Wisdom For GradsSample

Faith Versus Fear

“He replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.” Matthew 8:26

Jesus responds to little faith or large faith. They are both important to Him. However, the larger your faith grows the smaller your fears shrink. And the opposite is true. The smaller your faith, the greater your fears. It may seem like Jesus is asleep as you are riding out this particular storm. He doesn’t seem to care or be in control. However, during hard days like these, we ask ourselves, “Is God big enough to handle my greatest fear?”

Some of your peers may not believe like you believe, but they certainly need to believe that you really do believe in what you believe. It is during these adversarial times they see your faith validated. Your faith during this storm may be what draws someone to Jesus. Your peace and comfort is appealing and appetizing. This is what the human soul hungers and longs for. Your trust in God is required to calmly endure this crisis of belief.

Furthermore, untested faith can be weak underneath. Weak faith is a little faith. A new Christian may be passionate and on fire. Gratitude floods their soul, but this enthusiasm will be short lived without shoring up a weaker faith. Emotional faith can be a bridge to a closer walk with Jesus. Your feelings can stir your heart to receive eternal truth. A life storm awakens you to a fresh need for Jesus, so use this awareness to grow your faith. 

Lastly, the stronger your faith grows, the weaker your fears become. It is imperative for you to feed your faith and to starve your fears. Feast on the Bible, for a promise a day keeps fear away. Truth fosters faith. If the cancer of fear has infected the bone marrow of your faith, let the Lord do a truth transfusion. Jesus is here for you. He will calm the storm, but in the meantime trust Him. Watch your faith grow and your fears melt away. 

The Bible says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear…” (Psalm 46:1-2a). 

What one fear do I need to replace with faith in Jesus?