Matthew 8:26 Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?
In the 21st Chapter of Revelation, Jesus said, But the fearful, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. (Revelation 21:7-8)
This is basically a list of sins that will cause people to spend eternity in the Lake of Fire; Hell. Yesterday we addressed the first thing on the list which is fear. We noted that fear is Satan’s most used weapon against us. Fear is the opposite of faith. Faith in Christ and His Finished Work on the Cross is the ONLY way to have Victory over the demonic spirit of fear.
Yes, fear is a spirit; a demonic spirit. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7) All fear is an attack of the enemy and his purpose in attacking you with fear is to destroy your faith. There is no fear in faith.
I could write on the subject of fear every day for a year and not exhaust all that the Word of God says on the subject. When the Disciples were with Jesus in the boat and a fierce storm came up, they were afraid for their lives. Jesus was asleep in the boat and they were literally scared to death. They FEARED for their lives. They woke Jesus up and said, Lord, save us. We are perishing! (Matthew 8:25)
The situation was very bad and the enemy attacked them all with the demonic spirit of fear. They believed they were all going to die due to the storm. The Bible says that the waves were covering the boat. They were all about to drown when they called out to Jesus. Lord, save us. We are perishing! (Matthew 8:25) The spirit of fear was just about to kill them because it robbed them of their faith in Jesus even though He was right there in the boat with them!
Jesus calmly got up and said, Why are you fearful, O you of little faith? (Matthew 8:26) All they had to do was call out to Jesus for help and when they did, Jesus did what only He can do. Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. (Matthew 8:26)
You see, the storm was a test of their faith. God allows us to go through storms to test our faith. Everything we face that’s difficult or brings trouble to our lives is a test of our faith and God allows it all to happen.
You may be facing a difficult situation in your life right now. Whatever it is, God has allowed it to happen to test your faith in Him. How are you doing on the test? If you are responding in fear, you are failing the test. Does this situation cause you to worry? If so, you are failing the test.
It may seem like you are about to go down with the ship because the waves are covering your boat. Do not respond in fear! Jesus is in the boat. Simply do what the Disciples did and call out to Him. The greatest prayer ever spoken is but one word: HELP!
Jesus is waiting for you to call out to Him for help. He is right there beside you. You have no need to be worried or concerned. This is a test of your faith. Satan wants you to respond in fear. God wants you to trust Him and respond in faith. How do you respond?
Faith in Christ Crucified will….…….turn the tide……….in your life.
Living by faith, Doreen
www.bettsministries.org
