What Station Are You Tuned Into?
May 7th, 2008 | Michael Q. Pink
“And Moses said unto the people, Fear not…” Exodus 14:13-14
In our last blog we began the discussion about fear. (My thanks to all of you for posting your faith-building remarks and stories!) Before God would deliver Israel from Pharaoh’s army at the Red Sea, he instructed them to get out of fear. Fear not! That would seem like a tall order because if ever a people had justification to be afraid, it would be them. The night before, every Egyptian family lost their firstborn son. They had endured nine other plagues from the Hebrew God and now the perceived perpetrators, the Hebrews — who had been their slaves as long as anyone could remember (400 years) — had left town with their families and with a bunch of the Egyptian gold, silver and jewels. After a night of intense grief and reflection, they were more than ready to exact their revenge on these defenseless, huddled masses and get their stuff back too!
The Hebrews, well aware of their plight and backed up against the Red Sea with no way of escape could hear the mightiest army on earth racing toward them with swords drawn and blood lust in their eyes. Yet the first thing God told them was, “Fear not.” Before we go any further, let me ask you, what have you been afraid of? How does it stack up against what the Hebrews were afraid of? I’m just asking. This isn’t to say that you don’t have plenty of natural reason to experience fear. It’s to make the point that God delivered them from a very large fear without breaking a sweat and He will do no less for you.
But the first thing you must do is obey His command and, “Fear not!” You see, fear and faith are very similar. Fear believes a negative outcome is imminent while faith believes a positive outcome is in store. Faith comes by hearing the report from God. (Rom 10:17) Fear comes by hearing the report from the spirits of darkness. Faith hears (Gal 3:2, 5) and fear hears. It boils down to who, or what, are you going to tune into?
God is always transmitting His report, His perspective, His answers. But if we are in fear, it means we are tuned into the wrong station — hearing the wrong message from the wrong source — and we can’t hear Him. We must turn the dial over to the faith station, so to speak. We must tune into the report God is giving. If we are in fear, it is evidence that we are tuned into the wrong source and therefore will miss the instruction, the wisdom, the hope that He is transmitting on the faith station.
Think of it this way: suppose there is a category five hurricane bearing down on your town in which there are two radio stations. One is telling the people they are all doomed and the other is directing them to strong area shelters. One station produces fear while the other gives confidence or faith. The one you listen to determines your outcome. When we are in fear, it’s time to change the station. It’s time to change the input we are receiving. We need to adjust our receiver to the Word of God, both the written (logos) and the freshly spoken (rhema). We hold the tuner in our hands and God expects us to tune into His station so we can get the right information and experience the result He has in mind. So, how does one actually go about tuning in to the faith station? What does that look like to you? Please share your thoughts with the community.
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May 7th, 2008 at 6:28 am
I go back in time to a place where He delivered me from certain disaster. Then, I slowly recall other times - not as obvious, but still important - and realized He delivered me then, too. I don’t believe He delivered me then, to drop me now. So, I pray and leave my future in His hands. I listen for guidance and move forward in faith. I’m not saying it’s easy. But, for me it works.
May 7th, 2008 at 6:36 am
I believe it is by believing what the Word says and NOT my feelings!!
Ish. 26: 3
You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trust You.
It is fixing our mind oun His Word and God’s character!!! Lord, help us to make that shift from fear to faith…thank you for shifing us from fear to faith! Thank you Lord! Thank you that you did NOT give us a spirit of fear BUT of Love, Power and a sound mind!! Amen
Julie T.
May 7th, 2008 at 6:46 am
My faith station will override my fear station everytime. How? by meditating on the word day and night when the fear station is not on. So when the fear station is activated, my faith station has already be on 24/7. So when the fear station bellows out some negative word, my faith station automaticly starts bellowing out the word of God on the matter. For this to take place my Faith station must be working 24/7 because sometimes you don’t know when the fear station is going to try to override the faith waves!
