Immune to Fear Week 2Sample

 The Safest Place on Earth – “In Christ” 

The opposite of fear is faith. But what is true faith? Wholeheartedly trusting Christ Jesus is real faith. We trust Christ in a way that is deeper than our trust in anything or anyone else. It means surrender, letting Him take over; not just in one area of our lives, but over our entire lives. 

Peter showed this kind of faith when he stepped out of the boat to walk on water to the Lord (Matthew 14:22-33). Sometimes Peter gets a bad rap for allowing the fear of the waves to shake his resolve, but the rest of the disciples didn’t even attempt to step out of the boat! Peter had faith in who Jesus was and because of that relationship, he dared to leap. But when he took his eyes off of the Lord, and saw the wind and the waves coming towards him, he became afraid and cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately, Jesus reached out His hand to Peter and caught him. 

If the Lord is going to keep your head above water, He has to get a grip on you completely. That’s what Paul desired for his new converts to Christ. “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). 

Jesus can only save what we give to Him. We must hand everything over to Him—lock, stock, and barrel; body, soul, and spirit—giving ourselves into His total care for all time. It’s total trust in Who He is. You see, believing is a relationship. I do not mean like being related to your great-aunt Betsy, whom you’ve never met. Our relationship with Jesus is both alive and thriving! We give ourselves to Him, and He gives Himself to us. We become “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). 

The apostle Paul uses a marvelous expression to describe this relationship; “in Christ.” For example, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17), and “there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). The simplest faith in Christ has this amazing effect. All true faith is simple anyway. Even a child can grasp it! It is not some kind of algebra to find the value of X. The simplest person can believe and enjoy the same effect as the wisest. Jesus heard all the religious jargon of the scribes, which ordinary people did not appreciate. But the common people heard Jesus gladly. He talked about faith, and put it in other ways. “Come to Me.” “Love Me.” “Abide in Me.” “Follow Me.” Faith is not one particular religious act. It is the transfer of responsibility for our lives to God in total when our own resources are inadequate. Faith is spiritual fusion, making us one in Christ!

Source: (adapted from Faith: The Link with God's Power. Part 3, Faith, Old and New.)