The danger of condemnation

But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord save me.  Matthew 14:30

Fear is often the direct result of condemnation.  In the beginning, after Adam and Eve ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they immediately felt condemned.  The Bible puts it this way, "At that moment, their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness...So they hid from the Lord God among the trees (Genesis 3:7-8, NLT).  Notice that the man and woman "suddenly" felt shame.  They experienced an emotion that they had never experienced before shame (or condmenation), which led to fear, which ultimately led to them hiding themselves from God.  Condemnation ushered in fear that resulted in Adam and Eve hiding from the Lord!  A person that feels condemned and hides from God is not able to freely receive all that God desires to give them!

Similarly, in today's verse of Scripture, I believe that Peter stepped out on the water to walk to Jesus with a faith-filled and uncondemned heart initially.  This righteousness consciousness (2 Corinthians 5:21), allowed Peter to initially walk above the adverse circumstances of the wind and waves towards the Lord victoriously (Matthew 14:29)!  Nonetheless, when Peter focused on the wind and waves as he walked on the water, I believe that a sense of guilt set in and he began to think, "I should not be doing this" and that's what made him begin to sink!  In our own lives, often what prohibits us from receiving from God is guilt and condemnation over past mistakes and failures!  Although Jesus never condemned anyone (John 3:17), He also never condemned Himself regardless of any accusations leveled against Him!  He walked in a total sense of righteousness and that allowed Him to receive without limit from the Father!  Know that you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus regardless of what you do or don't do (2 Corinthians 5:21), that there is therefore now no condemnation of those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1), and receive all that God desires to give you without limit!