Praise the Lord for his Word!!! It is ALIVE and POWERFUL!!
May 7th, 2008 at 6:53 am
Thank you! Thank you! Your words couldn’t be more timely for me.
May 7th, 2008 at 6:58 am
Thank you Michael for digging into a subject which has the power to abort the vast majority of our life visions and inspirations. Fear is a Christian Destiny killer! I beleive that faith is possible only based on two conditions: I fully trust Father God and I am willing to let me guide me out of my “normal” zone of comfort. When this occurs I will inevitably experience some degree of turmoil and fear. The prevalance of Faith, not the total abscence of the feeling of fear is the issue. Joshua was commanded to not fear. He had to make a choice that God’s command would be the standard no matter the outcome. Our minds fire hundreds of thoughts per second, and we need to let our hearts filled with the peace and confidence coming from Him, overule and progressively reprogram the habit of fear embeded in our minds. The catch is that only commitement and testing will cause us to experience increasing peace that surpasses intelligence until… it starts all over again to the next level!
May 7th, 2008 at 7:15 am
Michael,
Having been a university professor and studying some how we learn or really get things in our heart as preparation “for doing the Word” is using as many senses as possible. I use a “see, say, and hear” process. See the Word, say it, hear it. The sincere desire to get this Word in us must be there(Mark 4-good soil-heart-must be believed in the heart) or else we will have just a head knowledge. I quoted the verse,” He has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and sound mind”( 2Tim 17) many times while living in a foreign country. Heart knowledge came.
May 7th, 2008 at 7:31 am
As an adjunct to my earlier comment-It is not only necessary to get a truth in our minds and have them renewed for the battle is there, but in the heart for the armament comes from there,” As a man believes in his heart so is he.’ Proverbs 23:7 It is not enough to know the “what” but the”how” to get something where it should be to be effective and that is in the heart.(Also, Mark 4) What’s in the heart-Desire and emotion = passion; intentions;deep thoughts( thoughts I really want); and belief system -Romans 10:9-10 When the battle is on “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” I welcome comments-ecc1944@hotmail.com
May 7th, 2008 at 7:37 am
Truth mux be received in the heart for it to be acted on-Prov 23:7 Desire, emotion, intention;deep thoughts and belief system are all inthe heart. Ed at ecc1944@hotmail.com
May 7th, 2008 at 7:39 am
I am a strong believer and doer of the Word of God and I stick and stay with the scripture that states, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and of sound mind.” I went through a fearful ordeal just yesterday (labeled by society) where I could have accepted defeat, but I didn’t. I kept the Word of God before me and believed that “all is well.” When we can really internalize the Word of God and realize who Jesus really is, and who we are in Christ, there is no obstacle, circumstance, etc. that can keep us back from doing the will of our Father and receiving of His good pleasure. After all, He did tell us. “It’s the Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom…” I don’t allow the spirit of fear to grip me any longer, I take it by it’s horns with the Word of God and my faith in Him no matter what it looks like. When those negative thoughts or feelings come (as they do and will), if my Bible is reachable I read the Word and internalize it. If it is not reachable, the Word that is hidden in my heart is accessible and I speak the Word of God back to Him. We are all winners when we can put our trust totally in God.
May 7th, 2008 at 8:33 am
2 things to share:
1. A couple of years ago, I was put on probation by the company I worked for at the time, for lack of sales. It was a difficult environment to work in and to get business done in and much of what management did, from a clear-eyed and objective perspective, was geared against getting business done. In that scenario, I got into complaining and grumbling. My manager then put me on probation, where I had to do a certain amount of business in 2 mos, or be fired. At first, I was angry & pointing the finger outside of me. Then, God showed me through my manager, that no matter what comes against me, I’m still responsible for my choices and for my results (with His help of course). If I quit before I reach the results I’m supposed to get, then the fault lies entirely with me, despite what’s going on around me. The lesson in the face of fear? Keep going, and realize that within the realm of our continually going forward, we will see victory, not because of who we are, or because we “make” it happen, but because God has ordained it, and if we don’t move forward, we will not receive what He has for us.
