Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith?”
Mark 4:40 (emphasis added)

Why are you afraid? In the Greek, they used the word ‘deiloi’ which when literally translated is ‘cowardly’. A coward is defined as someone who shows disgraceful fear or timidity. That is someone who loses favour by expecting danger or lacking boldness or determination. The disciples expected the worst. They expected to be in danger of their lives. They lacked boldness to counter the situation. They did not determine to believe God and stand in His favour. They chose to embrace fear, instead of the strength that Jesus had been teaching them about. Proverbs 24:10 says “If you falter in the time of trouble, your strength is small.” This is just where the disciples were spiritually.

In the natural, they were experienced fishermen. This area of the Sea of Galilee is prone to sharp and sudden storms. Things can go from calm to nine foot waves in moments. The physical location of the lake is what gives it that nature. It is located deep in the Jordan Great Rift Valley, which is caused by the African and Arabian tectonic plates separating. It is surrounded by valleys, which can push large volumes of air at great strength down on the lake. Based on the wording (in Greek) of the rebuke Jesus gave the storm — identical to the wording of rebuke He used when casting out the demonic — it seems that the demonic took advantage of a natural phenomenon to try and sink the boats that night. This is especially likely when you consider where Jesus was headed — to eliminate the possession of two demoniacs who held a whole region of the area in a grip of terror (Matthew 8:28-34 and Mark 5:1-20).

But the disciples weren’t operating in the spiritual realm. They were focused entirely on the natural. And as experienced fishermen, they had a plan. Bail out the water, row the boat, move along a certain path through the waves, make for a specific point, etc etc. They had done this before. But in the midst of their turmoil and fear, Jesus was sleeping. Perhaps they resented that. Jesus not doing His share to help their situation. They were lacking spiritual boldness. They had not been feeding their spirit in order to gain spiritual strength. This was the same day that Jesus taught them about the sower sowing the word (Mark 4:1-20). He taught them about not putting their light under a basket but shining like a city on a hill (Mark 4:21-25). The parable of seed scattered on the ground and growing into a great harvest (Mark 4:26-29). The parable of the mustard seed where a tiny seed grows into a mighty shelter for birds (Mark 4:30-33).

The disciples had not fed into that teaching as they could have. They were not operating on the authority Jesus had given them. They were not embracing the faith they should have been strengthening. They were focused on the fact that Jesus was doing nothing. That He was sleeping. That He seemed to not care about the situation or them. They were acting like spiritual cowards and Jesus asked them why. Jesus asked them to look into themselves and examine their motives. To figure out where they stepped wrong as they chose to embrace fear and not God. It wasn’t like they didn’t have examples. The Psalms that they had grown up listening to are full of individuals calling out to God for help and God answering powerfully. Maybe later they saw the connection because just as in the Psalms, the moment they cried out, Jesus woke and answered them. They came to Him in the weakness of Proverbs 24:10 and Jesus responded with the strength of Proverbs 24:11 which says “Rescue those who are being led away to death! Indeed, hold back those who are staggering to the slaughter!” God never leaves us hanging, bailing water, or drowning. He ALWAYS extends a hand with a smile to ask, ‘Why are you afraid?’

The disciples could have looked to other scriptures that they had heard growing up and any time they went to the synagogue. The Torah is full of people boldly determined to get favour from the Lord and walk in it into victory — Abraham, Joseph, Joshua, Moses, Esther, and Ruth for example. The disciples had also been around Jesus. Watching Him deal with situations, conversations, and supernatural manifestations. Boldly expecting to receive from His Father in heaven — and receiving powerfully in response to His faith. But they did not choose boldness. Or to trust. They chose fear.

Contrast that to how they were later when the Holy Spirit came on them. In Acts 4:13 Peter and John had been taken before the authorities of the Temple to be judged for their actions. Two of the “don’t you care that we are dying”? disciples (Mark 4:38). Here in Acts Peter and John responded to all charges. How? Well in 4:13 it says that when the Pharisees “saw the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled. They recognised that they had been with Jesus.” Peter and John weren’t special. Weren’t educated beyond the basics to function in life as labourers. As basic minimum-wage make something of yourself if you can people. They were deemed ignorant. But they had supernatural words and boldness and determination. Even when the council demanded they stop teaching, Peter and John responded by saying, ““Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, judge for yourselves, for we can’t help telling the things which we saw and heard.”” They were still bold. The Holy Spirit was giving them everything they lacked. And as we saw in Mark, they had once lacked faith in the ability of God to save them.

