Be Faithful, Not Fearful

Daily Devotional: Day 57

“And, his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye little of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm” (Matthew 8:25-26, KJV).

Where there’s faith, there’s no fear. And vice versa: Where there’s fear, there’s no faith. One day, while at sea, a great tempest hit Jesus and his disciples. As today’s Bible text tells us, Jesus was asleep during the tempest; but his disciples weren’t. They feared for their lives and woke Jesus, pleading that he save them. Jesus’ response suggests that he was disappointed. But the question is: What’s wrong with asking Jesus to save you from imminent danger? As you can see from the text, Jesus wasn’t upset that the disciples petitioned him. Nor did he feel that they were bothering him. Rather, he was troubled because the disciples were fearful. Then, he quickly says that they’re of little faith. His point was that they were afraid because of their deficient faith. The truth is, you can’t be faithful and fearful at the same time. In other words, faith and fear are mutually exclusive. You can’t please God if you’re fearful. God doesn’t honor fearfulness; he honors faithfulness.

 The New Testament Greek has different words that are translated in English as fear. In today’s text, the Greek word translated fearful is deilós (pronounced DAY-LOSS). It’s an adjective that can be accurately translated as timid or cowardly – in the face of pressure or difficult situations. Applied to a Christian, it means one who, under pressure or persecution, loses his courage and fails to stand up for his faith in Christ. When people think of sin, they hardly include cowardice, but they’ll be surprised to learn that it’s a major obstacle to our relationship with the Father. Timidity is a faith-blocker. To understand the implication of being fearful, let’s note that when the Bible lists groups of people who will suffer the second death, it includes those who are “fearful” (See Revelation 21:7-8). But, the good news is, the same Bible, speaking of Christians, says, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear [the Greek is deilía, meaning timidity], but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). Embrace the spirit of power God has given you, and be faithful, not fearful.

Prayer:

Daddy, your Word says that you have not given me a spirit of timidity. Therefore, I reject fear and timidity from my life. I embrace what you have given me: the spirit of power, the spirit of love, and the spirit of a sound mind. By your grace, I refuse to be a coward. I shall walk by faith, and not by fear. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

For further study: Acts 4:1-37