Do Not Fear, Only Believe
Mark 5:35-36 “While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.”
I know we covered this story on Tuesday with the devotional that my friend Catherine wrote. However, I can’t help but think the Holy Spirit wanted me to focus on a different part of these verses. I felt strongly that I was supposed to go back and point out some things about this ending part of the story. So, let’s pick up at verse 35. It says, “While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, ‘Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.”
It is important that we hear this, not just with our ears, but with our hearts, minds, and souls. Jesus says, “Do not fear, only believe.” How many times have we been in a situation where we could have used Jesus sitting right there with us, or standing next to us, and telling us not to fear but only believe? This is the secret, people. This is what we need to know. The Lord mentions the word fear in the Bible over 300 times, depending on the version you are reading. God knows we are a fearful and anxious people, and he is trying to get us to understand that we don’t need to be fearful.
You might be thinking that surely there are some instances when fear is ok. When we should be afraid. However, when we can learn not to fear, no matter the circumstances, then we will truly be living a free and bold life. I think something that is important to know about our feelings vs. emotions. We often use them interchangeably. However, there is a difference. Emotions are our quick, instinctive response to something that happens. For example, someone comes up behind us, and we jump because we were startled. Our heart jumps when we hear a loud noise. We smile when our kids say something really cute. These are emotions; they are physical reactions in our body, and we can’t control these.
Feelings are different. Feelings are how we experience or interpret the emotion. This is what you have control over. You might not have control over your feelings right now, but you can have control over your feelings. Our feelings are based on the story we are telling ourselves. For instance, if someone is supposed to call you and they don’t, you may feel differently about that depending on what you are telling yourself. If you tell yourself he or she is probably busy and will call when they have time, you feel fine about the situation. If you are telling yourself he or she is ignoring you because he or she is mad for some unknown reason, then you will probably feel anxious and worried about the situation. If you tell yourself he or she must be hurt because they always call back, you will probably feel afraid in that situation. Do you see how the story you tell yourself is so important and is something you have control over?
The thing about the stories we tell ourselves is that they are just that, stories. We don’t know why the person hasn’t called us back, and we won’t know until they do. So we can never be sure whether what we tell ourselves is true. If this is the case, and either of those scenarios above could be true, then why wouldn’t we tell ourselves the one that serves us better? The one that gives us peace about the situation? I assure you that if they are mad or sick, there will be plenty of time to worry, be anxious, or be scared once you find out. Why waste time on it before you know it’s true?
Hopefully, all that made sense. I said all of that to show you that while you may not be able to control the emotion of fear in your life, you can certainly decide if you are going to allow the fear to stay or not. Jesus is telling us in this verse, and so many others in the Bible, not to fear. I know this sounds easier than it is, but it is possible to surrender your fear. It is possible to go through really hard things and yet not be fearful of the future. I know you might be skeptical, as you are probably going through some really hard times right now. I want to share with you some really hard times I went through, and although they were hard, I wasn’t afraid. I didn’t know how they would turn out, but I knew God was working and He would protect all those I cared about.
When my children were younger they were times when they were physically and verbally abusive to each other and to Tony and me. There were years when I would allow myself to be scared, and I would worry about the future. I would think that if they are hitting me, then they would hit their wife or their children. Then I learned how to turn those fears over to the Lord. I talked with God about my fears, and then I let them go. I changed the story that I told myself. If I ever started to feel scared about the future, I would consciously say to myself, “God’s got this. God uses all things for good. I don’t know how things will change. I don’t know when things will change. But I know that God is a good, good father, and He is in control of this situation. When I ask, he answers, and I have asked plenty, so all is good.” This may sound too simple, but I assure you it works. If you change your story, you change your feelings.
Sometimes things can be simple but not easy. This is one of those things. It is a simple concept to change your story, but it is not a simple practice. Most of our thoughts are subconscious. We don’t know we are thinking them, we just feel the emotion. If you want to take control of your feelings, you have to stop when you get angry, worried, anxious, or scared and ask, “What am I telling myself right now?” It takes time to learn to do this, but I promise you it is a game-changer once you do. Imagine how much more peace you would have if you could release all the anger, fear, and anxiety you have by changing the story you are telling yourself.
In case you want another example of something really hard that I was able to go through without fear, let me share one more with you. When my son was 16 years old, he overdosed a few times. Eventually, he had to go into rehab and miss his whole Junior year of high school. It would have been easy to be scared for his future. It would have been easy to go down the fear path of all the what-ifs. I can honestly tell you that I was at peace with it all. Now, that doesn’t mean I wasn’t sad, and I didn’t miss him. It does mean that I wasn’t full of fear, and I didn’t ask myself any “what-ifs.” I knew with 100% certainty that God was in this whole situation and that even though I didn’t know how or when this situation would end, I knew it would end. I know God would use it for good. That this was not the end of my son’s story. I knew my son would have an amazing testimony whenever he made it through all of this.
Jesus told a man who thought his daughter had just died not to be afraid, but to believe. He is telling you and me that, too. He is telling us that things aren’t what they seem, and we just need to believe, even if it makes no sense to believe. God can do amazing things. He can do things that we can’t even imagine. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Hope in the Lord does not disappoint. (Romans 5:5) Change the story you are telling yourself. Change the questions you ask. Instead of all the bad what-ifs. What if he dies? What if his life is ruined? What if he is never the same? Change it to What if God saves him? What if God delivers him from this addiction? What if he is healed? What if my spouse comes home? How could changing the story you are telling yourself, and changing the what-ifs from negative questions to positive ones, change your life?
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, you are amazing. You are so good, and we want to have no fear and to believe. Please help us! Help us to change our stories. Help us to take captive our thoughts. Please help us to remember that you are all-powerful and you use all things for our good. We love you, Lord, and we ask this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name, Amen!
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I am surprised at where the Holy Spirit took me this morning with this devotional, as it was not the topic I thought I would be teaching about. However, I know there was a reason, and one of you really needed to hear this message today. Someone needed to know that they can take control of the feelings they have been having. I look forward to meeting you here again on Monday. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! God is on your side and we are both rooting for you! Have a blessed day!
Today’s Word from the Lord was received in September 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “Arise, arise, arise. You are my shining lights. Fear not. Even in this present darkness, you have nothing to fear as you align with me and my good plans for you, your family, and your nation. Arise and shine, my beloved ones.”
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