By Nancy Campbell on Monday, 23 March 2020
Category: Women's Daily Encouragement Blog

ARE YOU IN FEAR OR FAITH?

Dear lovely ladies,
How are you making out? I am writing a few thoughts again today about the current virus. I am surprised that so many people are living in a state of fear. I guess it is hard to resist fear when we are being blasted with negatives every minute from the media. Sometimes it’s better not to listen. But does God want us to live in fear? No. He does not give us the spirit of fear. He wants us to live in faith.

Of course I know that COVID-19 is real. But we must not allow ourselves to be overcome with fear. Fear is a powerful thing. Job confessed “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me” (Job 3:2). These are not light words. Fear can often produce the very thing you fear.

Let’s look at it more diligently: “The THING (pachad, 6342 – alarm, dread, fear) which I GREATLY FEARED (pachad, 6343) is come upon me.” His fears which were nor reality became a reality.

Look up Proverbs 3:25: “Be not afraid of sudden fear.” These words are the opposite to Job 3:25.

We must encourage ourselves to live in faith. Faith in our God is bigger than this virus. Faith to believe that God will keep us in His care. Faith to trust Him as our Savior, our Healer, our Deliverer, and our Strong Tower.

Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.”

I think back to a couple of incidents when raising my children. Back in those days there were no vaccinations for every childhood disease that came along. When I was a child, we all got the measles, the chicken pox, and mumps, etc. It would go through the family and then we all be fine, set for life. The same happened with my children. They all got each of the diseases as it came around the neighborhood or city. We got through it and once again they were set for life.

I remember one time I heard that the measles (or one of them was going around) and I got into a state of fear (I think I may have been pregnant, and fear came upon me!). Because I got into this state of fear, what I feared came upon me, and all the children came down with “the dreaded lurgi.”

Another time, I truly don’t know how it happened, but I didn’t even know this particular epidemic was going around. I found out later that the children of all the families around had been sick. Because I didn’t know, I didn’t fear and merrily went about my daily life. And not one of the children came down with the epidemic.

I don’t think it was only coincidence. I believe that fear is a powerful thing. Yesterday the president informed us that one out of every 10 people who are tested for the corona virus is positive. That’s nine out of ten people who are fine but are obviously fearful and therefore being tested. That unnecessary testing can waste time and money when there are so many more urgent cas