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"Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19

Tag: Faith Over Fear

Go!

October 4, 2025 /

Matthew Botelho

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” –Matthew 28:18-20

One of my favorite books is J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic, The Hobbit, that famous prequel to The Lord of the Rings. My dad introduced it to me when I was a freshman in high school. It was such a fantastic story. The fact that I had an in-school suspension that day, though certainly not my finest hour, did allow me to finish half of the book. That day, I came across a quote from Gandalf. He tells Bilbo Baggins, “The world isn’t in your books or maps, it’s out there.”

As a young man, reading that quote resonated with me because I had fears and doubts that held me back from pursuing specific dreams. I would do all this research and planning, but the end result was that nothing ever came from it. I was too afraid to go forward.

My friends, if you are in Christ Jesus, then, like me, you no longer have to let fear stop you from moving forward in what God is calling you to do, in fulfilling the dreams He has given you. God told Joshua three times to be strong and courageous as he led the nation of Israel into the promised land. “Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses, My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.” –Joshua 1:6-7

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”–Joshua 1:9

If God says it once, it’s essential. If He says it more than once, it’s crucial; God wants to ensure that you truly get it. The question becomes, like Joshua, are you going to take God at His Word and obey what He’s telling you to do?

Concerning obedience, Jesus shares a parable of two sons with the chief priests and elders of the temple: “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterwards regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” –Matthew 21:28-30

Have you ever been at the point where God asked you to move in faith and you felt afraid or just didn’t want to do it?

Maybe it was something as simple as joining a specific ministry in church or even talking with your neighbor about Jesus. Perhaps you just felt afraid that you wouldn’t do it right. I have too. Yet it’s in those moments when the Holy Spirit reminds me of God’s Word, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of sound mind.” –2 Timothy 1:7

The Holy Spirit will give you the peace and power to declare the Truth in love to those you may feel fearful to share God’s Word with. And He’ll also give you the strength to move when everything in you is saying “don’t go,” even though you know going is the right thing to do.

On the daily, I have to remind not just myself but my sons that life is not lived in front of a computer screen or on a phone. But that it ought to be spent in prayer, worship, and studying the Word of God, and in fellowship with our family and other believers. I am accountable for raising the next generation of Godly men. If I don’t do it, someone else will. They’ll step in and fill the void I’m neglecting by pouring false, worldly ideals into my sons. “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” –Ephesians 6:4

Life is meant to be lived and experienced. Whether in joy or sadness, peace or doubt, Jesus said that He is with us always. The apostle Paul tells the Philippian church, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching toward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”- Philippines 3:13-14

We have been commanded to “Go”.

There is so much more to our walk with Jesus than simply reading His word. We must apply it, living it out in every part of our lives. “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in the mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.” –James 1:22-24

We are to put God’s teachings into action. Not live in fear or sit around on our hands and wait for Jesus’ return. There is work that needs to be done, lives to be spoken into, and prayers that need to be prayed.

Jesus’ final Words in Matthew’s Gospel are a call to arms; they are Jesus telling His disciples to Go!

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”

Brothers and sisters in Christ, if you have not shared your faith in Jesus with someone because fear has been holding you back, perhaps it is time for you to take to heart the same Words Jesus spoke to encourage Joshua. “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

 People are living in this dark world who need to know who the Light of the world is. Jesus declared to the people, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” –John 8:12

Are you that person, friend? Are you afraid to turn to Jesus? Is fear of what you think you might have to give up to have Jesus in your life keeping you away from Him? If so, this is your sign to step out in faith instead of living in fear and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior today. “He appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” –Hebrews 4:7.

Amen.

Canceling Unbelief.

September 20, 2025 /

Matthew Botelho

“Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nail, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” –John 20:24-25

After Jesus’ resurrection, He spent time with His disciples. He reminded them that all things spoken of Him by the Prophets and about His death had to be fulfilled. “Then He said to them, This is what I told you while I was still with you: everything which is written concerning Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” –Luke 24:44.

All of Jesus’s disciples, except one, Thomas, believed Jesus had been resurrected. Thomas was the only disciple who seemed to struggle to believe someone could come back from death.

