reigns. The child trusts the father implicitly; however, they know the father is busy and life gets in the way, so he may very well forget that item they have asked him for. So, the child will come up with what is called a ‘pinky promise.’ They lock pinky fingers, and promise, in hopes that this will serve to remind the father to get or do what they discussed. They feel that this is going to solidify the commitment even more. They know and trust that he can do it and love them enough that he will do it! Their assurance comes from the relationship they have built, because of the time they have spent together. A stranger can walk into the same house, ask the father for the same thing, and he is not going to readily agree to it nor be available to give them the time of day. He may answer with a simple, ‘no,’ or ‘I’ll have to think about it.’ But it gives him pleasure to do things for his children, and they are not afraid to ask him for what they need.
We do not have to twist the arm of the Lord to receive anything from him. He simply wants us to trust him and ask him for what we need. Luke 12:32 put it this way, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” 2 Corinthians 1:20 states, “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” When we step out on faith and lay our fears aside, we might just be surprised at the reaction of those we fear will ridicule and mock. You may gain their admiration, and they may follow suit. We instruct our children and those around us by our example. Paul said to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:5, “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.” Timothy was modeling the faith he saw lived before him, and we can be that example for those around us including our own children. We have seen God work miracles so we know and trust that He will do it again. That is faith, which is believing.
You may say, you do not have as fortunate a heritage of faith as we see Timothy did. The muck and mire of life you are in has just become the norm for you. Do not be afraid to believe for deliverance from your bondage or dysfunctional life. Do not be afraid to let go of fear. God will lead you and guide you and be a Father unto you. Do not be afraid to believe. There will always be those who are religious, wearing a self-righteous spirit the size of Texas, but if we walk humbly with the Lord, we will be exalted in due season. He is a God of miracles, do not be afraid to believe for yours today!