Question

HERE'S THAT WORD "FEAR" AGAIN! - Linda Willis

Thanks to Linda Willis for sharing this:

"Come," he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" – Matthew 14:29-30 NIV

I’ve been reading a book entitled “it” written by Pastor Craig Groeschel and in the book there is a question credited to Pastor Robert Schuller that has really grabbed hold of me over the past few days:

“What would you attempt if you knew it couldn’t fail?”

In other words, if God would bless anything that you do, and if money and a chance of failure were not issues, what would you attempt?

That question can be asked of us as individuals… asked of us as a church… asked of us as business and government leaders/workers/employees… and asked of us as Believers.

In Matthew 14, we see the story of Jesus, and ultimately Peter, walking on the water.

After hearing the voice of Jesus… and knowing it was Him… Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus… while the other 11 Disciples cowered together/remained in the boat…

Sure, Peter “failed”… and his faith faltered… But you know what, before He failed and faltered, Peter walked on the water.

He had enough faith to step out of the boat and to walk toward Jesus… and only after he started taking in his circumstances… only after he took his eyes off of Jesus and started seeing the crashing waves and feeling the wind in his face… did he start to sink and thrash around.

What if Peter never stepped out of the boat?

Then he never would have known what it was like to walk on water.

I can’t help but wonder… contemplate… if that experience helped him later in life as he led the “church”… I wonder if it came to mind when he spoke to the crowds and 3,000 people made Jesus their Savior?

Peter learned from his failure… Though he had many more learning moments, he took something from that moment with Jesus on the water… he learned about faith… about real faith… and keeping that faith in and through any circumstances that he may face… He remembered and learned and grew even after he denied, heard the rooster crow and ran away…

What will it take for us to step out of the boat… to attempt whatever it is that fear of failure or lack of resources (or both) keeps us from attempting?

When will we trust more than we fear?

Keep the Faith… Carpe Diem

“Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"” – Matthew 14:31 NIV

Visit Oldlazydog.com to register for the Great Day Addendum
© Great Day Addendum Copyright 2008

Acorns, pickups, and submarines

By Dr. James C. Denison
President, The Center for Informed Faith, Dallas, Texas

February 17, 2009

Topic: conquering fear

Chicken Little thought the sky was falling because an acorn fell on her head. Wonder what she would think of the fireball that streaked across the Texas sky last Sunday.

People in this part of the world are still debating the nature of the occurrence. A fallen airplane was the first fear, sending police in a helicopter to look for a crash sight. We were then told that it might be debris from the satellites that collided over Siberia last Tuesday. The FAA even warned pilots to watch out for more of the same over the weekend. But then we were told that the debris belt, 500 miles above the Earth, could not have fallen this soon.

This morning we're hearing that the fireball was most likely a natural occurrence. Today's Dallas Morning News quotes an observatory manager who thinks it was a meteor the size of a pickup truck with the consistency of a chunk of concrete. I knew pickups were everywhere in Texas, but I didn't expect to see one fall from the sky.

If she read today's news, Chicken Little would be as frightened of the seas as the skies. This morning's New York Times tells us that two nuclear submarines collided while submerged on operational patrols in the Atlantic early this month. British and French defense ministries made the disclosure yesterday. Both vessels were damaged but returned safely to their home ports with their 250 crew members uninjured. Since both subs carry nuclear reactors and 16 ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads, we're glad to hear that there was "no compromise to nuclear safety." Makes you wonder what else is swimming around out there.

Years ago, a friend assured me that "just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not after you." There's your devotional thought for the day. As I write this morning's essay, I'm worried about finishing on time and then getting my other work done for the day. I'm not thinking about truck-sized meteors falling on my head or nuclear subs colliding in the Gulf of Mexico. And that's for the best. We can spend our day worrying about the bad that might happen and miss all the good that does.

Scripture assures us that "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV). What is your greatest fear today? Name it and give it to your Father right now. Know that you are in his hand (John 10:28), and that nothing can come to you without coming first to him. "Fear knocked—faith answered, and there was no one there." What's knocking at your door this morning?

Copyright © 2009. GodIssues.org. All rights reserved.