Overcoming A Weak Mentality

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57).

Anything is possible! This should be your mentality.

Never think defeat, failure or weakness. Cultivate the winning mentality; the mentality that believes and affirms, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). That’s the victor’s mentality, and you develop it through the Word.

It doesn’t matter what your life has been like or the experiences you’ve had; one thing is certain: you’re a victor in Christ Jesus!, Irrespective of the affliction, tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, destitution, perils, wars etc., that may be ravaging today’s world, you’re more than a conqueror: “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us” (Romans 8:37).

Trust the Lord and hold on to His Word. When you go through challenges, don’t complain! The Lord knew there’d be challenges, but He gave us the assurance that we’ll be triumphant always: “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place” (2 Corinthians 2:14).

Your victory is a settled fact. 2 Corinthians 4:17 says, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory”; this is a present-hour truth. Nothing is, and can ever be to your disadvantage. Romans 8:28 declares, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Have this consciousness!

When your faith is little, you’ll be oppressed and tormented by fear of circumstances, hence your faith will not work. Faith and fear don’t go together. Fear hinders faith, but faith destroys fear.

The reason some Christians find themselves doubting God’s Word is that their faith is little. Remember, little faith will not get the job done. It may get it started, but it won’t get it done! What do I mean?

I’ll illustrate with this example. Jesus had just finished preaching in the desert and performing the miracle of feeding five thousand men (women and children not counted) with five loaves and two fishes. Then He instructed His disciples to go ahead of Him by ship to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.

Shortly after they set out, their ship ran into contrary winds and was tossed about by the waves. To worsen things, at about the fourth watch (between 3 and 6 a.m.), they saw a figure approaching them on the water. The Bible says when Peter and the other disciples saw this, they all screamed in fear because they thought they had seen a ghost:

“And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. AND PETER ANSWERED HIM AND SAID, LORD, IF IT BE THOU, BID ME COME UNTO THEE ON THE WATER. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me” (Matthew 14:26-30).

Notice this statement Peter made to Jesus: “If it’s You, ask me to come to You on the water.” Jesus called to him and said “Come!” Peter came out of the ship and walked on the water to Jesus. He didn’t swim in the water to meet Jesus, he walked on it! As a fisherman, he could swim, however, this time he did something supernatural, he walked on the water. He stepped out of the boat, right on the water and took his steps toward the Master, because the Master had said to him, “Come!” That’s faith!

I would like to draw your attention to the thirtieth verse. It says, “... when he (Peter) saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.”

Peter saw the contrary wind and became afraid. As a result, he started sinking right in the presence of Jesus. Why did Peter begin to sink? What happened to the faith that got him out of the boat and started him out walking on water? The answer is in Jesus’ response to his cry for help:

“And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” (Verse 31). Peter’s faith was little, that was why he began to sink.

Remember, I said little faith will not get the job done. It may get it started, but it won’t finish it. It got Peter out of the boat and put him on the water; it even started him walking on it but couldn’t sustain him when the winds became boisterous.

When the contrary winds and adversities of life begin to blow in your face, your strength will fail if your faith is little. Little faith achieves very little. When your faith is little you can be terrorized by fear. You’ll always fear adversity and be uncertain about the future.

This is what happened to Peter. Fear and doubt gripped his heart when he saw the boisterous winds. But thank God he had enough sense to cry out to Jesus for help and “...immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him...” (Matthew 14:31).

Jesus attributed the reason Peter began to sink to doubt. After saving him from drowning, He said to him, “O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” In other words, if Peter had not doubted, he would have completed his walk on the water to Jesus and back to the boat hitch-free. Doubt and fear are the result of little faith