How do we eliminate fear? By taking charge of our situation. By doing something instead of nothing. The two servants who invested the money the Master entrusted to them were not afraid. (See yesterday’s Catch.) If they had any fear at all, it was covered up by their activity. The third servant, however, was overcome with fear and did nothing. He sat on it, and God could do nothing with him because of his inactivity.
Fear rules where inactivity festers. Fear dissipates where activity flourishes.
Remember when the disciples were fearing for their lives on a stormy Sea of Galilee, and Jesus came to them walking on the water? Now they were even more afraid thinking they were seeing a ghost. But as soon as Peter saw that it was Jesus he asked if he could walk out to meet him. Jesus bade him come and for a while Peter too walked on water until he took his focus off of Christ and onto the storm and started sinking, requiring Jesus to reach out and rescue him.
Now compare Peter’s experience with that of the other eleven disciples on the boat. They are sitting there with nothing to do but worry. Peter didn’t have time to worry; he was too busy acting on his faith. He was having an adventure because he chose to get out of the boat and do something. He took charge of the situation and turned it into a story we’re still talking about and learning from today. And even when he did get afraid out there on the water, when he took his eyes off of Jesus and started noticing the waves and the storm, Jesus was right there to rescue him.
Initiation dissipates fear. The “doing” is the best weapon against being afraid, because once we step out of the boat, the adventure begins. The choice is always ours – do nothing and be afraid, or do something and believe.
John Fischer The Catch 
I agree we should step out and do something but that doesn’t mean everything will be alright. We may find ourselves hanging upside down on a cross like Peter. We have martyrs of the faith because of people stepping out of the boat.
There are times when our fear is unjustified and as we step out we find everything will be alright, and in the end I guess that it true regardless. But I”m sure Stephen wondered when that first rock hit him in the face if he should have gotten out of the boat.
Then you add to the mix the fellow Christians that want to see you drown when you step out so they can say, “I told him to stay in the boat”. Makes doing the right thing more complicated than what we first bargained for.
But usually there is nothing to worry about.
Dear Tim:
I appreciated your comment & I agree that our “stepping out in faith” can be complicated. One question. Why do yo think that some Christians can’t wait to say “I told him to stay in the boat”?
Mark,
I just saw your question.
I remember comments about enthusiastic Christians like, he’ll calm down, Who does he/she think they are?.
At 52 I have to say I’ve been to the mountain top of enthusiasm and energy for Christ. As a young man at almost every turn there was opposition. At 20 I was begging for acceptance of others in a fundamentalist setting that couldn’t accept Lutherans or Catholics. I was naive to think the church would accept long haired Jesus people let alone their lost disenfranchised friends.
At 50 I was removed from our church leadership for starting a Bible study that openly accepted others regardless of sexual orientation or where someone was on their faith journey. Our family has become outcast from the traditional church, been picketed against, written about by pastors and church people in our community.
Tonight we have our bible study group filled with social and certainly evangelical misfits. Our daughter is in her second year of leading a gay straight alliance in our high school.
If John and Marti attended a church that refereed to homeless women as reprobates, sinners and whores I doubt they would stay long.
That would be close to what it is like to attend church and hear how our friends were referred to. Standing up for others can cost you everything, but loving others can gain you everything.
My friends ain’t the way I wish they were – they are just the way they are
And I will be my brother’s keeper – not the one who judges him
I won’t despise him for his weakness. I won’t regard him for his strength.
I won’t take away his freedom. I will help him learn to stand.
And I will – I will be my brother’s keeper
– from “Brother’s Keeper” by Rich Mullins
Hi John-
Thank you for all the messages you are sending us.
Great series on fear – just down my alley – I used to be afraid of practically everything.
But I was lucky (or predestined, of course) enough that, after my salvation, God gave me a lot of scary things to do, so that I could “work out my salvation in fear and trembling” and overcome my fears by going through them – always led by His Spirit.
