I’ve written several articles over the past few years dealing with faith and fear. But as I’ve mentioned before, anytime a topic or issue comes at me from more than one source, at one sitting, it gets my attention. Earlier this month that exact thing happened – both my devotional book reading and my Bible study reading dealt with the topics of faith and fear. So I made a note so that I could review them again and today is that day.
The devotional reading had this to say: “The most common malady of the human spirit – and the strongest enemy of our faith – is fear. That’s why the most common biblical command is ‘fear not,’ ‘do not be afraid,’ or something similar. ‘Be strong and courageous,’ people of faith are told repeatedly in the Word. Fear and faith are at opposite ends of a spectrum, and when we move toward one, we move away from the other.” *
Mr. Tiegreen, (the author of my devotional book), goes on to talk about how just because we’re told that we should not fear something, doesn’t mean we can/will automatically step away from that fear. We need to understand why we shouldn’t fear. The scripture passage he uses for us as a reminder of how we should think/react when we’re faced with fear is from Zephaniah 3:17a (MSG): “Your God is present among you, a strong Warrior there to save you.” BUT, we can know this intellectually yet still have a hard time believing it true for us – until we let it truly settle in our heart. We must learn to meditate on that truth and have a full understanding of how much He cares for us. The second part of that verse 17 (ESV) reassures of that care – it says: “he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”
His closing scripture for the day was Deuteronomy 31:6 (TLB): “‘Be strong! Be courageous! Do not be afraid of them! For the Lord your God will be with you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you.’” (This was Moses speaking to/encouraging Joshua as his time on earth was fading and Joshua was going to be leading the Israelites into the promised land – a task that surely was a daunting one for Joshua and all the people he would be leading.)
After this reading I turned to my Bible study for the day. It was the story about when Saul was going to be battling a superior Philistine army. Samuel (a prominent prophet and spiritual leader) had told Saul “‘Go to Gilgal and wait there seven days for me, for I will be coming to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. I will give you further instructions when I arrive.’” (1 Samuel 10:8 TLB)
So for a week, Saul’s men were fearfully hiding out in caves and holes, etc. “Meanwhile, Saul stayed at Gilgal, and his men were trembling with fear.” (1 Samuel 13:7b NLT) So at the end of the seventh day when Saul realized his men were leaving him out of fear, he took it upon himself to offer the sacrifice instead of waiting for Samuel to arrive and handle it as he’d been instructed. Just after he’d done this, Samuel arrived and questioned him about what he’d done. Saul makes his excuses, then in verse 12 (NLT) even confesses: “‘…I haven’t even asked for the Lord’s help! So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came.’” He tried to make it a spiritual issue at that point as he spoke to his spiritual leader, Samuel.
It’s clear that Saul wasn’t depending on God and out of fear jumped out ahead of Him. When he did this, it changed the trajectory of his life and that of the entire nation of Israel.
The short commentary in my Bible before this day’s reading said this: “God would have acted for Saul. But Saul was driven by fear of the enemy rather than trust in God. Saul was not the king Israel needed.” It also points out: “Saul’s son Jonathan exhibits greater leadership and faith than Saul when he attacks the Philistines: ‘Perhaps the Lord will help us, for nothing can hinder the Lord. He can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few.’ (1 Samuel 14:6b NLT)” **
So I have to consider – Am I like Saul and neglect to seek God’s help when I’m faced with issues that cause fear to rise up in me? Then, do I jump out ahead of Him by acting on my own rather than waiting to see what He will direct me to do or allow Him to just take care of it fully?
Or, am I more like Jonathan and simply believe that God has the power and ability to take care of it? That He can guide me as to how to handle it or He can just take the wheel and drive us to victory?
It’s time for me to make certain that I’m no longer just intellectually believing that God can do it all. It’s time that I settle in my heart once and for all that God has everything under control and there’s no reason for me to fear – anything. I need to start sliding my thoughts on the spectrum to the side of faith and away from fear.
Written by Karran Martin – April 30, 2026
[All bold emphasis is mine]
* Chris Tiegreen in Heaven On Earth devotional book – April 12 reading
** The One Year Chronological Study Bible – NLT – Tyndale – April 12 study
Karran's Korner 