Know How to Forsake Fear & Follow Jesus in Faith
You’ve heard the phrase, “Fear is a liar.”
The only way we can experience peace is to forsake fear and follow Jesus, giving Him the burden of our fear and trusting Him to give us what we need.
A common challenge for people who enjoy positions of power, unlimited popularity, and luxurious prosperity is the fear of losing what they have. Sadly, that fear makes them easier to manage and manipulate.
That was Pontius Pilate’s world.
Following his first conversation with Jesus, Pilate went to the crowd and said…
“He is not guilty of any crime.”
John 18:38
But the Jewish leaders who wanted Jesus dead would not back down; so, Pilate tried to arouse sympathy for Him…
Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on Him. “Hail! King of the Jews!” they mocked, as they slapped Him across the face.
John 19:1–5
Pilate went outside again and said to the people, “I am going to bring him out to you now, but understand clearly that I find Him not guilty.” Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said, “Look, here is the man!”
- Flogging included baring the upper half of the body, tying the hands to a post, and whipping the individual with a three-pronged whip that held pieces of lead in the prongs. The 39 lashes Jesus received would have shredded the tissue of His back down to the bone.
- Crown of Thorns – was woven of branches with long thorns forced into Jesus’ forehead and scalp.
- Mocking Abuse – “The soldiers struck Jesus on the head with a reed stick, spit on Him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship.” (Mark 15:19)
Why would Pilate allow this abuse to be endured by an innocent man?
Because, as a Roman Governor of Judea, Pilate was NOT popular with the Jewish people he governed. His role was to keep peaceful control of the population, and any uprising could have threatened his position of power and luxurious lifestyle.
So, the outcry of Jewish leaders and priests shouting, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him! “By our law, He ought to die because He called Himself the Son of God,” was unsettling to say the least.
John wrote…
When Pilate heard this, he was more frightened than ever.
John 19:8
Although he wanted to release Jesus, the words that caused Pilate to give in to the crowd were…
“If you release this man, you are no ‘friend of Caesar.’ Anyone who declares himself a king is a rebel against Caesar.”
John 19:12
Pilate’s position wasn’t new or unusual at the time, nor is it today. Those who fear losing the power, popularity, and prosperity they enjoy are more easily controlled.
“Pontius Pilate’s brief appearance in Scripture is full of tragedy. He ignored his conscience, disregarding the good advice of his wife. He chose political expediency over public rectitude, and failed to recognize the truth even when Truth was standing right in front of him.”
How often do you let fear influence you?
I’ll admit fear had power over my life for far too long, not the fear of losing power, popularity, or prosperity, but of losing love.
The enemy uses fear to prompt our foolishness, and sometimes God allows him to do so to help us grow.
It’s something that the One whose trial brought great fear to Pilate, is the same One who delivers us from all our fears…
I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.
Psalm 34:4
He freed me from all my fears.
Let’s pray…
A Prayer to Forsake Fear and
Follow Jesus in Faith
Father God, thank you for telling us about the foolish decisions made by those who have gone before us. People who have allowed fear to guide their choices rather than relying on Your truth and wisdom.
Forgive us for craving things that can’t last, like power, popularity, and prosperity. No one who enjoyed those things 100 years ago is still around to enjoy them today. Like Pilate, we can be tempted to foolishly fear losing what the world values rather than surrendering our lives to Your eternal plans and purposes.
Even though I may not enjoy worldly treasures to a national or international degree, I am often guilty of foolishly following the influence of those who do. I’m so sorry, Lord. Please forgive me.
I want to trust Your plans and purposes for me. I want to follow Jesus by remaining focused on His promises.
I give myself to You. Increase my faith and remove my fear. Help me remember that You are with me and nothing can separate me from Your love. Your Word tells me that You give power, love, and self-discipline to hearts that are surrendered to You. (2 Timothy 1:7)
By Your grace, please help me center my heart on Jesus, the One who makes my faith possible and gives me everything I need to run the race of life for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Woodrow Kroll wrote….
“With the power of God within us, we need never fear the powers around us.”
We will not fear losing friends, position, or possessions when our heart’s desire to love the Lord is so great that we “fear” disappointing Him because we’ve disobeyed Him. We can trust His promise to give us the courage and strength we need when we surrender our lives to Him.
God allowed Pilate’s fear to accomplish His plans to save you and me. And in the long run, his fear did not protect him from losing power and position. Although his later life is uncertain, many Historians believe that…
His governorship was marked by dissatisfaction and violent uprisings, which did not sit well with Roman authorities. And the most widely accepted narrative indicates that Pontius Pilate was eventually exiled to Gaul, where he spent the remainder of his days in obscurity and isolation.
The lesson we can learn from Pilate is the foolishness of letting fear of worldly loss control us. By grace, we are blessed to follow Jesus in faith, having His eternal promises to give us hope forever and always.
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Praying for God to erase all fear of living for Him and Him alone. Blessings, Deb!
Amen, Martha! The enemy wants us to live in fear of the world’s disapproval or rejection but it can’t offer a thing that isn’t better than the blessing of living with the peace, hope, and joy we have in Jesus. Blessings and hugs!