1 FEAR IS FAITH IN REVERSE
Faith is the substance of things
desired. There is power in faith, in
believing. Jesus told the centurion,
... Go thy way; and as
thou hast believed, so be it
done unto thee.” (Matthew
8:13)
Believing is not something you
always like to do, or always feel
like doing. It’s a decision you
make.
Just as faith is a powerful
force, there is also a force opposed
to faith called fear. Fear is the
reverse gear of faith. It is actually
faith in the devil’s ability to
eliminate your faith.
If faith is the substance of
things desired, then fear is the
substance of things not desired.
The reason someone fears a
thing is because they believe in its
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manifestation. So we could say
worry is believing in the
manifestation of the thing they
worry about.
Fear Draws Trouble
If we don’t stop or control fear, it
will bring the very thing that we don't
desire. Job is a classic example of this.
Notice his statements:
For the thing which I
greatly feared is come upon
me, and that which I was
afraid of is come unto me. I
was not in safety, neither
had I rest, neither was I
quiet; yet trouble came.
(Job 3:25-26)
Job rehearsed his fears until he
greatly feared. Though he was in
safety, he didn't believe it. The
very accusation that Satan
brought against God was: “You’ve
hedged him about on every side,
and I can’t get to him.” I can just
see God standing there, grinning,
saying to Himself, “Yes, I did.”
God said to Satan, “Have you
observed My servant. Job?” or
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“Have you set your eye on My
servant, Job?”
Satan had set his eye on Job,
but God didn’t say He was going to
turn him over to Satan. Satan
made a request, but God didn't
honor that request. He did say,
“He’s in your power.” (The
footnote says in your hands.)
But God didn’t put Job there;
he was already in the power of his
hands because fear tore the hedge
down.
Growing Fear Nullifies Faith
Job said, “The thing I’ve
greatly feared has come upon
me.” There is no doubt that Job
had great faith at one time, but he
lost confidence in faith through
fear.
When you speak your fears,
they will grow and nullify your
faith. You can’t keep the devil from
bringing thoughts of doubt and
fear to your mind, but those
thoughts will die unborn if you
don’t speak them.
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Paul’s advice in Romans 12:21
was: “don’t be overcome of evil,
but overcome evil with good.”
Your fear-filled words give the
enemy the license to operate. You
can either give God or the devil the
authority to operate by your
words. Your faith-filled words give
God the authority to move on your
situation in life. (Mark 11:23-24)
We know that faith is the
substance of things desired. On
the other hand, fear gives
substance to things not desired. So
when you talk fear, doubt and
unbelief, your words are speaking
into existence things you don’t
desire. When you first say them,
you may not realize the power of
your words. But the more you
speak it, the more it grips you—
the more that force multiplies in
you. Just as faith comes by
hearing, fear also comes by
hearing the wrong things.
Jesus said in Matthew 12:34-
35:
O generation of vipers,
how can ye, being evil,
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speak good things? for out
of the abundance of the
heart the mouth speaketh.
A good man out of the good
treasure (deposit) of the
heart bringeth forth good
things: and an evil man out
of the evil treasure
bringeth forth evil things.
Evil Report or Good Report
It seems that God calls an evil
report anything that doesn’t agree
with His Word. You can read it in
the book of Numbers, chapter 13.
The ten spies brought back an evil
report.
The report they brought back
was what they saw, what they felt,
and what they heard. That’s not
always an evil report; it depends
on what God said about it. The
reason that was considered an evil
report was because God said the
exact opposite.
When we speak contrary to the
known Word of God, we have
spoken an evil report. It doesn’t
necessarily mean that a person
has to be wicked or evil to do that.
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It could be a deceived Christian.
Jesus seems to be saying it’s a
two-way street.
Whatever is deposited in your
heart will produce. Whether it’s
good or evil, it will eventually
come out of your mouth and
produce after its kind.
You may make negative
statements and not even believe it
at first. But if you continue to
speak them they will eventually
produce evil fruit in your life.
In Romans 10:17 Paul is
speaking specifically of faith in
God and in His Word: “So then
faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God.” The
opposite of that statement would
be: Faith in the devil comes by
hearing the words of the devil and
giving voice to them. Faith in the
devil is perverted faith, which we
call fear.
Shield of Faith or Doubt
The Apostle Paul said,
Above all, taking the
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shield of faith, wherewith
ye shall be able to quench
all the fiery darts of the
wicked. (Ephesians 6:16)
You are able to do it. The
opposite end of that truth is that
you can take the shield of doubt
and quench all the blessings of
God. Remember that Jesus said on
more than one occasion, “As you
have believed so be it done
unto you.”
It is a fact from God’s Word
that if you take the shield of faith
you can quench all that the enemy
brings against you. Then it must
also be true that you can take the
shield of doubt and quench all the
blessings of God—and many have.
