Many of us fear what God may ask of us, but fear is a significant barrier to faith. It was fear that kept the Apostles trapped in the upper room, while faith propelled them onto the streets and transformed the world. Faithlessness hinders God from working through us, but faith unlocks His power in our lives. The Bible confirms this when Jesus said, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.” Even though Jesus wanted to perform miracles, their unbelief limited His power. Our lack of faith hinders God from working through us, and He does not compel Himself upon us. He wants us to accept His grace, love, and power freely, out of love for Him. Though fear of the unknown is natural, faith (fortified by hope) intervenes when we are powerless, and supernaturally enables us to access God’s power in our lives. Therefore, the Christian faith’s heart is to BELIEVE and be saved, BELIEVE and be healed.
However, we often rely on our own power instead of God’s omnipotent and infinite power. We hold ourselves back from the one who is all-powerful and all-loving. Our imperfection and weakness make us question why God would love us. Rather than opening up to God, we rely on our limited understanding, abilities, and power. Consequently, we wonder why we have not grown in holiness or why our prayers have not been fruitful. God knows better than we do, and we need to trust Him completely. To surrender our lives to Him, we must eliminate anxiety and worry. The Bible frequently reminds us not to worry or have fear. If we seek God for His sake, and not merely for what He can do for us, we will be rewarded. Jesus affirmed this when He said, “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will He clothe you—you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”
Furthermore, we tend to hold onto the guilt of our sins even after we repent of them. Sin is possessive and hates seeing its slave being freed. It lingers on as guilt and beats us down, causing us to doubt whether we are truly forgiven. It is easy to fall back into the same old sin again and again, and we question if we are genuinely repentant. True repentance necessitates honesty, humility, and determination to turn away from sin. However, we cannot rely solely on our strength to achieve this. We must know that God no longer condemns us and that we are genuinely free. Therefore, we must not shackle ourselves to guilt from forgiven sin and allow God to work wonders in our lives. As the Bible states, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
Lastly, many Christians struggle with prayer and their relationship with Jesus because they are merely searching for spiritual highs and good feelings rather than a genuine connection. When we pray, do we relinquish our burdens to God or cling to them as our own possessions? Are we genuinely attempting to love and seek God’s will
