![]() And faith over fear is not making decisions without any doubts or concerns of the outcomes - that is carelessness or foolishness. It is not saying you believe something that you're not actually acting on - that is hypocrisy. Nor is it blind acceptance of something you have not thought about or know nothing about - that is blissful ignorance. So having faith in God's provision or protection does not mean that it eliminates our fear. Notice back in Matthew 14 that Jesus did not chastise Peter or the other disciples for being fearful of the tumultuous storm or the darkness (or thinking that Jesus was a ghost!) he chastised them for not having enough faith to overcome their fear. This is what the author of Hebrews meant when he wrote, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” ( Hebrews 11:1, ESV). That means that while we might fear something that we can see or sense in front of us, our faith is in something that we cannot see or sense in a physical way. Nevertheless, some situations (such as the one that Peter found himself in as his boat was tossed around on the waves) are absolutely dangerous, and responding in fear is understandable.Īs I explained in another article, the faith and trust we have in God is based on what is "unseen and untouched" and is a "conviction of several layers of beliefs." The irony of many kinds of fears (including the ones we just mentioned), is that they are normally not based on reality.įor example, while the bite from certain kinds of spiders or snakes could be dangerous, the chances of it being fatal is extremely low even though many people are afraid of flying, it is much more common to get in a car crash and although many people obsessively wash their hands, staying away from all germs would actually be bad for our health, not good. Whether we like to admit it or not, everyone fears something. You could probably sum up all of these fears into a couple of general categories like fear of the unknown or fear of harm. ![]() Because it causes reactions, fear even sells! That’s why there are haunted houses, scary movies, and why kids tell scary bedtime stories.Īccording to one study, some of the most common fears are of spiders and snakes, of heights and flying, of dogs, of being humiliated in front of others, of germs or dirt, and of storms. It might just cause stress in our bodies, or it might leave us breathless in panic. Fear is our mind's reaction to a perceived threat, and it comes in all shapes and sizes and affects people in different ways. ” However, I think we all know what it is like to legitimately fear something or someone. We have all heard the phrase “there is nothing to fear but fear itself. And as easy as it is to criticize Peter for his lapse in faith at the end of the story, this amazing passage gives us a glimpse into what is possible when we also have faith in the face of fear. ![]() ![]() This story is, of course, primarily about the deity of Jesus Christ. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart it is I. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, "It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. In some ways, it is the "scary story" of the gospels because (at least in my mind) it seems like it could have started with the classic introduction, "It was a dark and stormy night." The writer records the events like this:Īnd in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. One of the most incredible and inspiring passages in Scripture for believers is the story of when the Apostle Peter walked on the surface of the sea toward Jesus during a storm in Matthew 14.
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