LENT WEEK 4: DAY 25
Why have you brought us here in the desert to die (Exodus 14:11)? Such are the words arising from the disciples who trusted God and followed him into the desert but who got caught up in the fear of the enemy’s strike. Fear is one thing that can make you forget all that you know and ridicule you. These people had just witnessed the power of God yet fear made them forget so soon and wish they had not followed him. The desert can be scary, frightful, and tough and it can instill in our fear and doubts but the one assurance we have is that we are not alone (Matthew 28:20). Jesus noted the danger and the ill-treatment that awaits the disciples when he said, they will be hated because of him and because the servant is not greater than the master, they will do worst to them than they did to him but they should not be afraid (Matthew 10:22-25). It should sound strange that someone will tell you about all the bad things that will happen to you and yet tell you not to be afraid. The question is why? This is so because the Lord knows the kind of damage fear can do to every disciple and it is also because he knows the disciples are in his hand and no one can snatch them without his concern (John 10:27-29 and Matthew 10:29-31). It is also to prepare you ahead of time for what is to come. When fear takes over someone, he loses his abilities and capacities and at that moment, even the weakest enemy can put him to flight (Luke 22:55-60). The courageous Peter who had sworn to stand with Jesus and even cut someone’s ear was all of a sudden because of fear denying his master. Fear just turned a hero into a zero. Always remember, that rough and tough times will come and battles will come but those who resist till the end will be saved (Matthew 24:13). One of the greatest fears of the disciple is the fear of death and to them who fear death, Jesus says do not be afraid of those who kill the flesh and later can do nothing (Matthew 10:28). He also warns that everyone who wants to save his life will lose and everyone who loses it will save it for eternal life (Matthew 16:25). This is an invitation to challenge the fear in your life and facing it boldly, knowing that whatever advents will work for your good. There is something about winning battles in the blood of Jesus that you all must know. You cannot win a battle in the blood of Jesus if you are not ready to lay down your life. The blood you are calling is the blood of the Lord who laid down his life, and if you so love yours, the blood won’t be effective for you. You must give up that fear so that, like the angels who overcame by the blood of the lamb because they loved not their lives, you too might become victorious (Revelation 12:11). Do not be afraid to lay down your life for the master and he will save and keep it for you. All these would have been easy if in all these battles we had Jesus right there constantly and we could just turn to him for aid, but that’s not always the case. There are times when the Lord sends you ahead and stays behind and you have to fight the forces alone (Matthew 14:22-24) or even moments when he stays still while the evil powers hit hard on you (Matthew 8:23-25). Added to that, there are moments when the disciples will realize that, despite the power given them, some cases will still be more than them to handle, ridiculing them in the eyes of the people (Mark 9:18). It will become even more difficult when the challenges shall come from the master and he will instead of comforting you ask you whether you also wish to leave (John 6:66-67)? It will feel as though the master doesn’t care about you and it could be frustrating. This frustration can be seen in the question of the apostles “Master, don’t you care if we die? (Mark 4:38), but notice Jesus doesn’t pay attention to it but rather moves to solve the issue. It is a hard pill to swallow when the person you are trying so hard to follow and please seems not to care about you. Have you ever been in a situation and felt like Jesus doesn’t care about you or in a situation where you felt abandoned? At such moments, we feel like we should just drop everything and turn around. Well, that will be a wrong move because there is nowhere else to go (John 6:68). But I want you to know that there are two things you must delete from your life, fear and doubt. These two things will stop every disciple from advancing and even from recognizing the master when he comes. Because of fear, the disciples could not recognize Jesus when he was coming to join them in the boat even though he was a ghost (Matthew 14:25-26). Strange right? Fear will stop you from differentiating who is on your side from the one who is not. To those who live in constant fear, the Lord says “Courage, do not be afraid, it is me” (Matthew 14:27). To those who are afraid of the size and strength of the enemy, he says “Have no fear and stay where you are…God will fight for you and all you have to do is to keep still” (Exodus 14:13-14). The reasons why the Lord insists on the “have no fear” is because your enemy will always take advantage of your fear and use it against you and also because the devil feeds on your fears. Once you are afraid, you are bound to make mistakes, and those mistakes will be used against you. It may seem tough, but you must learn how to be still when problems and dangers come, and when you do it, you are telling the devil, that he has no power or control over you. Your calmness will simply mean that what he has provoked has not affected you, showing him that his power does not influence you. In whatever you do as a disciple, I want you to constantly remember this word of God to his disciples “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will give you strength, I will bring you help, I will uphold you with the right hand of my justice. All who rage against you will be put to shame and disgraced; all who fight against you will perish and come to nothing”. These words are the life jacket of every disciple and trusting in them is the only means of survival. Although these words are powerful, many disciples because of fear get caught in the spiral of doubts and lose the assurance of these words. When such happens, their prayers become empty and nothing goes well anymore. Be rest assured that doubtful prayers are not allowed into God’s presence (James 1:6-7) and you must do your best to focus on the assurance of God and clear every doubt so that your faith in God may repulse the power of the evil one and give you victory. Being courageous is not a choice, it is a divine command (Joshua 1:9), and every disciple must heed it and stand his ground. It is only at this price that he will overcome and save his soul. Do not be afraid, the Lord is with you to save you.

In Corda Matris.

Resolutions

I resolve to banish fear from my life.
I resolve to trust the lord without a doubt.
I resolve to stand firm in times of battle and danger.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for your words of comfort and assurance and thank you for standing by me all through my earthly journey, teach me to be strong and stand firm and to defeat with your power all the powers of darkness that through fear oppress your people and keep them in bondage. Make me a better disciple and help me love you more and more.

Amen.