The secret is not just ‘doing’ something, of course – it is ‘doing’ what God wants us to do at a given time. So it is important to ‘wait on the Lord’ and try and discern His will for us.
Then we grow in His Spirit, grow in His love – and, as we know, “perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18).
Talk about ‘activity’ (just happen to have researched that a little bit recently), as you know, Jesus was always ‘on the move’:
“Jesus of Nazareth (…) went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:38)
saying things like:
“I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.” (Luke 4:43)
And telling people:
“Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” (John 5:8)
There was always, what we call nowadays, a ‘sense of urgency’ about Him.
Speak about ‘walking’ – I really love that the word ‘walk’ is used so many times in the NT, in phrases such as:
“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25)
or simply:
“walk in Him,” (Colossians 2:6)
I have to stop (this comment is getting way too long, sorry!)
One more thing though – about walking away from fear – I think that’s also known – in the world AND in the Kingdom – as cowardice, which is not good and, in fact, is like ‘denying Christ’.
That’s why “it is written”:
“But the cowardly (…) shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)
And that’s why Paul says:
“I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” (Philippians 1:20)
Blessings,
Hans
Its one thing to initiate activity, and quite another to “take charge of our situation”… and I wish I had more insight in how to do the former, and yet avoid the pitfalls of the latter. I just about wrecked my Christian faith over a 10 year period after a deliberate conscious decision to take charge of my situation. This attitude left me acting as is the outcome of my life was all up to me, and that I was wise enough to handle it – both llusions. So how do you “act” without taking charge?
I think we do take charge. We aren’t in charge of the outcome, but we are in charge of our reactions and our decisions. It’s a statement of personal responsibility.
Last time I checked, when you’re in a storm in a boat, you don’t have time to “sit there with nothing to do but worry”. More likely, you’re so busy you don’t have time to sit down & consider other options. And getting out of the boat is the last thing you want to do when waves are raging around you. Odds are always better staying with the boat (even the pieces will float!). You’d do anything possible to stay on the boat & keep the boat together, preferably upright. Fear can rule when you’re extremely busy; in fact, so busy you come to the realization that you’re going to sink in spite of your efforts, as right & needful as they are (saving the boat). We all know that pit in our stomaches. That’s the coming to the total end of ourselves, when we know only a miracle (Jesus) can save us. The disciples may well have been in that kind of storm, fighting for their lives. Then to see a ghost walking toward them, would have sealed the deal…they were gonna die on the sea that night. With nothing to lose, Peter hops out of the boat. I have to wonder how much faith was involved initially. It could have easily been, “What the hell! Might as well! We going down anyway.” Anyway, I’m not sure I agree that activity is the cure for fear. One can be 100% engaged & fear for your life. But you are spot on that the focus on Jesus IS the cure. If your trust lies totally in Him in this life & the next, you may be scared, but you will not fear anything or anybody.
Sometimes I feel very overwhelmed by the amount of things that I have to do, that have accumulated over the years .. cleaning, sorting stuff, taxes, writing letters, books to read, getting a new furnace etc. So I tend to ignore it all. Its easier not to give myself permission to do any of it and hang out on FB or otherwise waste my time. Reading your pieces on fear yesterday and today helped me realize that feeling overwhelmed (and stuck) has a component of fear of having to be responsible with my time once all the things to do are done, if ever that happens. Its a two sided coin: fear of being caught up and the adventures then available on one side, and fear of never getting it all done and the implications to self, family and friends on the other side. I don’t know if that’s clear to you, but it helps me move ahead. Thank you for your daily meditations. I look forward to them always.
Hi John,
Today’s post articulated a thought that crystallized my thoughts about a personal experience. For about 25 years I was a procrastinator, better said but harder to face, I was lazy. It was driven by fear of failure. When it reached its peak, I was depressed, paralyzed by fear when faced with anything that needed to be done, and lost my career as a schoolteacher, almost lost my house and my marriage. Alcoholism and drug addiction are not the only problems that can make one homeless.