Jesus’ disciples had witnessed an unthinkable event: Jesus, their Messiah, their friend, had been betrayed and arrested. Some ran off into the darkness, while others stayed. The Bible doesn’t name names; we know only this: “they all forsook Him and fled.” Fear has a way of making us run, forgetting we have faith on our side. Scripture makes indirect mention of one disciple who actually stood with Jesus and witnessed Him be crucified, John, the Apostle. W“When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.” –John 19:26-27.

We know from other Gospel accounts that John referred to himself as “the disciple whom he loved (Jn. 13:23; 19:26; 20:2).

During their last meal with His disciples, Jesus quoted the prophet Zechariah, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: “I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.” –Matthew 26:31

Fear was the driving force that separated them. When we go through hardships, we can forget “faith first” and allow doubt to take first place.

Thomas is a realist. He sees things for what they are, but also has faith in Jesus. It’s not easy for someone like Thomas to believe Jesus came back after knowing Jesus had been crucified. His realistic mind needed to catch up with his faith. He was dealing with double-mindedness, and it was taking a toll on him. In the book of James, the author writes, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double minded man, unstable in all his ways.” –James 1:6-8

I can relate to Thomas, though. I’ve been there.

In my humanity, when certain circumstances came up, I admit, I doubted. I have had those double-minded moments thinking, “How can I make this situation work,” when the fact of the matter is, I needed to trust God, let go, and hand it over to Him. Instead, I acted as though God would not be able to help me. I relied too much on what I was thinking and left little room for God to move. King Solomon writes, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” –Proverbs 3:5-6

When something unexpected happens in our faith walk, it can cause us to question or doubt. To ask ourselves, “Does God really love me?” or “What if I do step out in faith and I fail. Will God forgive me for that?” The answer to both, by the way, is a big fat yes!

We can be our own worst enemies. We need to be reminded that the Spirit of God that dwells in us is greater than our circumstances. “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” –1 John 4:4.

God tells the prophet Jeremiah, “For I know the thoughts that I think of you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not evil, to give you a future and a hope.” –Jeremiah 29:11 God thinks this about you. His plan for those who believe in Him is to have life in abundance. Not to stay living in fear or doubt. We’re to have a mindset of victory, believing our battles are truly overcome in Christ Jesus. Remember what Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” –John 16:33.

Will God ever leave us in this place of doubt or fear? Never!

Let’s read what happened next, after some of Jesus’ disciples first experienced witnessing Him alive, again: “And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst and said, “Peace to you!” –John 20:26

Every issue you were facing, every doubt, was silenced because Jesus entered the room. “Then He says to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and My God!” –John 20:27-28.

Jesus shows up in ways no one expected.

Isn’t that the nature of God, though? To show up suddenly? When you least expect it, He suddenly appears and says, “Peace to you.”

Jesus came to put Thomas’ doubt to an end.

He shows Thomas the nail prints in His hands and the wound in His side from the spear. It really is Jesus!

Every doubt melts away. Peace takes its place when Jesus shows Thomas His wounds. The only words Thomas can say are, “My Lord and My God!”

It’s like nothing could come between them at this moment. Thomas’s faith has been rekindled and galvanized. He now knows who Jesus truly is; He is God, in the flesh, risen and alive. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” –John 1:1-2.

Our circumstances, fears, and doubts do not get to dictate their own outcomes. The enemy will always think he has the final say. But didn’t Jesus say that “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” –Matthew 28:18.

So, if we abide in Jesus, doesn’t that mean that through Jesus’ power and position, we have authority over whatever situations fear and doubt are trying to make themselves lord over?

Shouldn’t the love of God at work in us give us the boldness to face those giants head-on? “Love has been perfected among us in this; that we may have boldness in the day of judgement; because as He is, so are we in this world.” –1 John 4:17

God’s love is so powerful.

Brother, know that you are not alone when you face moments of doubt. God will never leave you alone in that spot, ever! Jesus said, “I will never leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” –John 14:18. Child of God, rest assured that no matter the circumstance, Jesus is for you.

The greatest gift God ever gave us is His Son, Jesus.

All who repent of their sins, confess Jesus as Lord, are saved. “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”–Romans 10:9-10.

I invite you today to call on Jesus and ask for His forgiveness of your sins. “For the scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” –Romans 10:11

Call on Jesus in your doubt. He will always answer you.

Amen.

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