2. More recently, I’ve been experimenting with declarative prayer, which is praying and declaring the truths of God’s Word over my life. Not to get rich, not to claim a Cadillac, but to renew my mind in what God says versus what my soul would tell me, or the world, or the devil. I’ve been doing it somewhat regularly, and the other day a friend prayed for me, and some of what he prayed and thanked God for in me what exactly what I’d been praying over my life - which was - I am the light of the world, because the light of the world dwells in me. (Matt 5:14, Rom 8:11).
See this link for declarative prayers you can pray over your own life, this is a good launching point and from there you can add your own!
http://www.streamsministries.com/index.php?cat_id=27&page_id=114#74
Blessings,
Dennis
May 7th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Fear knocked at the door, faith answered and no one was there.
Postive thinking is just another term for faith.
Yes, “for God does not give us the spirit of fear, but of power (faith) and of love (trust) and of sound mind”
May 7th, 2008 at 9:52 am
When something starts telling me I’m to fear, I start thinking of the names(words) that describe God’s character. Also I tell satan he is a liar.
May 7th, 2008 at 10:03 am
Amen Steven!! I read awhile back: Negative thoughts fill your mind with doubt, bitterness and fear. Positive thoughts bring hope and strength. You are able to choose which voice (or radio station) you’re going to listen to! I love 2 Corinthians 10:5 - Take every thought captive so that it is obediant to Christ!
I also read somewhere recently “If Satan (or fear as the case may be) comes knocking simply ask “Jesus, would you get that?”) It works!
May 7th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Many people live in fear on a daily basis. I am a faith filled Christian and it is sometimes difficult in today’s lifestyle to discuss one’s faith in the goodness and faithfullness of God. People tend to rely on themselvs and when they fail, it produces fear. God never leaves us nor forsakes us and when we have the failth of that being the truth, then we have NOTHING to fear!!! I KNOW AND TRUST IN MY LORD JESUS CHRIST AND THAT’S IN ALL THINGS!!!!
May 7th, 2008 at 10:48 am
The bible says “Perfect love casts out fear.” I studied on the subject a while ago and for me, it all goes back to a few facts:
1)The DEPTH of God’s love for us is demonstrated by His amazing sacrice at the cross: 2) We are His children and He is our Father; 3) He is ALMIGHTY GOD … nothing is impossible for Him; and 4)He is ALWAYS FAITHFUL TO HIS WORD.
Being a father myself, I know I would never let something bad happen to my child if it were in my power … EVERYTHING is within His power!
Being a father myself, I know I would never withold anything GOOD from my child if it were within my power to give it to him … EVERYTHING is within His power!
God tells us 365 times in His word to FEAR NOT. I don’t think that is a coincidence. I try to remember )as soon as something threatens my peace) to think about these things and focus on the size of my Father - not the “thing”. It helps me … I hope it helps you, too, my brothers and sisters.
May 7th, 2008 at 11:15 am
I used to live in intense fear after I had a nervous breakdown in 1988 when my ex-husband took my 8-year-old son away from me. Somehow my nerves were shattered and I was a shut-in for many months, I couldn’t be alone for very long.
Through the subsequent years God delivered me from many phobias that came through the above breakdown. The thing that worked for me was speaking the Word, “God does not give me a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.” The “sound mind” part was so important for me at that time because I felt like I was going crazy with such emotional instability. During this time I was able to pray a lot and read the Word for hours which was the only thing that kept me sane and stable. During bad days when I felt like I was going down the deep end and intense fear would strike, all I could do was say “Jesus, Jesus” and get on my knees in desperation. I was a brand new believer in Christ and had it not been for the Lord I would have been in a psychiatric ward. I was taking medication for anxiety and one day the Lord spoke to me and told me to leave the medication and completely TRUST in Him. Much to my horror I obeyed and trusted.
