By Faith and Fear: When All Else Fails

By Luke R. Elie

What is it that makes you move through life from opportunity to opportunity? Is it faith that inspires you to do things out of the ordinary, or is it fear? Fear is a scary force indeed. If youre standing on a railroad track with a speeding train closing in, what is your reaction? Is it fear that you might die that forces you to move? Is it faith that the train is on a destructive path that causes you to move? Or is it just simple instinct born out of self-preservation?

This is not a philosophical book, and I do not want to waste time sorting out the differences. The most important thing I have found in life is that faith makes me do things I thought I could never do, and fear does likewise. In this book, well sort out many individuals in the Old Testament who were moved by both forces and yet were still called righteous. They were all on an incredible journey. But where were they going? What were they really seeking?

Living by faith is probably the scariest thing you could ever choose to do. Some would say its the most foolish. In his book, By Faith And Fear, Elie takes you through conversations and questions of faith that are designed to challenge, stretch, and inspire. Focusing on contemporary issues and Biblical characters, Elie explains what living a life of faith can cost, but also how it can reap the biggest rewards. By Faith and Fear is an excellent read, one that will equip you for your personal faith journey.

Rev. Liz Linssen, pastor of Bethel Community Church, Port Talbot, UK, and author of Running with God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jul 29, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490880426

Luke R. Elie

Luke Elie is a proud Michigan native who has spent the majority of his life living in East Asia. By faith, Luke uses his love and passion for people to change the world. He has spent time as a professional teacher, principal, coach, basketball player, pastor, and more. Only God knows what’s next.

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Copyright © 2015 Luke R. Elie.

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Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-8041-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-8042-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015907925

WestBow Press rev. date: 07/28/2015

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction, Part 1: Spirit of Fear

Introduction, Part 2: The Journey

Chapter 1 When Google Fails - What is Faith?

Chapter 2 At the very beginning - Faith in the Creator

Chapter 3 Cheating God - Cain and Abel

Chapter 4 Pleasing God – Enoch’s Walk

Chapter 5 Holy Fear! – Noah’s Obedience

Chapter 6 Not by sight - The Faith of Abraham, Part 1

Chapter 7 Broken promises or misunderstandings? – Recognizing home

Chapter 8 Final Exam Time – The Faith of Abraham, Part 2

Chapter 9 Faith is a Family Affair – Isaac’s Blessing

Chapter 10 Give unto Caesar and Stand Up to Him!

Chapter 11 Comfortable Living…

Chapter 12 Copycats!

Chapter 13 Title 9 – Equality through Faith

Chapter 14 The Mosaic of Faith

Chapter 15 Safely Home

Bibliography

Acknowledgements

I cannot believe this is finally done. A book is published and you are reading it right now. I remember the day when Jon Robinson and I were walking around the bookstore as two ambitious young church leaders and we came to the conclusion that we could do better than all the authors represented on the shelves. That was many years ago and hopefully I am more humble. Although this is not the book that many people would have imagined me writing: DON’T WORRY! The good stuff is still coming. But please enjoy this one while the others are on the way. However, this book would not be possible without the help of a bunch of people.

Charse Yun, you have been amazing as an editor and friend. You have encouraged me through this horrific process. I wanted to give up after I saw all the red marks on my manuscript. You are gifted and talented and I am proud myself to see how far you have come as a man, husband and now a father. You are practically a co-author on this book.

Sam, you have been invaluable in this process. I know that most of the time you think I am crazy but I am glad you lived in Hawaii so I can meditate on the beach. And the most important memory in this process will always be MOOSE!

JJ, you have been there through this entire fiasco. I hope you are ready for the next fun God has in store for us. By the way, have you finished your paper yet?

Abi Roy, you have also been amazing in the later stages of this project. You made finishing this project more possible. I only hope that China is a place God will maximize your gifts. I would like to thank my sister Sue for publishing her book first so she could help me through this project.

I would like to also thank Elisabeth, Mary, Larry, Taryn, Mandy and so many other people for being amazing friends and not giving up on me and for proof reading and dealing with all my crazy ideas. I hope you are all warmed up because more is coming.

I would like to thank my English teachers Ms. Cubberly, Morris, Ambrose and Lemertha. I don’t know where any of you are but just in case you were wondering and may be reading this right now; I was paying attention in class. I just had ADD and a lot of other things on my mind when I was a student. All of you had patience beyond my understanding.

Thank you mom and dad for raising me to live by faith.

Thank you Jesus for all the many people in my life that you have given me. I need them all.

Introduction, Part 1: Spirit of Fear

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.

-Franklin D. Roosevelt

Do you consider yourself brave or adventuresome? Do you like taking chances?

What is so important in your life that you’re willing to face your deepest fears for?

Is there anything alluring about the unknown? Do you have any curiosity at all?

Do you know why we often fear the unknown? Well, duh: It’s scary, that’s why!

At what point in your childhood did you stop fearing the monsters that lurked in the dark under your bed or in your dark closet? Perhaps some of you still need a nightlight to protect you from the mysteries that darkness presents. We fear what we do not understand—the future, the U.S. government, our spouses, God, etc. The unknown is a scary place to be, and we all live there.

As a child I was scared of the dark, and at times I still get a little apprehensive when there is a lack of light. You never know what is waiting for you in the mysterious unknown that the darkness produces. Even the Bible talks about how evil loves the darkness (John 3:19). However, in the same passage it talks about how the light changes everything. But what if we can’t find the light switch, or what if the flashlight batteries die?

