“Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.” -Proverbs 3:25,26.
The New Testament of the Bible contains a number of lists of qualities that are sinful, and will keep us from an eternity with God in glory. One such list is found in Revelation 21:8, which mentions 8 such characteristics of those destined for the lake of fire: the very first one mentioned in this verse is FEARFUL!
“But the fearful, and unbelievableing, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
When we think of someone being fearful, we are usually full of sympathy, and feel that they need comfort. What we need here is a broader picture of the Bible to understand the context of what Jesus is saying, and to know that He is not being cruel.
The fear of the Lord may be the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10), but those who have trusted the Son of God for their salvation are being perfected in love (I John 4:18), and they will not be fearful in their character. We trust in God, who is unlimited in power! We have an eternal home in Heaven with our savior-a God who takes away all our fears, 2 Timothy 1:7;
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
FEAR can be applied in a number of ways, which could mean primarily respect, or could go all the way up to stark terror. Examples: my grandmother had a stark fear of fire, and it was unreasonable. She was terrified at the thought of it. We might say that many “fear” fire, meaning that they handle it respectfully for the damage it could do- but they won't stop using it, because it is so beneficial. A soldier may have a kind of fear when going into battle, knowing what the weapons of the enemy could do to him or his unit. Yet he is trained and equipped, and his fear will not keep him from his duty-but it will probably keep him alive!
When the Bible speaks of the fearful being lost, it is because they do not trust in God or submit to His Lordship. You would think that fear would be a great motivator for bringing people to salvation; that they might turn to God for help in their time of need. But even the fearful are by nature rebellious against God, and seldom submit to Him. For all of the fear related events of the end times, the Bible shows us that men will not repent (Luke 21:11,26; Revelation 9:20,21, 16:9). Fear is a bad spiritual fruit we can observe in ourselves & others, but it should NOT be vastly seen in true Christians. This is why we should examine ourselves to see if we are genuine in our faith (2 Corinthians 13:5), repenting, and asking God to pluck out any unreasonable fear that remains within us.
When examining yourself, you need to look hard at yourself for the fear of death. The testimonies I have heard tell me that most who profess Christ today really DO NOT want to leave life in this world! Some in my own church say often, “I thank God for giving me life today.” They do not thank Him for salvation, or the chance to spread the gospel, they only want to know a God who will give them a good life on earth. Don't they want to meet the savior they claim to love?
Some others are still stuck wearing masks, even though the Botswana government entirely lifted the mandate-they are still afraid! The media hype on the falsely alleged pandemic was all about building fear. If someone is still fearing death from a cold, they do not trust in God, nor are they ready to meet Him; their affections are bound up in the earth (John 12:25).
"“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” -Colossians 3:1-3.
Spiritual growth in Christ is impossible in the natural man, but we are called unto perfection (2 Corinthians 7:1) by God, and He has given His children the Holy Spirit for our strength and comforter along the way. Let us seek all the more to honor our God by putting away fear.
"The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion." -Proverbs 28:1.
Please also check out my YouTube video Forsaking Fear https://youtu.be/vG5QOwWfEOI
No comments:
Post a Comment