Matthew 8:26
“And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.”

It seems like in present times that there is a syndrome for everything. I often say that a syndrome is nothing else other than an excuse for one’s sin. Instead of it being a syndrome, it is a sin-drome. I know this may not be a word in the dictionary, but when you break down the word “syndrome,” you will find that a syndrome is a compilation of symptoms of someone’s actions. Instead of coming to grips with their faulty actions, they would rather say their actions are a result of a health problem instead of it being a sin problem.

The disciples had a sin-drome problem called a lack of faith. Jesus entered a ship to get to the other side, and the disciples followed him into the ship. As they were sailing to the other side, a storm arose and the waves were so boisterous that they covered the ship. The disciples were so fearful that they woke the Saviour and cried, “Lord, save us: we perish.” Their answer to their sin-drome was the right answer, but they still never seemed to get over this weakness for a while after this incident.

Jesus said that the reason for their sin-drome was because of their little faith. Little faith causes a person to do many things. First, little faith causes a person to live a life of fear. Are you always afraid something is not going to work in your Christian walk? This is a result of little faith.

Second, little faith causes a person to doubt. A person of little faith always says, “That will never work because we have tried that before and it didn’t work.” When a person says this, they probably haven’t tried it exactly like you are about to do something, but it is their excuse to legitimize their lack of work and faith. Little faith always doubts a person can get saved. Little faith always doubts that God is using another person to see many people get saved. Little faith always doubts what God is doing in another’s life. Little faith always causes a person to live a life of doubt.

Third, little faith causes a person to be circumstance-focused instead of Christ-focused. The only reason the disciples couldn’t do what Christ did to calm the winds is because they were more focused on the circumstances than they were on Christ who was with them in the boat. Little faith will cause you to live your life focused on the circumstances around you instead of on the all-powerful Saviour who lives inside of you.

Fourth, little faith causes a person to panic. The disciples panicked when they should have acted in faith. You will always find that a person of faith is calm in the midst of turmoil. Their calmness comes from their faith that God will get them through whatever they are facing.

The reason a person has little faith is because they lack a knowledge of God. You build your knowledge of God by doing two things. First, you build your knowledge of God by studying the Scriptures. Matthew 22:29 says, “Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.” Your faith in Christ grows every time you read the Scriptures.

Secondly, you build your faith by serving with God. The longer you serve Christ, the greater your faith in God will grow. Faith is never built outside of Christ’s yoke of service, but it is built by serving WITH Christ in His yoke. If you lack faith, it comes down to your lack of serving Christ.

Author: Allen Domelle