Fearless

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

Let me start out by saying as my public confession that I’m a big fat chicken. I have my moments of absolute fearlessness which are usually reactionary to emergency situations. You know the things you do then afterwards ask yourself, “what was I thinking?” The Bible uses fear often as terms meaning honor and reverence of God, Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Deuteronomy 6:13. But there are several instances where God definitely means, people, you’d better be afraid, especially of those who worship him. People in places like Jericho found this out in very real ways.

Aside from some physiological issues with my body which give me a rational fear of fast moving directionally erratic objects which cause my inner ear to freak me out, I must admit that my fear of most things is a direct or indirect fear of dying But the question is who or what I should fear. David poetically and emphatically put it this way, The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1. Then Jesus responded, “But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.” Luke 12:5. Then Paul summarized and drove the point home, Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. Hebrews 2:14,15

To modify Winston Churchill’s famous quote: We’ve nothing to fear but the devil himself. Looks like I’m out of excuses for not doing that cliff jump this week.

Bless you brothers, live this day in peace, in His Word.