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               As followers of Jesus, we are commended to walk in faith.  Now, to walk in faith is much scarier than to just talk about it.  To walk in faith means to walk, to live in such a way that you obey, you do, you love, you forgive, you sacrifice not because of ability, or self confidence but out of a belief that God has commended to us to walk in faith.  We walk in faith because we are confident in the faithfulness of God.  So, to walk in faith is a very real test of our beliefs.  Do we really believe that God calls us to do things we can’t do, that we do not feel comfortable doing, that we are not confident of the outcome?

                YES! In Hebrews 11:6, we read, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”  God literally calls us to live in such a way that succeeding or failing depends on Him, not on us.  We are called to obey; the outcome is up to Him.  The opposite of walking in faith is to walk in fear.  To walk in fear is to live in such a way that you have no trust in God.  In fact, you may believe that God does not want you to risk failure, or bankruptcy or humiliation or anything else in the name of obedience.  To always attempt what we can do, or afford, or can control the outcome is not faith.  In Acts 15:26 we are told of the men who risked their lives for the sake of the Gospel.  In Romans 16:4, Paul speaks of some men who risked their necks for his sake.  We have replaced the biblical call to follow Jesus with something else that is safe.  And the result is not walking in faith but walking in fear. 

                In Nehemiah 6:9-14, Nehemiah is trying to encourage the Israelites to rebuild the wall.  But the enemies of Israel wanted to frighten, discourage and stop the progress on the wall.  What did Nehemiah do? He exposed the motive of the enemy; they are trying to frighten us.  Fear convinces us that something, or someone, or anything is greater than God and His faithfulness.  Fear is believing that the outcome depends on us, or our knowledge, or our resources.  But fear is not faith in God. 

Nehemiah also refused to succumb to fear, but intentionally did the risky thing and lived in faith.  If fear ever begins to control your life, it is very hard to remove that control.  Nehemiah also prayed.  He asked God to take care of the very people who wanted to make the nation afraid. 

                Whatever our greatest fear is, the devil knows.  And, he will use it to try to persuade you not to obey God but to live within the boundaries of your fears.  Walk in faith.  Obey God’s commands even if it scares you.  When we are walking in faith, God will take our obedience and thrill us with the outcome.  When the four men tore a hole in the roof and let their crippled friend down in front of Jesus, that was a very risky thing.  In Luke 5:26, we read, “They were all struck with astonishment and began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen remarkable things today." You must admit, it is not common to tear a roof apart and let a person down in front of Jesus.  This is the only time it happens in all the Bible.  But the man’s life is changed, God is glorified, and hearts were filled with awe and wonder.  Walk in faith.  Your life will never be the same.