Fear is a precarious thing; it can grip you and cause you to stop in your tracks and not advance another step. It can cause one to sweat, shiver, shake, or cry out. It can also have the opposite effect whereby one might act heroically and suddenly accomplish mighty things or at least things that wouldn’t have happened if fear were not present. We are told here in America through advertising, to use the No Fear as our approach to life. The No Fear method however, is a dangerous road to walk in life because without fear, we have NO humility, and without humility, we become arrogant, and the path of arrogance doesn’t end up very well.
There is also the fear of death, or maybe the fear of man, or fear of a group of people who are killers like in a gang. What about in history with Hitler’s destructive Nazi regime, who attempted to annihilate the entire population of Jews. Can you imagine the mortal fear the Jews felt as the Nazis swept into their city bent on death and destruction? This was pure fear at its concentrated worst. Now, I can go on and illustrate examples of horrific events throughout world history and demonstrate atrocities of conquerors whose sole purpose in life was death to cause fear. But my purpose would be to simply say yes, there have been, and continue to be, numerous reasons to be fearful of man and his acts toward other men. As long as we live here on this earth, this will never change. Nation will always rise against other nations bent with the intent to destroy and take over, and if you happen to be on the receiving end of the attack, God be with you.
But the objective of this note is to put fear into perspective and I can communicate this easier by using the words of Jesus Christ from the following verses of the Bible.
“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell”. Matthew 10:28
“But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! Luke 12:5
Guys, It’s hard to believe, especially after what I mentioned above, but Christ tells us NOT to fear anyone, or any regime of power, or any country, or any group of people who can only kill our bodies. Throughout history, people have died terrible deaths for many reasons, but as Christ points out, once you are dead, that is all a killer can do. Once you are dead, you are dead right?…Christ says that is NOT the true reason to fear…True fear should come from Him who after killing the body, has the power to destroy the soul (your soul) in hell. I know these are harsh words but I speak the truth.
Jesus clarification is helpful because as human beings, we only fear what we can see. It’s hard to fear what isn’t right in front of you. But I am telling you there is a kingdom upon this earth we cannot see with our human eyes and as the Bible tells us, where the powers and principalities of this world reside. When we die, there is more to come and that is what we, as men, should fear for both ourselves AND our families. Am I heaven bound? More than ever, I pray that you will echo the words of Joshua 24:15, where he says, “…But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”. This must be your number one priority as you move forward. Satan will not rest until he can destroy as many souls here on earth, as possible.
OK, so if you are now fearful and concerned about your future well-being, then I have your attention. So remember, if you seek God each day then you are NOT alone. Remember the words of Isaiah the Prophet;
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”. 41:10
“For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you. DO NOT FEAR; I WILL HELP YOU”. 41:13
Why am I telling you this today? NOW is the time to be paying attention to what is going on around you. I do NOT want you to be lulled into a false sense of complacency. Satan is alive and well right now seeking who he can devour. Me personally? I wanted you to know what you should TRULY be afraid of…not the person who can just kill your body, but the one who can kill your soul…Can you afford to live your life with no fear…?
