Ralph Waldo Emerson, a renowned American literary figure, once stated, “Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world.” In our nation, we experience fear for numerous reasons. Fear grips us as we consider such things as the well-being of our children in a time of senseless violence, the choices of food that may cause diseases, the side effects of medicine, possible random acts of terrorism, a fallen economy, and our personal safety. To make matters worse, Satan uses fear to enslave us. Satan is the ultimate enslaver who wants to hold us hostage in spite of the freedom Christ offers. Freedom is the release from illegitimate bondage that allows us to experience what we were created and redeemed to experience. Today, Dr. Evans explains the way to freedom from fear; not the fear that we all experience at various moments in life, but rather the fear that shackles and controls our lives. Following are four principles that we, as Christians, need to claim when dealing with dominating fear.

Principle 1 – Jesus has placed us in this position. In Matthew 14 (see also Mark 6 and John 6), Jesus had just finished feeding five thousand men, not counting the women and children also present, by a great miracle of food multiplication. Verse 22 reveals that it was immediately after this event that He sent His disciples in a boat with instructions to cross over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. As they were voyaging to the other side, about three or four miles out the disciples encountered a sudden darkness and a storm on the sea. Amazingly, this storm appeared while they were obeying Jesus’ instructions. As Christians, we can learn from this passage; following Jesus can sometimes lead to rough sailing. During the storms that we are facing, we must ask ourselves, “Does Jesus have me in this position? Am I in the place He wants me to be?” We must realize that we can be in the will of God and in a storm simultaneously. It is important to understand that if Jesus has not guided us, we are in a self-imposed storm. Conversely, if we encounter a storm while we are obeying Jesus, we can rest assured that He will grant us His divine aid. Remember, God’s plan for our lives at times will include storms.

Principle 2 – Jesus intercedes for us. While the disciples were struggling at the oars, Jesus was praying. He was not in the boat with them. His physical reality was not visible to the disciples. The disciples were alone in the darkness on a raging sea between three and six in the morning. They were in the middle in the lake about four miles from the shore, stuck in a dreadful situation. At that point, they were probably wondering, “Do we proceed or try to return?” They were afraid. Similarly, when we face fearful situations, we may feel that Jesus has abandoned us. Although we may not feel Him by a physical presence, Jesus is praying for us in the same way He prayed for them. Romans 8:23 tells us that He is praying for us right now. What was His prayer for them and for us now? We find the answer in Luke chapter 22; Jesus told Peter that He was praying that his faith--like our faith--would not fail. When in a frightening situation, it is easy for our faith to fail. The temptation in a terrible situation is for us to stop trusting Jesus. The good news is that Jesus is a sympathetic high priest. He understands how we feel. Mark 6:48 tells us that Jesus saw the disciples straining at the oars. How did Jesus see them in the darkness? He saw them because He knows all. Just as Jesus knew the location of the disciples, He knows our exact location. Jesus can see through the darkness and pain. We need to know that Jesus is praying. In John 11, we find that Mary understood that the Father never rejected the requests of the Son. Like Mary, we must claim the promise of intercessory prayer. When Jesus prays, God the Father answers. His intercession controls the degree of intensity of the situation.

Principle 3 – Jesus will come to us. In verse 26, the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water. They were terrified because they believed him to be a ghost. Already fearful of the storm, their fear drastically increased because they saw something abnormal, someone walking on the tumultuous waves. Jesus approached them, utilizing the storm that frightened them as a staircase for his presence. Because of this situation, they saw Jesus in a new way. Similarly, Stephen saw Jesus in a new way when he was being stoned to death. He will do the same for us. He will utilize the fearful situation to bring His glory to light in a new way in our lives. Our task is to ask God to help us see Him transformed before He changes the circumstances. We must avoid trying to restrict God’s operation to our own process of understanding.

Principle 4 – Jesus will help us grow. Jesus will use fearful situations to help us reach the next spiritual level. The first thing Jesus did when approaching the disciples was to speak to them. He calmed their fears with His words, even though the storm persisted. Peter then requested of Jesus, “If it is you Lord, command me to come to you.” Peter stepped out of the boat by faith. Why did he make such a request of Jesus? Peter wanted more. He wanted not only to see Jesus but also to share in what Jesus was doing. He was willing to take the risk by faith. Peter received a privilege not experienced by the others because he asked by faith. Jesus allowed Peter to come to Him. When Peter saw the wind and shifted his focus from Jesus, he sank. Jesus then referred to Peter as having little faith because he began to doubt due to his changing focus. Peter cried out and Jesus saved him. When Jesus arrived in the boat, the wind stopped because it was His wind and storm Because of the experience of the disciples on the stormy sea, they worshipped Him as the Son of God. Their fears drove them to a deeper experience with God (Psalm 34). We learn from this passage that once Jesus speaks and we respond in faith, the circumstances must become secondary to Jesus Christ. We must fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12). We must not be satisfied with our current spiritual progress when Jesus is moving. We must seize the opportunity for growth. If you are terrified by something, turn your eyes toward Jesus. Just as John 6:21 revealed that when the disciples received Jesus, they arrived at their destination, we must realized that when we act in faith, Jesus has the power and authority to reduce the length of our storm.

God encourages us not to fear just as He encouraged Joshua (chapter 1). We must not allow fear to control us because fear produces slavery. We have freedom through Christ who has power over every frightening situation we may encounter in life or even in death. As we face fearful circumstances, we need to remember four things. First, we need to evaluate whether or not we are following the guidance of Christ. Second, we must understand that Christ is petitioning God the Father on our behalf. Third, we must realize that Jesus will use the frightening situation to reveal Himself in a new way. Fourth, we must rest assured that the fearful circumstance is an opportunity for Christ to grow us spiritually. Our freedom from fear comes as we fix our eyes and hope on Jesus, our matchless Savior.