Defeating the Enemies: Overcoming Fear and Faithlessness

In our previous post, we looked at sins that appear when we are tired, weary and weak. God wants us to help one another in our struggles and draw near to Him in prayer to seek His help.

To learn more about this lesson, let’s take a closer look at the giants Israel faced in the Promised Land.

The giants

As the Israelites were poised to enter the Promised Land, Moses sent men to spy it out (Numbers 13:1-2; Deuteronomy 1:22). The spies were leaders from each tribe (Numbers 13:3-16; Deuteronomy 1:23). This incident took place barely two years after Israel had left Egypt. 

What did they find?

The spies entered the land and found it to be just as God had promised, a land of great abundance—figuratively flowing with milk and honey. They carried back fruit as evidence, showing the land was as good as God had described it (Numbers 13:23-24, 27). 

But there was a problem.

Do we sometimes see obstacles that make us quiver in fear instead of pressing forward in faith to do what is needed and right?  The land was occupied by giants, people of large stature (verse 28). At least, that’s how the spies saw them. 

Joshua and Caleb spoke out, reminding the people that God could easily deliver the inhabitants of the land into their hands if only they would press forward, trusting Him (verse 30, compare Numbers 14:9).

Still, the other spies persisted in their pessimistic assessment that the people of the land were too strong for them to conquer (Numbers 13:31-33). 

Tragically, the people heeded the negative advice from the 10 spies and refused to obey God and take the land. So, instead, God had them wander in the wilderness for 38 more years until that faithless generation perished (Numbers 14:34). 

Do we sometimes heed bad reports about things in our lives or see obstacles that make us quiver in fear instead of pressing forward in faith to do what is needed and right? 

The storms of life

Fear is an enemy of faith. It can paralyze us and keep us from moving forward spiritually.

Mark 4:35-41 tells of when Jesus and His disciples got into a boat after a long, tiring day. While they were on the sea, a “great windstorm” hit, with strong waves convulsing the relatively small boat (Matthew 8:24). The disciples feared for their lives, in Luke’s account saying they “were in jeopardy” (Luke 8:23). 

When challenging times of life come, will we emulate Christ, remaining calm through the storm, knowing God is in control and can deliver us?  Yet Jesus was fast asleep. 

So, they woke Him up, saying they were perishing and asking Him if He cared (Mark 4:38). Maybe it reminded them of Jonah, who also slept through a fierce storm (Jonah 1:5).

Jesus did care, but He was calm. Why? Because He had faith and trusted the Father, who cared for and protected Him.

He calmly told the disciples, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” and rebuked the winds, making the sea calm (Matthew 8:26) 

When challenging times of life come, do we react like the disciples and succumb to fear? Or do we emulate Christ, remaining calm through the storm, knowing God is in control and can deliver us? 

Faith to please Him

Life will have its challenges. 

Paul assured us that even those living godly lives will experience “many tribulations.” Therefore, we should not feel like the challenges we face are abnormal. Instead, we should seek help from God, who makes a “way of escape,” so we may be able to “bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). 

The Bible tells us that it’s “impossible to please” God without placing our faith and trust in Him (Hebrews 11:6). 

Take heed of self-confidence

We are warned not to be overconfident, trusting in ourselves instead of God (1 Corinthians 10:12).

After God forbade the Israelites from entering the land due to their lack of faith (Numbers 14:23), they decided to enter on their own, declaring, “Here we are, and we will go up to the place which the LORD has promised, for we have sinned!” (verse 40). Perhaps they believed they could do it themselves without God’s help or that since they had admitted their sin, now God would relent and give them success.

In any case, they were warned that this effort would fail because God would not be with them (verses 41-42). 

And, predictably, they were routed (verse 45). 

Moses hadn’t accompanied them because he understood they needed God to lead the way (Exodus 33:15). Likewise, we must include God in our plans and not rely on ourselves alone (James 4:15). 

If we try to live without God, we may accomplish feats and achieve limited successes. But when trials come, we will be unable to overcome without faith and seeking God. 

So the lesson is clear: to overcome the obstacles of life, we must trust and rely on God, not ourselves.

Date Posted: June 24, 2024