“What are your greatest fears?”
Whether asked on a survey or by a friend, my easy answer is fear of failure. Even from my earliest memories the inner ache to achieve and be applauded wells up strong. It’s an everyday struggle that the Holy Spirit is at work in.
Yet there are always the deeper, more sinister fears – the ones that pop up when I allow them.
Tsunamis. Earthquakes. Shootings. Halloween, and all things demonic. All tied to death.
In thinking about what’s been happening in the world recently, my mind goes to the thought of my final moments on earth. Of the lives of my family. Of what comes in eternity.
For a second there is a moment of mystery and doubt, of dread and despair.
Then there’s Jesus. And I remember, perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).
The Love that Frees
Every single one of my sins, every failure, every evil, was placed upon Him at the cross. My burdens—so heavy, so determined to bring doom at death when I faced God—were lifted off, washed away, made void because of Christ’s grace.
Death is no longer my greatest fear, because Christ conquered it and turned it into the gateway to blessed, everlasting life.
Now, fear only visits when I forget about Jesus’ all-encompassing, protective love.
For the Christian, fear isn’t the absence of faith, but a lapse in exercising it. Share on XIn knowing Christ’s power at the empty tomb, fear no longer has a grip on us, and that’s why we can impart hope into the desperate culture around us.
To realize this point further, come visit the passage of Jesus walking on water in Matthew 14:22-33.

A Stormy Night
Imagine yourself in a small rowboat with the disciples, during a pitch-black morning on the sea of Galilee. The wind is howling, the waters roaring back and forth, leaving the vessel stranded in white-caps.
Every person is fighting to keep the boat afloat to reach shore, when a mysterious form appears on the horizon. In an already tumultuous evening, greater fear than you thought possible strikes your chest.
Who could this be? Is this a ghost? And without Jesus with us?
But it was Jesus.
“But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.'” Matthew 14:27
In the midst of the darkness, in the midst of total panic and disarray, the disciples see their Savior do the impossible – walk on water, unperturbed by the chaos around Him.
Jesus goes on to welcome Peter out onto the water, and to catch him when he falters in faith.
He calms the waters.
And after have witnessing hundreds of miracles by His hands, even seeing Him feed 5 thousand just hours earlier, it is at this point that the disciples worship Him as the Son of God.
Fear turned into faith.
An Ever-Present Refuge
Is your life being beaten by the wind? Are you caught in a place of fear – whether it be of people, evil, or death itself?
There is a Savior who can reach you in the greatest tempest and calm your heart.
He knows exactly where you are, and nothing can block His way. His grace is sufficient to pull you out of the turbulent waters – keeping your soul safe through His eternal forgiveness at the cross.
The beauty of this story lies in the disciples’ response – seeing Jesus for who He is and worshiping.
God knows you will fail.
He knows every earthquake and calamity.
He knows the depth of wickedness in this depraved world.
But He can overcome them all.
So when fear grips your heart, we must say “Lord, save me!” like Peter.
Jesus reaches out His hand, and by the power of His Scriptures, the love of His church, the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and the eternity security of heaven. . .our feet will be on firm ground.
In kind rebuke, His grace helps us move past the little doubt. His invincible love casts the fear out. Go to Him, my friend!
–
Want to do this very thing – dismiss fear with worship? Take this Bible journaling challenge. You can also grab a printable copy in the FREEBIE library by signing up for our newsletter below.

For more on that amazing passage in Matthew 14, see this sermon by the solid Christian pastor John MacArthur.
Powerful Dani! Thank you for sharing your heart as well. We can all relate my friend. Especially moved by your statement “For the Christian, fear isn’t the absence of faith, but a lapse in exercising it. In knowing Christ’s power at the empty tomb, fear no longer has a grip on us, and that’s why we can impart hope into the desperate culture around us.” Will be sharing on Facebook.
Amen – we all have fears to hand over to the Lord! Thank you for your sweet words, friend!
Fear can put a permanent tent in our mind and heart if we don’t replace it with faith. I am blessed by this post today. Thinking about this line over and over again, “In kind rebuke, His grace helps us move past the little doubt. His invincible love casts the fear out.”
Yes, fear can be so debilitating if we don’t take it to Jesus. Praise the Lord this encouraged you Diana!
Great post! It beautifully reminds me of the safety we find in God’s hands and how he ALWAYS knows what we are dealing with. Thank you for sharing with us 🙂
Thanks Justine! It is so wonderful to know He knows where we are ALL the time, and is our ever-present help.
Your blog is beautiful and this is a great reminder! Thank you for sharing!
Appreciate your sweet words, Vanessa! Thank you for visiting!
This is such a powerful reminder to turn our fears over to God! Thank you for such a great post!
Awesome, Amber – glad you were encouraged by God’s Word. Thank you for stopping by! 🙂
I love this line – “For the Christian, fear isn’t the absence of faith, but a lapse in exercising it.” There are many times that I get in my own way and stumble over the chaos and worry of the day but then something clicks and I am reminded to focus on God and give everything to Him! This was a beautiful post! God bless!
I experience the same! We always have to focus on Him to stay sure-footed. 🙂 Thanks for visiting Melissa!
Great post, Dani! This line is comforting to me, “He knows where you are, and nothing can block His way. His grace is sufficient to pull you out of the turbulent waters – keeping your soul safe through His eternal forgiveness at the cross.”
Thank you!
You’re welcome, Julie! It is such a comforting truth to meditate on.
Nice.
Lovely and needed in the state of the world right now. FYI: I fear Demons too, till one day my pastors wife told me that Martin Luther King Jr use to have the discernment of feeling spirits. He said to them I don’t feel you because My God is the only one that can take my life! Since then I just feel like they are completely powerless.
Thank you! And wow, that is a powerful statement!
And I really like that when we simply don’t have the faith to overcome fear… when we know we shouldn’t be afraid, but are – we can cling to the reality that faith comes from God before it comes from us, and He is in control 🙂
Yes – so true! We are weak and subject to fear but the Holy Spirit can supply the faith in our time of need!
Fear can overtake our every day life and make us feel like our heart and mind is in a prison. I like it when you stated “There is a Savior who can reach you in the greatest tempest and calm your heart. He knows exactly where you are, and nothing can block His way. His grace is sufficient to pull you out of the turbulent waters.” Thank you for sharing this !
When I finally realized that Peter was able to walk the waves (just as Jesus did) as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, my life changed during those troubled times. Thank you for sharing this! Wonderful (as usual).
It’s God’s guidance that I came across this posts.. I’m dealing with some fear issues right now BUT God’s voice won’t allow the voice of the enemy to steal my focus. I know HE cares for everything we care about. And I’m certain that HIS plan will succeed.. thank you for writing to encourage your readers..
Thank you for taking the time to post this. I’m sending it to my niece in hops she’ll read it through. She so needs the Father’s guiding hand in her life. God bless you
Thanks for such a beautiful and comforting article. Holy spirit is our Helper to provide faith so we always grab the hand of Jesus to come out of the deep waters.