Faith Is an Active Verb
- Mary Harker
- Oct 12
- 3 min read
Instead of allowing fear to rule us, we can use the opportunity to exercise our faith. Embrace the gift of God ministering to others through us and being a blessing to them when we align ourselves with where the Lord is working.
“Lord, I can’t take this anymore. Please make it go away,” I prayed. I was on a spring 2020 walk and felt desperate. The shelter-in-place order had recently begun, but I was already weary with no end in sight. As soon as I voiced my plea, I sensed God gently say to my heart, “Mary, this isn’t about you.”
With this statement, God humbled me, reminding me that He was using this time to spread His good news around the world and provide hope. One positive was that people sought solutions to the turmoil we were experiencing. Also, technology connected us when we could not meet face-to-face. Livestreamed church services and Facebook Live sessions became a blessing, calming my troubled heart.
Thus, God was in control, using this time for a greater purpose: to replace our fear with faith. Fear blocks us, but faith propels us. When the Lord gave me that insight, I adopted the phrase “faith over fear” as my guiding truth. Wearing a bracelet with those words daily reminds me to choose faith in all situations.
During that same time, God was calling me to write. Like Moses, I tried to tell God He had the wrong girl, feeling I was unqualified. Initially, fear of failure, uncertainty about what I was doing, and a fear that the calling was my voice, not God’s, roared through my mind. But His calling fueled my hope because it opened new possibilities.
Yet, God persisted in showing me how my fear was holding me back, and He will do the same for you. When I trusted Him and stepped out in faith, I encountered opportunities to explore online writing conferences and tested the waters to see where God would lead. One opportunity led to another, and Heavenly Father continues to direct my path as I step out in faith to share His message with a hurting world. When we step out in faith, God is faithful to us.
Biblical scholars often refer to Hebrews 11 as the “Hall of Faith” chapter. We can read the exploits and stories of people who walked in faith and apply their experiences to our lives. Rather than repeating empty words, their actions demonstrated their faith. Faith is an active verb, and our actions testify to that faith. James 2 states that if we do not display our faith by our actions, it is dead. Thus, it is useless.
1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” If we abide in Jesus, the Vine, the fruit of the Spirit will be evident in our lives (Galatians 6:23-24), and we can walk boldly wherever God calls us, unafraid.
Instead of allowing fear to rule us, we can use the opportunity to exercise our faith. Embrace the gift of God ministering to others through us and being a blessing to them when we align ourselves with where the Lord is working.
Sharing the Good News with a broken and hurting world is a privilege, and we can’t allow fear to interfere.
Each act of obedience strengthens our courage when we see God work. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).
Please consider how you can best act on your faith and then develop an action plan. What divine prompting urges you to take that first step, but fear stops you? Acknowledge that fear, give it to God, and step out in faith. Let me encourage you: Go for it, my friend. God’s love will lead you only where He will provide for you.
Prayer: Father, thank you for the privilege of participating in Your plan to share the Good News with others. I will say, “Yes!” and replace my fear with faith to step out where you lead me.
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