I have known people who lived each day believing God for the need in their life and I have known people who lived each day fearing the worse of the information they had received. The difference in the quality of life each of these groups of people lived is remarkable. Fear can literally hold you captive. You can be so fearful that you become sick at your stomach. Fear can cause you to become short of breath. Some of you are recalling those feelings even as you read these words. Fear is a powerful emotion. Faith is also powerful. Faith allows us to see beyond the present and to know there is someone who holds our tomorrows. Faith is believing that we are not facing this moment alone, but we have the presence of God walking with us. Faith can give you a sense of calmness when everyone else is on edge. Joshua faced one of those moments when he returned from spying out the promised land. (Joshua 14:7-8 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought back a report according to my convictions, 8. But my fellow Israelites who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear. I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.) Faith and fear are both contagious. When you live in fear, those around you soon begin to have the same fears. When you live in faith, those around you soon begin to have the assurance that everything is going to be alright. Even in the darkest of times, faith will cause a light to shine that will lighten up your path, give you hope, and bring peace into your difficult moment. Which is controlling you this morning, Faith or Fear? Choose to put your faith in God and see the difference it makes in your day. God is in control. Pastor Don [image: image.png]