I don’t know why the Lord allowed me to go through all this, but He has brought me through and taught me many, many things. One of the first things the Lord asked me to do (which now I know was conducive in my long road to healing) was to ask several people for FORGIVENESS starting with my Dad. As I asked these people for forgiveness peace started to wash over me. It has taken years for much healing to come to my heart, mind and soul, and God has required many steps of faith and faith-challenges in my life for my personal growth, and I have come a long way.
Yes, the Word has to be implanted in our hearts, meditated on, and through it faith needs to be built. In prayer we are washed over by His love and change in us comes, as well as the consolation that He is with us ALWAYS. What a wonderful Savior.
My story is a testimony to the power of God that although it took years for me to get over so many fears, God has nevertheless done His work in me and continues until the Day. Glory to His Name.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Awesome article about faith and fear. When there’s fear, there is no faith and vice-versa. I’m going through the most difficult financial battle right now. God has stripped us down to almost nothing. We know he’s setting us up to go to a new level in our lives. Sometimes, fear and worry set in.
To answer your question, what tuning in to the faith station looks like in my home; In the morning before everyone is awake, I’m pacing back and forth in our living room declaring victory, speaking scriptures and speaking daily affirmations. When there’s fear in the house, we just start pressing in harder to the promises of God and standing!
May 7th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
a song of nearly 30 years ago fits with today’s word–”An Old Man’s Rubble”–some lyrics are “the voice you hear is gonna win the fight.”
May 7th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
As I read this I was thinking of the International House of Prayer (IHOP) and how they use the model of seeing the Word saying the Word, writing the Word and singing the Word. Do this with a Scripture for example, “The Name of the Lord is a strong tower, The righteous run into it and they are safe.” Any Scripture the Lord puts on your heart will be fine.
May 7th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
How powerful is it that fear has to come in so many different disguises? In order for the dark one to get his foot in the door and become the focus of our attention, he has to change the game by disguising himself. In other forms we would recognize him for what he is, but he knows that fear is an open door to our hearts. Thank God that our faith can pull us out of abyss before it’s too late. Thank God for being there to insure we can overcome the fear put there to distroy us.
May 7th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
In addition to what Mr. Pink said I’ll add by saying, ” You can not believe anything in life before believing in words first.” WORDS form the way you THINK, which forms your FEELINGS, which form your DECISIONS, which form your ACTIONS, which form your HABITS, which form your CHARACTER, and which finally leads you to your DESTINY (from Dr. Creflo A. Dollar, Book). It all started with the word, God started with the word (John 1:1), it is time we imitate (Galatians 5:6) Him in putting this law of confession (confessing His word only) over everything in our lives.
-David
May 8th, 2008 at 5:01 am
Hey All…
Michael Pink here. Just want you all to know how much I appreciate you posting your comments and insights here. Not only do they speak to me and encourage me in a number of ways but they also help others.
I have visited over the years many blogs or forums but never have I come upon a group of people so genuine and so willing to offer a word of kindness and encouragement as you all.
Your contribution is helping the body of Christ get built up! Thank you!
May 8th, 2008 at 6:32 am
Dear Michael,
The Bible says that fear is OK only if it is focused on our God…and also the normal fear mechanism built in us which helps protect ourselves from danger…the problem tho most of the time is that many of us have fear on the wrong object when we should be developing a lifetime healthy fear of God…isn’t that what is being said in Matt 10? What I learned before has sticked into my mind…that fear is a combination of it being potent and present and the absence of any of the 2 is not fear really….the Bible says that our God is both OMNIpotent and OMNIpresent….hence, Matt 10 does make sense, isn’t it? Thanks again for sharing….Peace and all good, BenjieC. / Manila, Philippines
May 8th, 2008 at 9:38 am
I finally read this today….
And last night I woke up AGAIN worrying about our business. Ugh…..
This article was just what I needed today! I know He wants me to totally trust Him. Now to just do it!
Thanks, Michael!
Gerry