What they are saying is
producing fear. Their own words
are producing the very thing they
don’t want to happen.
I had always thought that the
shield of faith was just a figure of
speech, but as I was praying in the
spirit one day, the Spirit of God
said this to me: “When you speak
God’s Word it produces an aura
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around you.’’ The shield of faith is
like a spiritual Plexiglas™ canopy
that encircles an individual and
moves with him to quench all the
fiery darts of the wicked one.
You build and strengthen that
shield, or you weaken it, by the
words you speak. If you speak fear,
it insulates you and stops the
blessings. Fear-filled words will
produce more fear and attract evil
forces, which the devil will use to
quench the blessings of God.
Sometimes people say, “I don’t
understand these people going
around saying their needs are met
according to His riches in glory, or
saying they have abundance, when
I know for a fact that their rent’s
due and they don’t have the
money. I believe they’re just lying.”
No, they are speaking their
faith. They are calling things that
are not as though they were. (2
Corinthians 4:13, 1 Corinthians
1:27-28, Luke 6:38) If you have
been obedient to the Word of God,
and have given, the Bible says it is
given to you—good measure,
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pressed down, shaken together,
and running over. That’s not
necessarily talking about what
God gives to you. It is referring to
you having favor with others. It
says, “Men shall give unto you.”
If you go to buy a car, the
dealer may give you the best deal
in town and not know why he did
it. But the Word says, “... he
which soweth bountifully shall
reap also bountifully.” (2
Corinthians 9:6) By speaking the
promise out of your mouth, you
implant that promise within your
spirit. It becomes a part of you.
There are so many Christians
who know the Word, but don’t
have any confidence in their faith.
They always want someone else to
pray the prayer of faith for them.
One of the keys to having
confidence in your faith is
confessing God’s Word until it
becomes a part of you. The words
that come out of your mouth have
more effect on your spirit than the
words of others.
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Faith Is the Victory
But what saith it? The
word is nigh thee, even in
thy mouth, and in thy
heart: that is, the word of
faith, which we preach...
(Romans 10:8)
So then faith cometh by
hearing, and hearing by
the word of God. (Romans
10:17)
Faith in God’s Word comes
more quickly by hearing your voice
speak what God said. Faith in the
devil comes by hearing yourself
give voice to what the devil said.
The Apostle John wrote,
For whatsoever is born
of God overcometh the
world: and this is the
victory that overcometh
the world, even our faith. (1
John 5:4)
Faith is the victory that
overcomes the world, and that
victory comes through faith in the
Word of God which abides in you.
If ye abide in me, and
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my words abide in you, ye
shall ask what ye will, and
it shall be done unto you.
(John 15:7)
When the Word of God abides
in you, you have faith. I’m not
referring to head faith; I’m
referring to heart faith. When the
Word becomes a part of you, every
time lack shows its head, the first
thing out of your mouth will be, “I
have abundance, my God has met
my need according to His riches in
glory by Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 4:19)
You should resist pain in your
body when it first starts. Resist it
the way you resist the devil. That
is with the Word of God.
Faith is the victory. But just
because you have faith does not
necessarily mean you are going to
operate in that faith. It could be in
you and be dormant or passive.
You must have enough confidence
in your faith to act on it.
So many people have faith in
someone else’s faith. They always
want others to pray the prayer of
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faith for them, and they never
develop faith in their own prayers.
You had to have faith to be
born again. The Word of God was
the source of that faith. God gave
you His Word; you received it as
truth and acted accordingly.
Salvation was the result of your
faith in action. (Romans 10:9-10)
But faith won’t do anything for
you if you don’t put action to it. A
person can go to a grocery store
with money in his billfold. The
money will give substance to
things he hopes for. But if he is not
willing to release some of it, he
won’t be taking any groceries
home. He must act on what he
knows to do by releasing part of
his money if he is to take the
goods. Faith is the substance of
what he hopes for, but it must be
released to possess it.
It is through faith in God’s
Word and acting on what we
believe that we overcome the
problems of life. Faith in God
causes the Greater One (Jesus) to
live big in us.
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... if a man love me, he
will keep my words: and
my Father will love him,
and we will come unto him,
and make our abode with
him. (John 14:23)
Ye are of God, little
children, and have
overcome them: because
greater is he that is in you,
than he that is in the
world. (1 John 4:4)
According to John, we have
already overcome the Antichrist,
the world, the flesh, and the devil
because the Greater One is in the
born-again believer.
Speaking God’s Word after
Him will cause you to have faith
in His Word. Speaking the promise
as though it were already yours
will cause you to have confidence
in the faith you received from the
Word.
Jesus gives us real insight into
this matter in John 15:7-8:
If ye abide in me, and
my words abide in you, ye
shall ask what ye will, and
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it shall be done unto you.
Herein is my Father
glorified, that ye bear
much fruit; so shall ye be
my disciples.
Maranatha!
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