Have you ever considered that faith and fear have almost identical definitions? Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Fear is described as evil pain caused by unpleasant emotions. Fear is false evidence appearing real. Faith is believing that the best is yet to come. Fear is dreading that the worst will be your destiny. Faith and fear – both the substance of things to come with evidence not seen. One thing for certain is it is impossible for faith and fear to exist in a person’s life at the same time. It’s my experience that fear dominates more Christian lives than the lives of nonbelievers. Why? Because the nonbeliever lives for the present and what the world has to offer. It’s eat, drink and be merry because tomorrow you might die. The Christian is taught that living is a journey toward eternity. Am I saying that all Christians have enough faith to give them a peace that surpasses all understanding in any situation? No. That’s why in Matthew 17: 20 – 21, God says that all we need is faith as little as a mustard seed. The one thing I’ve observed by going to Bible studies with men since 1988 is that when faith is the topic, you would think that we are all spiritual giants. As for myself, I can speak of faith to others going through trials, but being human, when my faith is tested, I have a tendency to fear the unknown. Faith is not knowing what the future holds but knowing that God holds the future. Faith is the awareness of utter helplessness without God. When we are going through a trial, faith is more precious than gold. Our strength as Christians lies in our dependence upon God. The question is are we loaded down with inadequate religion rather than being lifted up with faith that really sustains? We should all be reminded that no one is safe who does not learn to trust God for everything. If you have any questions or comments, please write to Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call 985-652-477, or email hkeller@comcast.net.

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, July 18, 2012