The Amish Voice 4
And the sea arose by reason of a great
wind that blew. So when they had
rowed about five and twenty or thirty
furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the
sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship:
and they were afraid.
(
John 6:18-19)
The Life Application Study Bible Notes
offers the following comments,
The Sea of
Galilee is 650 feet below sea level, 150 feet
deep, and surrounded by hills. These physi-
cal features make it subject to sudden wind-
storms that would cause extremely high
waves. Such storms were expected on this
lake, but they were nevertheless frightening.
When Jesus came to the disciples during a
storm, walking on the water (three and a
half miles from shore), he told them not to
be afraid.
We often face spiritual and emotional
storms, feeling tossed about like small
boats on the ocean. Despite terrifying con-
ditions, when we trust Christ, he gives
peace in the storm. The terrified disciples
probably thought they saw a ghost. (Mark
6:49) Alarmed, they didn't expect Jesus to
come, and weren't prepared for his help.
But if they remembered all they’d seen
Jesus do, they might’ve accepted this mira-
cle.
Faith is an attitude of expectation for God
to act. When we rest in faith, crippling
fears are calmed.
What is fear?
The Encarta Dictionary
(North America) describes Fear in four
ways:
A feeling of anxiety
an unpleasant
feeling of anxiety or apprehension
caused by the presence or anticipation
of danger.
Frightening thought
an idea, thought,
or other entity that causes feelings of
fear
Reverence
respect or awe for some-
body or something
Worry
a concern about something that
threatens to bring bad news or results
These fears often present themselves in
mixed packages similar to the disciples in
our story. They expected danger, had terri-
fying thoughts, and worried.
When we’re absorbed by unhealthy
earthly emotions, fear takes over, crippling
our trust in God or his Spirit to lead us
through dreaded circumstances. In 2
Timothy 1:7 we read,
For God hath not
given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and
of love, and of a sound mind.
A fear-filled
heart disables us and blocks God from
working through us. His will for you and
me is to be filled with power, love, and a
sound mind.
Deuteronomy 1:22 says,
And ye
came near unto me every one of you,
and said, We will send men before us,
and they shall search us out the land,
and bring us word again by what way
we must go up, and into what cities
we shall come.
The spies were sent into the land to deter-
mine not
whether
they should enter, but
where
they enter. Upon returning, most of
the spies concluded that the land was not
worth the obstacles. God would give the
Israelites power to conquer the land but,
they were afraid of the risk and chose not
to enter. God gives us power to overcome
our obstacles but, like the fear-filled Israel-
ites, we often let difficulties overcome our
lives.
How does earthly fear show itself?
When faith departs, the mind sees the
worst in others, communication ruptures,
and the power of sin regains its grip; peo-
ple separate, gossip sets in, and lies, ma-
nipulation, and unhealthy control soon
shows its ugly face. I’ve witnessed entire
churches divide due to a fear-controlled
grip. At this point there’s little yearning for
Truth.
1 Cor 13:6 teaches,
Rejoiceth not in
iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth
.
A person who refuses to hear or seek
Truth is delighting in deceit - sin. A fearful
spirit drives away people from Truth and
prevents them from communicating in
love.
Many people dread dying, living, learning,
hurting, moving, starting, stopping, work-
ing, loosing finances, and weather. They
fear what could happen. Most of these
things are beyond our control. Earthly fear
is one of Satan's crippling and most used
weapons.
Romans 8:15 says,
For ye have not
received the spirit of bondage again
to fear
.
Walking in earthly fear, we live in bondage
but, Christ sets faith-filled believers free.
Why yield to captivity when you can enjoy
liberty?
Around 303 AD, the Roman actor Gene-
sius performed a farce before Emperor
Diocletian. Genesius learned about Chris-
tian baptism, not because he was a Chris-
tian but, to mock Christianity before the
emperor, whose persecution was the
most severe and claimed many Christian
lives.
Given the emperor’s hatred of Christians,
Genesius lay down on the stage as if sick
and confined to bed, crying out for bap-
tism. Genesius said he felt a great weight
he wanted removed. Two other actors,
dressed as a priest and exorcist, came in
to pour water over his head in fake bap-
tism. But Genesius saw angels and Holy
fear - reverence and awe - of the Lord
came upon him. He was obedient to real
baptism onstage and, with his newfound
faith, proclaimed to Diocletian, "There is
no other king than Jesus Christ, and even
if you could kill me a thousand times you
could not take Him from my lips nor tear
Him from my heart." Furious, Diocletian
ordered him tortured and beheaded on
the spot.
A godly fear is a proper fear. It is com-
plete submission to His rulership and
control; rejecting other gods, and serving
the only true God with all our heart and
soul. When we have a holy fear of the
Lord, we follow Him despite earthly fears.
Sir Henry Havelock, British soldier and
one of the heroes of the Indian Mutiny,
has this epitaph,
He feared man so little,
because he feared God so much
.
Do you have crippling earthly fear or faith
and holy fear that sets you free?
Andy Geesey
Fear Can Cripple Your Christian Walk—Part 1
—Written by Andy Geesey