Part Two
The Box of Fearful Things -Matthew 14:25-26
The disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, and they cried out for fear. The unknown or better yet, the unexplained can bring about feelings of fear. Fear is very controlling. It keeps you from enjoying life. In Matthew 14:27, Jesus saw that the disciples were afraid and he told them to be of good cheer.
The scripture tells us that fear has torment, 1 John 4:18. Torment is agony, distress, and harassment. Fear distorts your view. The disciples saw Jesus walking on the water but fear distorted their view and they did not know who he was. After Jesus calmed them down, Peter was then able to ask Jesus for something impossible. Fear keeps us from seeking the unknown or the impossible. Peter was able to walk on the water with Jesus as a result of overcoming his initial fear.
Sometimes when we get out of the box of fearful things we put ourselves right back in it. Peter began to look at his surroundings, the raging storm, and he was, again, afraid. Step out in faith, do what God is calling you to, and experience the freedom that is outside of the box of fearful things.
LIVING OUTSIDE THE BOX
If you are living in fear, you are not living by faith. Faith is trust and believing, while fear is a lack of trust. Learn how to live outside of the box. Learn how to walk in faith.
Remember the Centurion in Matthew 8:5-9? He went to Jesus for help. The centurion, thinking outside of the box, told Jesus to just speak the word and his servant would be healed. Jesus marveled at the centurion’s demonstration of faith, and healed the servant.
In Matthew 9:18-19, a ruler came to Jesus asking him to lay hands on his daughter and raise her from the dead. Now if that’s not “out of the box”, I don’t know what is. The ruler figured his daughter had died while he was on his journey, so instead of asking for healing he asked for resurrection. That is powerful.
In the same chapter of Matthew, verses 20-22, is another example of “out of the box” thinking. The woman with an issue of blood “said within herself, if I may but touch his garment I shall be whole”. When she touched the hem of his garment, Jesus took note and told the woman that her faith had made her whole. Again, out of the box thinking took her beyond just asking Jesus to heal her but to a place where her faith was released.
One more example of living outside of the box can be found in Mark 2:1-2. Friends of a paralyzed man wanted Jesus to heal their friend. They went to the place where Jesus was and tried to enter through the door, but there was not enough room for them to enter. How many of us would have given up, staying inside the box? The men took their friend to the roof top and lowered him down. “Out of the box thinking”! Jesus was amazed at the faith of the friends, and he delivered the man sick of the palsy.
Check yourself. What box are you continuing to live in? The time is now for a prison break. Get out of that box, and start living outside of the norm. Overcome the fear of change, the fear of the unknown, and the fear of the impossible. Start living, outside of the box today.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Rosita