While this addiction raged in me, I neither took illicit drugs nor consumed any alcohol. Yes, I was addicted to fear of failure. When I lost my job as schoolteacher, God put me in charge of my own business. This thought He provided,”Peter if you don’t work, you don’t eat”. I worked. My fear was overcome. I felt no fear to take risks. In fact I became a workaholic. All that has now changed and put in balance, Praise God.
John you are absolutely right the key was to overcome the fear by doing something. Today when I notice that procrastination/laziness is tempting me, I get busy with my responsibilities. Yes once a procrastinator always a procrastinator, albeit a cured one.
Thank you for your thoughts, your insights have often given me much clarity into what has gone on in my life. God’s continued blessing on your fischtank efforts.
Great thoughts on moving forward in the face of fear… as a means of conquering the fear itself. And also on the danger of inactivity. Hits me where I’m at right now, and reminds me of a cliche widely used in A.A. (my paraphrase):
“You don’t think your way to new actions; you act your way to new thinking.”
While the 11 in the boat were left to interpret what they think they saw, Peter enjoyed an entirely new outlook on the storms we encounter, and a new relationship with this guy he had been following around.
An interesting aspect of Peter’s journey out of the boat, was that he was heading towards Jesus. Even when he started to sink – he was still heading towards Jesus. Most times when we get out of the boat, we tend to head in the opposite direction!
This series really hits between the eyes. I recently had to make business and legal decision that was going to affect over 100 people. After much anxiety and prayer I made the decision that I believed was right, and have no regrets looking back. The people in question will positively benefit from the decision, however, quite a number do not believe this to be true, no matter how it is explained to them. Am I fearful now? Yes. The anxiety has not subsided yet. For every action there is a reaction – the reaction can be either positive or negative. I can live with a clear conscience, but we can’t always predict how others will react. I can definitely relate to those who would say I should have stayed in the boat. For now I just keep praying.
If you got out of the boat you are walking toward Jesus.
I used to think that I knew all of this stuff; I used to have all of this down — cold.
What I found out is that I didn’t actually know any of it at all.
Back in January 2011, I faced a work-related situation which almost paralyzed me with inaction, due to perceived lack of preparation. Somehow, I summoned enough courage, said a quick prayer, and tackled it head-on, with some success. The day after, I received this article about fear in my mailbox, and thought perhaps it was providence.
Fast-forward to July 2011, I am yet in another work-related quandary. As I find myself hesitating again at the possible failure, I am reminded of the article and am encouraged once again by the pragmatic yet spiritual approach toward life, as expounded from the bible.
To the author, I’m a Chinese residing in one of the South East Asian countries, and it’s remarkable how His works transcend time, borders and culture.
Thank you for your consistent effort in spreading the message and goodwill. I truly value your balanced view on Christianity, and pray that you will continue to be blessed abundantly by His grace.
With sincere appreciation,
Thank you. This is very sincere and beautifully captured. Thank you.
Hi John,
This is a somewhat belated follow up to the comment I left in 2011.
I was looking through my inbox today. Lo and behold stumbled upon an email I sent to a friend back in 2011, containing a link to this article you wrote on fear. As I re-read the article in this present day of 2017, I’m blown away by the fact that I find myself in a similar “quandary” and this parable once again is a reminder of how important it is to keep my eyes on the Lord especially in trying times.
I also find it remarkable that I was just reading the same parable a few days ago on the 8th of December and now this article has reminded me again on the lesson about conquering fear.
I’m now living in a different country, and it’s nearly 7 years since I last read this article. Yet undeniably, (at the risk of sounding like a broken record) I find that His word has once again transcended time, borders and culture.
I was listening to a podcast of Bethel Church (Redding, California) last night and the pastor described how we are able to feed on what are often difficult decisions and actions which others have sown. What I’m trying to say is, thank you for having the courage to start the blog and I hope that the Lord will bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and every deed prompted by faith.
May God shower you and your family with many blessings, and have a very merry Christmas in 2017.