Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.
—Matthew 8:26 (NLT)
I'm sure you've noticed how fearful so many people are. If the news just broadcasted the news—what has happened, statistics, and practical advice instead of speculating the unknown of the future, not so many people would experience panic. We can't change the perspective of the news. However, we can change our attitude to that of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus gives His answer to any storm or circumstance that attempts to destroy you. He asks you why you have fear, and then gives you the reason you are afraid. "You have so little faith," He told the disciples in the boat tossed by the storm. Their perspective said to them that they were doomed. But Jesus showed them the difference between their understanding and His. He stood up in the boat and rebuked the wind and the waves. Suddenly there was calm.
His calm is peace. That is your promise—to know His peace above any fear. When you choose to believe by faith that what Jesus says is true, then what He says is real in your life. You can know above all else that God hasn’t given you a spirit of fear but of His power, His love, and a sound mind. What you see in the physical world is not what is real in the spiritual. The storm was real to those disciples in that boat, but Jesus brought mental calm to them. For the spiritual to be real, you have to exercise faith in what you can't see.
The boat exists. There is no denying that we are in it. But the storm—the speculation of our mind—is calmed by Jesus. He is our peace. We are safe in Christ. We choose to live by faith and not by sight. His perspective is real. To grasp it, you choose to believe it. Don’t be one of “little faith.” Exercise your faith beyond what you see and hear around you. Don’t be held captive by fear. The storm might seem to rock your boat, but the Lord continually speaks peace to your mind and heart.
© 2020 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2020/03/why-are-you-afraid.html
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