We live in a society that is driven by fear. Satan knows this and exploits it. It is part of our human nature to fear and worry about everything. Why do you see Jesus mentioning over and over for us to FEAR NOT and DON’T WORRY? The answer is that he knows our humanity well. God loved us so much that he sent his only son, Jesus, into the world to walk in the flesh of our humanity. In doing so, God became the light in the darkness. He threw out the little nightlight and flipped on the big floodlights so nothing could be hidden from us. He wanted us to stop living in fear of everything and simply trust him.

This is hard to grasp because we love our phobias. As a matter of fact, I think we’re obsessed with them, so much so that we’re not sure how to live without them. We fear everything from spiders and snakes to failure and success; from homework to girls to public speaking; from our reflection in the mirror and money to loneliness, boredom, and poverty; and so much more.

When God told us to fear not, he challenged our faith. However, it is that very faith that we often find ourselves fearing and hiding from. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7).¹ Do you possess the power, love, and self-discipline this scripture is talking about? Could the opposite of FEAR be FAITH?

Let’s find out together. After all, what are you scared of? Are you afraid to turn the light on? Would you rather stay buried under the blankets, where the monsters under the bed cannot find you, or are you ready to take a deep breath, get out of bed and walk across the room, to stare down the monsters in their shadowy burrows and flip on the light switch? Just like cockroaches being discovered, WATCH THEM RUN! Turn the page!

No passion so effectually robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear.

Edmund Burke

Introduction, Part 2: The Journey

What is it that makes you move through life from opportunity to opportunity? Is it faith that inspires you to do things out of the ordinary, or is it fear? Fear is a scary force indeed. If you’re standing on railroad tracks with a speeding train closing in, what is your reaction? Is it fear of death that forces you to move? Is it faith that the train is on a destructive path? Or is it simply the instinct of self-preservation that makes you jump out of the way?

This is not a philosophical book, and I do not want to waste time sorting out the differences. The most important thing I have found in life is that faith makes me do things I thought I could never do, and fear does likewise. In this book we’ll observe many characters in the Old Testament who were moved by both forces and yet were called righteous. These people were all on incredible journeys. But where were they going? What were they seeking?

Imagine if a trusted friend came to you and told you that he discovered a buried treasure worth $8.3 decillion dollars (yes, that’s an actual number). The treasure was hidden on a secret island, and your friend said that he wanted you to have it all because he was dying of a terminal illness that would claim his life in a few short weeks. Would you be interested? Despite natural grief for your friend’s dying condition, I assume your attention would be riveted at this point.

As you inquire more about this amazing proposal, you feel overjoyed at the thought of such a life-changing opportunity. What’s the catch? Well, the treasure is buried on a small island in the Pacific Ocean, and in order to get to it you must buy a certain type of boat that can handle the vast ocean, potential pirates, government tracking agencies, and dangerous storms. Right now you can’t afford to buy something so expensive, but once you’ve gotten your hands on the treasure, if it’s as big as your friend guarantees, then you’ll be able to buy thousands of the same boats.

He explains the process, and you listen attentively to all the details. He says you’ll have to take out a loan for the boat purchase. You start feeling a little wary about this venture. After all, you have no boating experience and no background in treasure hunting.

You ask your friend vital questions like: Where exactly is this island? How long will it take to get there? and so on. He gives a reassuring smile. And then says he’ll wait to give you that information until after you buy the boat.

You’re not thrilled with this reply, but you understand that your friend demands commitment before disclosing such details. However, you still struggle to follow through with the purchase. You are truly uncomfortable risking all that you have to get this boat. You continue to talk to your friend, and he continues to assure you that it’ll be okay. Meanwhile, his deteriorating condition worsens by the day. You know he won’t be around much longer.

A few days later, you take a deep breath and follow through with the plan. You go to the bank, put up your house and car as collateral, and bring home a new boat. You’re nervous because this new purchase needs to pay off soon, or else you’ll lose everything. But your confidence in your friend is unwavering, and so you willingly sign over your house, car, assets, etc. After all, you’ll be able to replace them all with better stuff once you cash in on this incredible treasure.

Your friend sees you pull up to the house with the new boat and is excited to give you the next instruction. He didn’t want this treasure to go wasted or undiscovered after he dies, hence the reason he is entrusting it to you, a friend he truly loves. Your trusted friend gives you the coordinates of the island and the exact location of the buried treasure. Goose bumps prickle your skin at the thought of being wealthier than King Solomon himself.

You race home, open Google Maps, and punch in the coordinates to find…nothing. You try again. And again, but all you find on the computer screen is open water. You check and re-check the coordinates, but still the search comes up empty. According to Google, no such island exists.

You immediately call your friend to reconfirm the info he gave you. He reassures you that the information is accurate and the island exists. So you go back to Google, but after hours of scouring the digital ocean, you feel stress and frustration at the thought that nowhere online can confirm that this island exists. The friend you loved and trusted with everything you had is now causing you to doubt and panic.

In anger and disappointment, you storm over to your dying friend’s house and begin to yell at him for getting your hopes up and perhaps costing you everything in the process.

The friend insists that Google is wrong and the island is there. With the same confidence and excitement that captured you in the beginning, he tells you about the time he found the island and starts to describe it to you. He shares vivid details, like how soft the sand felt under his feet while