Author and minister Jackelyn Viera Iloff is on a mission to encourage people to “find faith in the face of fear.”
Iloff, who serves as a minister at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, and is sister-in-law to famed preacher Joel Osteen, recently sat down with Faithwire to discuss her book, “What if You Could?: Find Faith in the Face of Fear” and her views on how believers can overcome fear.
She covered a range of worries, spanning from individual fears to panic about what’s happening in the headlines and throughout the world. As for events that fall into the latter categories, she sought to remind people that placing their hope in God is absolutely essential.
“There’s always something in the world that’s happening,” Iloff said. “There’s wars and rumors of wars and it’s been that way since the beginning of time.”
She specifically highlighted why Christians should work hard to overcome the worries that hold them back, whether they are personal fears or consternation over the state of domestic and international affairs.
“When you speak fear instead of faith you create an environment in which your unbelief rules your life,” Iloff said, noting that some people turn to other coping mechanisms like drinking, smoking, ice cream and the like. “Instead of getting into God’s word, you use other means.”
Rather than turn to other attempted “solutions,” she said that it is essential for Christians to fully rely on the “word of God.”
“Faith is the opposite of fear,” Iloff continued. “You can’t believe in God’s blessings … you can’t believe in anything if you fear it.”
She encouraged people to truly examine what they’re afraid of and to confront their worries head-on by getting into the Bible and figuring out how to overcome these roadblocks. Iloff also addressed why she believes so many people allow others’ opinions to hold them back in life.
“We really are afraid of them discovering who we fear we are,” she said. “It’s more about who we think we are and trying to put on this persona to mask all the fears and insecurities we have.”
Iloff is hoping that “What If You Could?” helps motivate people to “be everything” that they can be by embracing the desires that God has put in their hearts.
“He put the talent into your hands. Seek him, seek his will for your life and step up,” she said. “The opportunities that are out there, the things that God can put into your life are beyond your imagination.”