'Then the devil...set Him on the pinnacle...' Matthew 4:5 nkjv
The attack on the pinnacle.
Let's look at the second temptation Jesus faced:
'Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, [and] set Him on the pinnacle of the temple.'
Here you deal with the fear of failure. Satan will whisper, 'You're on the pinnacle of success now, but you could easily fall off.' He will bring up your past failures. He will remind you of leaders who crashed and burned. He will say, 'If people realised how little you really know, or the issues you're struggling with, they wouldn't respect you.'
There are two kinds of fear:
Healthy fear and unhealthy fear.
Healthy fear will keep you dependent on God; it will protect you from pride and self-sufficiency. 'Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.' (1 Corinthians 10:12 NKJV) But there's an unhealthy fear that will keep you in the boat when Jesus is calling to you to step out and walk with Him on the water.
You say, 'But Peter almost drowned.' Yes, but he was the only one of the disciples who experienced the joy of walking on the water!
Having faith doesn't mean you won't experience a sinking feeling at times.
You can give in to fear, or trust the God who has called you, sustained you, and never failed to give you the strength needed to cope with whatever you face.
If your own intellect or talents are the basis of your confidence, you have good reason to fear.
But if God is the basis of your confidence, you have nothing to fear.
SoulFood: 2 Chr 16-18, Luke 16:1-18, Ps 119:105-112, Pr 21:28-31
Written by Bob & Debby Gass
Thursday, 22 August 2013
APPS available here
