The bout
If your faith and fear were in a boxing ring, which one would win the match? Which one would go the distance if there were a 12-round card? Your fear is like Mike Tyson at age 21, Ali at his finest, and Floyd Mayweather all in one. It is tenacious, ready to bout at any time. Fear never tires. It loathes the thought of losing. Every part of it says I will win and I will win every time. In 36 minutes, it seeks to destroy your life for the next 36 years and more if you remain faithfully depleted. You can have faith in living in a downward state because it is familiar and rather easy to sustain.
Dedicated
Fear trains vigorously when you and your faith are asleep. It is relentless and believes in going the distance. Fear wants nothing more than to be the champion in all categories. It wants and it works. But, what about your faith? Would your faith outlast a foe that will do whatever it takes to be number one? Does your faith get tired? Is it resilient or does your faith believe in quitting in the heat of battle? Does your faith get injured and sit on the sideline in pity due to the sting? Or does it say nurse me so I can get back in the ring and back to the bout where I belong?
Which direction is your day going?
Each day should be a day of training for your faith. You best believe, if your faith is not training, your fear is? Your fear forbids sleep while you look for it, call for it, and fiend for it. And while you are trying to dress up your faith to look cute, fear is comfortable with being ugly. Fear cares more about the outcome and not the beauty or the looks. Fear knows victory looks beautiful.
The decision
In the message title, fear is purposely written before faith. The reason being is because fear is often what you are acquainted with sooner and the most until you learn better. You thrive off of fear without knowing it. Fear drives your decisions, your willpower, your wants, and controls the steering wheel of your life. You spend time with it, groom it, and cultivate it into being related to you. Fear has you pegged. It has you thinking it cares and is worthy to be with you and to be you.
Now what?
What do you do when you realize, ironically fear has been your compass? You fight back to get on the right track. You come out of the corner of despair swinging with detest of the fear that hemmed you in it. Just like you own your faith, take ownership over your fear. Take lordship over it and destroy it.