The Battle Between Faith and Fear

By Joseph Smith

Time and time again, we find ourselves in a position where we are forced to do whatever it takes in order to get what we want. That's because we always want to try and get the best deal for our money. For example, when purchasing an automobile, we find ourselves negotiating with the sales person to try and get as much as we can for our old vehicle on the trade-in so that we can get a better deal on the vehicle we want to purchase. What we are really doing is activating our faith because we know we are going to come to an agreement with the sales person if a sale is to be made.

One of the first things you learn about wireless or cellular phones is that you can purchase a cellular phone and pay various prices for your phone based on your personal desires needs and wants. However, if you never get that phone activated, the purpose for which you bought the phone will be meaningless. The phone must be activated in order for you to get your full utilization of the unit. In much the same way, my testimonies not only tell about our knowledge of faith, but it shows how we trusted God and activated our faith.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Sep 30, 2016
• ISBN: 9780595897759

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Copyright © 2016 Joseph (T.J.) Smith.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-0-5954-5463-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-0885-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-0-5958-9775-9 (e)

iUniverse rev. date: 07/27/2020

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1 It All Started in Selma

Chapter 2 A Blast from the Past

Chapter 3 The United Kingdom versus the Kingdom United

Chapter 4 Angels in the Airport

Chapter 5 Conceive It, Believe It, and Achieve It with Faith

Chapter 6 Broken—but Not Destroyed

Chapter 7 Angels in the Parking Lot

Chapter 8 People Are God’s Answer to All Problems

Chapter 9 It’s Not What You Know—It’s Who You Know

Chapter 10 My Perspective: Activating Your Faith

Conclusion

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book is dedicated to my family, my biggest fan club. Throughout my life, my immediate, as well as my distant family, have always encouraged me to do great things. They’ve instilled a great deal of faith, hope, and prosperity into my life from day one. I love my family because the family is the strongest unit in the world. No matter what happens in life, let nothing come between you and your family. If you have animosity, strife, disagreement, or anything that is causing a broken relationship between you and your family, take heed from me and fix it fast. Life is far too short!

I dedicate this book to Sheila, my loving wife, who’s been with me through the wind and the rain, through the storms as well as the sunshine. Although I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, my wife has always been there for me. When I think I am at my lowest point, she’s always there to inspire and motivate me. She has never made me feel like I’m less than a man—even though there were times when I felt less than a man. I could never love another woman after loving her. Sheila is my heart, my companion, my lover, and my best friend. Had it not been for my beautiful and loving wife, this book would never have been written because it is a direct product of her years of encouraging me to write. I love you, Sheila, with all my heart, soul, and mind. You are, without a doubt, the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.

I also acknowledge my mother, Ruth Smith, who always told me that I was her heart. My mother felt my joy as well as my pain from the day I was born. When I started writing this book, my mother was alive. She has since entered into the Kingdom of Heaven. I know that she is looking down from heaven on this accomplishment and saying, Well done, Son.

I dedicate this book to my son, Oronde, my firstborn, a miniature me. He’s made me extremely proud because of his persistence and dedication to excel in life. My son is a strong man and a great leader. Oronde, I love you more than you will ever know. I give you my blessings!

The book is also dedicated to Christa Joy, my baby girl, who was spoken into existence. Christa is also my pride and joy. If someone told me he or she would design the perfect daughter for me in every way, I would say, No, thanks. I have the perfect daughter in my baby girl. Christa, I love you more than you will ever know. I give you my blessings!

I want to acknowledge my grandchildren, Kayla, Devonte, Eden, Tristan, and Miss Zoey. In my mind, they are the world’s busiest kids. They are a handful of joy and excitement. They call me Papa, which is music to my ears. They are the second generation of my immediate family, and I am so very proud of them. I love you more than you will ever know.

I acknowledge my mother-in-law, Mrs. Mattie L. Gill. She is a very proud woman with unlimited energy, and she has always been an inspiration to me. She is the most loving and wonderful mother-in-law in the world. She is full of wisdom and knowledge, and she dedicated her life to helping others.

I want to acknowledge the Ali family, the Gill family, the Joel family, Bishop Taylor, and family, Dr. and Mrs. Oggs, Dr. Jake and Lady Cheryl, The McClarys, The Prevo family, and the Underwood family. Thanks for all your love and support throughout the years.

I must not forget to include all of my cousins as well as my beautiful Aunt Retta and her family. I must also recognize Mr. Michael Lewis, a friend and brother from work who pushed me to complete this book for years. He was persistent in getting me to complete this book. Thanks, Mike (a.k.a. Master Chef)!

Finally, I dedicate this book to Steve in Tennessee. Steve was the best boss I ever had. He taught me so much in the business world as well as life in general. Thanks, Steve!

INTRODUCTION

I wrote this book because I was inspired by God and encouraged by my wife, over and over again. I was encouraged to write this book and many more. Had it not been for Sheila, I probably would have never thought of taking on such a task.

The purpose of this book is to give the reader hope, inspiration, motivation, and encouragement to pursue and win the battle between faith and fear. We are constantly fighting this battle. As human beings, we operate either in fear or in faith. I’ve learned that it’s impossible to operate in both fear and faith at the same time. My purpose is to share a few chapters of personal testimonies about my own battles in this area. I hope someone will be able to relate to at least one of these testimonies and be encouraged. If you are going through some type of problem, you have adversity in your life or fear has taken over and faith seems to be taking a vacation, then you will want to see how I overcame fear and replaced it with faith.

My book is a firsthand authentication of fact with open acknowledgment. My entire life has been—and will continue to be—a testimony that will encourage you to reach out and grab the drive you need to get motivated to do the things you have always wanted to do. In addition, this book may help you to overcome a struggle that you may be faced with where fear has taken over and you don’t see a clear path forward. This book is written from the heart with the mind to encourage and motivate readers to defeat and delete fear!

In the world we live in today, we seem to be faced with so much tragedy. Where there is tragedy, there is fear. In the past few years, we’ve encountered horrible events in the United States and around the world. We have to stop and ask, What’s going on? From my perspective, fear is becoming the cornerstone of our society. People you would never suspect are carrying out acts of fear. Bullets don’t have names—just missions. This book is not a recipe for putting an end to tragedies; it is a book to put an end to fear!

A person who leads in fear will capture an audience that lives in fear. A person who leads in faith will capture an audience that lives in faith. Fear is like a common cold; once you are properly exposed to it, you will catch it. Faith is like a woman giving birth; some can handle it, and some can’t. Some women are in labor for twelve hours, and some are in labor for two hours. Is the process uncomfortable? Yes, but look at the outcome! I’m not saying operating in faith is always painful, but it could be. The key is to remain focused. When I was growing up, we had a saying: The main thing is to always make the main thing the main thing.

I heard a minister say, A herd of lions led by a sheep will always be defeated by a herd of sheep led by a lion. You see, a heard of lions led by a sheep will take on the leader’s traits and characteristics of being humble and docile. Therefore, they will be defeated by a herd of sheep led by a lion that will also take on the leader’s traits and characteristics of being strong, courageous, and fearless.

In the world we live in, it’s imperative that we operate in faith. Otherwise, we will suffer

Reviews for The Battle Between Faith and Fear

[Gerry Davis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow that’s beautiful book I’ve read love love love beautiful