Faith vs Fear- Becoming water walkers

What do you think is the most common instruction in the Bible?

It isn't to be more loving, caring and kind. Although this is God's greatest desire for us. This isn't the most common instruction.

Neither is it warnings of pride, to become more humble, to guard sexual purity or to walk with integrity. Although these are really important qualities, they are not the most common.

The most common instruction in the Bible, actually is:

'Fear not'

'Do not fear', 'Do not be afraid', 'Be strong and courageous', 'you can trust me'- is all instructing us to 'Fear not'.

Why 'Fear not'?

Why is it that God is constantly reminding us that we don't need to fear? Its not as if fear is the biggest of vices, its not in the seven deadly sins (although all sin is the same to God). Fear doesn't seem to be the worst thing in the world. So why 'Fear not'?

Fear tempts us most from not doing God's will. It tempts us most from not jumping when God says 'Jump'. Or as John Ortberg puts it, 'Fear disrupts faith and becomes the biggest obstacle to trusting and obeying God.'

In other words, Fear gets in the way of us and God. Fear becomes the biggest obstacle in our relationship with God. It causes a void between us and God, it stop us trusting in Him- the creator of both Heaven and Earth, who made you from the dust, this mighty powerful God. When we fear we stop God from being all powerful.

FEAR- It gets in the way!

So God is constantly letting us know that we don't need to fear- we don't need to fear Him, we respect God, but we do not need to fear that He will hurt us or throw lighting bolts at us; we don't need to fear that God won't provide, we don't need to fear the situations that we are in.

We don't need to fear- we need to trust, have faith and obey!

There are 366 'Fear not' verses in the Bible. That is one for everyday of the year, including an extra one for leap years. To me that isn't a coincidence. Time is a human creation, yet God still places enough 'Fear not' verses in the Bible for everyday and one left over for a leap year- only God could do that! How great is God's commitment to us, that He doesn't want us to fear, not one day does He want us to live and struggle with fear, so each day He tells us to 'Fear not'. What a promise!

One of my biggest fears, is quite a silly fear and you might all laugh at it, but it is a fear i have to battle with sometimes. I am afraid of stairs. I fine going up stairs, but coming down stairs is more of a problem. I have fallen down stairs quite a few times and I've been up the hospital a couple of times with suspected broken neck and my Dad has finally put up a banister so I don't fall down our stairs so much. The fear of falling down stairs is my bodies natural reaction to the a situation which might possibly be dangerous and might cause me harm. But if I let this stop me, if I let this fear get in the way- I would be quite stuck, i wouldn't be able to get anywhere as there are a lot of stairs about.

There is a place for fear. Fear at its most basic, is our bodies naturally reaction to a possible dangerous situation. Its our body telling us that we need to run away, or hide.

But we mustn't let fear over ride faith and trust.

The 'No' of fear must never triumph the 'yes' of faith.

In Matthew 14:22, Jesus walked on water towards the disciples and He didn't say anything. Jesus was waiting for the disciples to recognise who He was. But they were terrified and they cried out in fear, believing Jesus to be a ghost.

Now I don't know a bout you, but if I was in a boat at 3am in the middle of a storm, and someone came walking towards me on the water, I might be a little scared too.

It says that Jesus spoke to the disciples 'at once'. Jesus didn't want His disciples to be afraid, He did not want them to fear Him.

Peter responded- not in a testing way, but in response to faith and when Jesus told Him to 'come', he went. I don't know if Peter hesitated or if he went without thinking, because I wasn't there and it doesn't tell us. But I do know if I was in Peter's situation I might feel just a little afraid. It does tell us that Peter that went over the side of the boat and began to walk towards Jesus on the water. For those few minutes before Peter saw the wind and the waves, Peter walked on water! wow! Peter is probably the only person except for Jesus who has every walked on water.

Peter was the only one who had the faith to even get out of the boat. Yes he lost his focus and began to sink and needed Jesus to save him - but at least he got out of the boat. Yes, Peter failed, but he didn't fail us much as the other disciples in the boat.

Peter learnt a lot from failing- he learnt that Jesus would save him, even when he was failing, he learnt that Jesus would save him first and then he would help him to learn the lesson of faith. Although Jesus told Peter he had 'little faith' and asked why he doubted Jesus. Jesus did this is love and away from the other disciples, he was showing that there is no fear in Jesus- for 'perfect fear casts out all fear.'

With faith we must make sure that we keep our focus and our focus must be Jesus.

What is it that you should be doing to get out of your boat? What is it that God is asking for you to step out in faith?

What are you afraid of?

Lets get out of our boats and start water walking!