FAITH CAPSULE: Standing in faith will require the grace of God and not just determination

Matthew 14:22-33

As you face a new day, lift up your eyes and pray the words of the Psalmist: “Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation; Preserve my life from fear of the enemy. Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the rebellion of the workers of iniquity,” (Psalm 64:1-2)In addition, memorize it and meditate on it as you navigate through the journey of life. If meditating is your routine, you will do well with the word of the Psalmist. The anchor in this prayer is, “preserve me from the fear of the enemy.” There is only one enemy for every creation of God and that enemy is the devil himself. Fear is the deadliest of the enemy’s weapon. When faith sinks, it is because fear was allowed to rise. Fear does not discriminate on who to invade. Job, a man of integrity, was described by God in response to the Satan asone“that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” (Job 1:8) Job had a high standard in the presence of God. After he had lost all that the Lord blessed him with, he confessed about fear, “For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me.” (Job 3:25)Fear did not announce himself to Job when it was gaining its ground inside of Job. In Job’s life, fear could not destroy him but did a great damage on him. Also, it was fear that caused Peter to sink in the storm. In the challenge of stormy water, Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.’ So He said, ’Come.’ And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ’Lord, save me!’ (Matthew 14:28-30) In this narration of Peter, it is clear that when faith was in place, he was able to walk on the storm and not sink. However, when faith was out of place, fear began to make him sink despite the fact that Jesus was there with him. Standing in faith will require the grace of God; not determination. Peter, the man with strong determination, almost got his termination when fear took the place of faith in his life. The Psalmist knew what it takes to hold on to faith. Pray the prayer of the Psalmist so that your faith will not fail.      

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace that upholds man in faith in face of the daily journey.