Fear And Unbelief Are Amongst the Worst Abominations to God

Did you know that God puts the FEARFUL and the UNBELIEVER in the same category as the murderers and the whoremongers ? “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death”. (Rev 21:8) 

Imagine this…. fear and unbelief are in the same list as those other bad guys. Those 2 sins are no small things to the Lord, and are deserving of the lake of fire.

Paul said to Timothy, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear: but of power, and of love, and of sobriety” (2Tim 1:7). The Holy Spirit is the spirit of power to stand in faith. It is the spirit of Love and it has powerful compassion, mercy, sympathy and empathy. And the sound mind is an authoritative stance with sobriety and clarity of thoughts.

Remember during the Exodus, when 12 spies were sent to check out the promised land “before the children of Israel were to go in and take it“. That was the plan! But they brought back some good news about the milk and honey and the massive clusters of grapes, AND they also brought back BAD news. They told the  people that there were Giants in there and there were walled cities, and they dwelled on the impossible so much that it says, the whole crowd wept in despair…

Caleb, on the other hand, stilled the people and said, “Let us go up at once and possess the land, for we are well able to take it” (Num 13:30). That attitude came from knowing God was with him, because God had promised the land to them. The promised land is promised to all of us, but you’ve got to go in and take it. It’s not a “given”, you’ve got to believe God for it. It’s faith that pleases God and appropriates God’s promises. 

You and I are in our land of promise right now! Earth is our promised land, not heaven… This is where we have been given dominion over, and have to fight to win. There are no people that need healing in heaven, there are no devils to cast out, nor any people to lead to the truth. Our work is here on earth. God said, “anywhere you put your foot, I will give it to you” (Josh 1:3, Deut 12:24)

Here on earth, is where we must believe God against anything we feel, hear or see. Our fight is a fight of faith, the same as with the children of Israel. That’s why Heb 3:19 says, “So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest”. The writer goes on to say, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the (promises of the) living God.” (Hebrews 3:12)

The promised land is ours. But God is looking for people to take it. Those who will say, “no matter what, I’ll trust God”. We, believers, look at the things that are unseen through the eyes of faith and call those things that are not (yet) as though they were. We believe now, for what is coming to us, the same as the farmer does when he plants seeds. We keep looking at the end result UNTIL the end result is the desired result.

Is there any time you’re not to trust God’s Word? Well, not according to Joshua whom God chose as Moses’ successor. He commanded him to go in and take the land and told him, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:8,9). 

There it is: don’t go in fear and unbelief, but “Be strong and courageous”. 

Fear and unbelief, are usually not that distant from faith. Most of the time, you’ll actually agree with God’s Word, but just not right NOW… When you are saying, “I know God’s going to heal me”, you’re not agreeing with the Word of God. You’re simply agreeing with your 5 senses. The Word says, “by His stripes, I was healed”.  There’s no “maybe” in there. Faith in God’s Word is what will change your present circumstances, not relying on your emotional and circumstantial position.

The 10 spies came back with an “evil report”. What was evil about it? The fact that it did not stand by what God had said. And look what that evil report caused… it says, “all the people wept, and they murmured and then, turned against Moses and against God” (Num 14:2). And they said, “would to God that we had died in the land of Egypt”. What they said came upon them. They took God out of the picture, and people were faced with impossibilities. Whereas, as soon as you put God in the picture, now we are “well able”! –the possibilities open up.

It takes no brain (nor any faith) to report the obvious. Who needs that guy on a committee that’s looking for solutions. He keeps saying, “well I’m just stating the facts, I’m just trying to be real.” Nobody will pay you to report the problem that everyone can see.  We’re looking for men who can see what can’t be seen. The true reality is found in the book of possibilities–the Bible. “With man it is impossible, but not with God, for with God, all things are possible” (Mat 19:26). Faith is stepping out of our comfort zone and looking to God’s Word for the desired result.

Remember how the spies said “and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers. And we were in their sight as grasshoppers” (Num 13:33). The way you view yourself is the way your enemy will see you. Fear is visible. Animals particularly can sense fear. Your image of yourself cannot be self-image. It has to be a Christ-image. Your confidence has to be in Christ.

Faith is also visible. It’s not a self-assurance position, but rather a stance of strong belief in Christ. It says, “out of weakness were made strong“ (Heb 11:34) All those people in Hebrews 11 were people with like-passion as we are. Here’s what it actually says, “Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. (Heb 11:33,34). 

Faith is a choice. You decide to take a stand. You decide to face the impossible and you bring out the possibilities through your faith.