Rick Warren Daily Devotional (November 18, 2024) Choose Faith over Fear.
“By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.” Hebrews 11:27 (NIV)
Moses made intentional resolutions about how to live his life, and it’s important that you do too. One of Moses’s resolutions was this: He chose to live by faith rather than by fear.
You’re going to face the same choice. Will you choose to live by faith or by fear?
The Bible says in Hebrews 11:27, “By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible” (NIV).
Moses went to the most powerful man in the world and said, “You know those slaves who are building all your pyramids? I’m taking them, and we’re all leaving. You’re not going to have slave labor anymore. Let my people go.”
Moses had every reason to be afraid; he was standing against the most powerful man on the planet. In those days, Pharaoh was considered a god, and whatever Pharaoh said was the law.
And here comes Moses, saying, “We aren’t going to do what you say anymore. I’m not afraid of you because I report to a higher authority.” It took some guts to do that!
Do you want that same kind of faith in your life so you can overcome your fear? The closer you get to God, the more you’re going to be filled with faith. The further away you get from God, the more you’re going to be filled with fear.
I cannot over-emphasize the importance of faith for the rest of your life. The Bible says, “Whatever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23 TLV).
How many times did you sin this week? A lot. So did I. Anything that I didn’t do in faith—that I did in doubt—was a sin.
The Bible also says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV). How many times did you please God this week?
Do you want something to change in your life? Stop complaining and start believing. God is not moved by complaints. God is moved by faith: “According to your faith let it be done to you” (Matthew 9:29 NIV). Your faith has a big impact on what God does in your life.
Here’s the key: What matters is not the size of your faith but the size of your God. A little faith in a big God gets big results!
Talk It Over
- How has fear kept you from choosing God’s best for you?
- What is the outward evidence that someone is a faith-filled person?
- As you become closer to God, you become more filled with faith. What do you need to do to grow closer to God and more faith-filled?
