Faith is necessary to please God. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. — Hebrews 11:6. Fear can keep you from surrendering and following the will of God. The path of the preacher may lead to trials and difficulty, but it may also lead to peaceful and fruitful paths beyond comprehension. Surrendering to the will of God means you are willing to follow whatever path He brings before you knowing that He will be with you and that His way is best. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. — Psalms 23:3-4.
Fear can rob you of God’s blessings and lead you back into the world resulting in limited usefulness. The Christian life is a life of faith and we must recognize, as the leader of the church, that we must lead by faith. Curtailing your preaching in order to not offend a member will hinder the growth of the church. The fear of losing a major financial contributor can cause you to make decisions that are not necessarily the right ones. No one wants to lose any attendee but if you preach the Word of God you will eventually experience the loss of people.
Facing financial shortfalls can cause fear that can hinder our faith. There are churches who have a substantial savings account but they fear investing it in missions or using it for the benefit of reaching their community resulting in limited outreach. Fear never contributes to the work of God. Fear of failure can keep us from moving forward. The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? —Psalms 27:1. It has been said, “If you haven’t failed at anything you haven’t tried anything.” Everyone experiences some failures but we must not fear failing or we will never succeed.
Fear can cause us to compromise. Preachers must learn to raise their banner high and stand firm upon the Word of God. People respect men who stand in times of trials. We are always moved by hearing the testimonies of missionaries that prevailed through difficult circumstances. The Apostle Paul’s ministry is so remarkable in part because of his tremendous trials.
It is in fearful times that we can experience the deliverance of God from all our fears. We must be strong in times of trouble. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. — Psalms 27:5. A faithful man of God will face his fears and stand firm on his convictions.