The Old Covenant was all about doing the required things in order to get the benefit of the Lord’s Blessing. Do the thing, get the thing. Stay in the yard of the Lord or walk in the Valley of Death where you’re going to suffer. In the New Covenant, Jesus did the thing. When we accept that and get born again, we get the benefit of Jesus doing the thing. But getting that Gift means that we are new creatures. New creations. Completely transformed from what we were to what we are in Jesus. Hebrews 10:7-14 says “Previously saying, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you didn’t desire, neither had pleasure in them” (those which are offered according to the law), then he has said, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He takes away the first, that he may establish the second, by which will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Every priest indeed stands day by day serving and offering often the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins, but he, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God, from that time waiting until his enemies are made the footstool of his feet. For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.”

We have been forever sanctified from a creature seeking its own selfish ends but willing to comply so that it doesn’t get hurt — motivation from fear — to one who seeks to please God with our faith out of love, not fear. To do the things that please Him. Not because we have to, for we are free from the rule of the Law (Romans 8:1-2). We do it because we want to (1 John 5:1-5). Because righteous living pleases God. We aren’t bound by a fear to obey, but a great freedom to run to God and call Him Father (Romans 8:15). To jump into His lap, curl up, and love on Him as He loves on us. Why would we want to disobey a perfect Father who loves us, is just, is fair, and goes out of His way to help us to live righteously? Why wouldn’t we do all we could to follow Him (2 Timothy 2:22-26)? Why wouldn’t we want to try and repay what cannot be repaid? He provided a way for us to avoid the sentence that was us in sin: a way to receive life in Jesus. What love! What Grace! What Mercy! It endures forever! All praise and glory to the Lord God Almighty!

But we are new spiritual creatures who inhabit old flesh. That flesh has habits. Appetites. It naturally leans toward sin because it was born from sin. We may grow up, get educated, and sometimes move far from home, but we always have a soft spot for those foods, habits, and pleasures of our youth don’t we? Flesh works the same way. We must train the flesh with the strength that we have in our spirit in Jesus — using His strength which is freely given to us by Grace. We must use our souls (the mental, emotional, US) to draw from our spirit into our flesh. To inform our flesh and our feelings instead of being informed by our feelings and our flesh.

We do it by getting into the Word. It is the only way to do it. Why? Because all our righteousness, strength, and authority are in Jesus, not ourselves. The Word has power, not us. Jesus IS the Word. When we get into the Word, we get into the Will and heart of the Father. When we get into the Word, we forge relationship with Jesus. By reading it, thinking about it, asking the Father about it, believing it — as written, verbatim, literally — and applying it in our lives as Holy Spirit leads — our world will change. It is health. It is rest. It is peace. It is joy. It is wisdom. It is guidance. It is correction. It is the future, the past, and the present. It is ever-new and ever-same. It is always up to date and applicable to what we go through.

We do this studying because God’s Word is Truth and He will sanctify us with it (John 17:17). We should know and believe that “every scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that each person who belongs to God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

We do not need to be spiritual or natural cowards. We can be equipped for everything the Lord wants from us and for us. When spiritual storms break, we can be strong and at peace in Jesus. When natural storms rise up we can counter flesh fear by turning to Jesus in whom we are strong and at peace. We can on every level reject fear and cast it away from us by embracing the Love that the Lord has and the victory that Love gives us. We can be strong and courageous by living right, believing right, doing right — in Jesus, through and according to the principles of the Word. Not basing things on what we see or feel, but in and on the Word of God which is the Truth. Full and complete. We can do that because the Lord gives us His Spirit (Romans 5:5). We can do that because the Word of God retrains our mind (Romans 12:2). It renews our spirit (Ephesians 4:23). It makes us over into the new creation in Jesus that He always saw us as (2 Corinthians 5:17-19). It gives us boldness (1 Corinthians 16:13). It gives us determination (Romans 12:10-13). Don’t sell yourself short. Don’t deny yourself access to the freedoms and Blessings of the Lord. He is merciful and His mercy endures forever. Claim it. Begin to renew yourself today. Seize boldness. And with His help, never let it go!

Daily Affirmation of God’s Love: 1 Timothy 6:11-19

We are in a fight and the Lord gives us the weapons to fight it. We are called to stand fast in Him. He would not command us to fight and stand if He didn’t have our best interests at heart. If He wasn’t able and willing to protect us. To follow through with what He said. Abraham believed God and it was counted as righteousness (Romans 4:3). What did Abraham believe? That God was able to do what God said He could. What loving God would lie? What loving God would tell you to count on something you couldn’t count on? Not ours. Not Yahweh. Not the One who Provides, Protects, and Loves us. Our God is Truth!

Your Daily Confession of God’s love to YOU:

Today God loves that I _______.