Refuse Fear - 2

He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?".  Matthew 8:26

If we are honest, there are things that we all fear at times.  I don't like spiders and I am nervous at times when I am in a boat, especially if I think we will run aground, or if it's really rough.  Yet when I watch people handling spiders I know I am silly, because most spiders cannot hurt me.  When I look at a boat going through the water it looks so great and peaceful to me...... so long as I am on dry land.  I wish I didn't get 'nervous', which is a nice way of saying 'fearful'!  I can choose not to fear.

The storm that the disciples experienced while Jesus was quietly asleep in the boat must have been quite a severe one.  Why?  Because many of them were experienced fishermen and used to this unpredictable lake.  They cried out to him for help and he chided them.  Had they not seen enough of His power already that they could not believe they would be kept safe?  Perhaps they were not grounded in the scriptures, the ones that tell us that our times are in His hands (Job, 14:5, Ps 31:15). After all before they went he said, "Let us cross over to the other side."  That seems to assume that it was his intention that they would reach the other side!

Soon after (Matthew 8:28) there was to come another amazing miracle before their eyes when they landed on the shore.  Two men, (some passages say one), met him.  They came out of the tombs screaming, "Why have you come to torment us?"  Mark's account of this (Mark 5:1-7) says this tormented one could not be restrained, he was in the mountains and in the tombs crying out and cutting himself with stones.  Isn't it interesting that he, the already tormented one, accused Jesus of coming to torment him. That's what demons do. 

The other interesting thing is that Mark says the man ran to Jesus and worshipped him.  He was a conflicted soul.  He recognised Jesus as the mighty son of God and worshipped, yet the demons had such a grip upon him that they raged at Jesus because they knew He had the power to move them on, which he proceeded to do, sending the demons into a herd of pigs which then dived off a cliff into the ocean, leaving the man free, sane and rejoicing.

The neighbourhood was not happy though, at the good news of this man's freedom.  They were fearful.  So much so that they came and asked Jesus to leave their area.  How sad; the One who could bring freedom to tormented souls was asked to leave.  Why?  Because he was going to cause things to be different? I believe that was their fear.  They didn't even give Him a chance.

It is the same for many people today.  They will not give Jesus a chance because they fear that He will change their comfortable life.  And He may, but it will only ever be change that brings freedom, peace and joy.  My challenge for you if you have those kind of people around you is to pray for them. Pray believing that God will remove the scales that are blinding them to the truth, and wait and see what God will do. We need to fight for their freedom. Let's attack that spirit of fear that keeps people bound to their torment. The weapons of our warfare are mighty in God for pulling down strongholds. (2 Cor 10:4)

Prayer:  Lord and giver of life, help me to pray and break through the stronghold of fear in the  fearful ones I come in contact with, so that they may experience life and freedom, joy and peace.  Amen