Let me begin by saying to my Catholic friends that in last Friday’s post in which I said Catholics must pray through a priest that I was referring to Catholicism doctrine that requires that confessions be made through a priest which is indeed unbiblical. But as some of you wrote, non-confessional prayers are encouraged by the Catholic church. Even there they go overboard and encourage praying to Mary and Saints. The Bible tells us to pray directly to God, not to departed flesh. To those of you who wrote thanks for writing and allowing me to clarify my position and interpretation.
Does fear rule your life? I know some folks that are in that boat. The problem is the fear boat is leaking and the occupants are in danger of drowning in it. As for fear, I fear God and that is about it. Some of my friends including the late great Jack – Murf the Surf – Murphy have said I have a “loose wire in my brain”, but loose wire or not I believe my lack of fear is due to my strong faith. I have absolutely no fear of dying, or what someone other than God might think of me, because I answer only to God.
The Bible mentions two specific types of fear. The first type is beneficial and is to be encouraged. The second type is a detriment and is to be overcome. The first type of fear is fear of the Lord. This type of fear does not necessarily mean to be afraid of something. Rather, it is a reverential awe of God, a reverence for His power and glory. However, it is also a proper respect for His wrath and anger. In other words, the fear of the Lord is a total acknowledgment of all that God is, which comes through knowing Him and His attributes attained from hearing the word of God.
I believe God is with me always and that He loves me and though I might not understand tough times or facing something like blindness, He does, and I know He is looking out for my best interests always. I trust Him to always do the right thing. Many folks fear death above all things; I don’t because it is a natural occurrence that we will all experience unless raptured. ” . . . man is appointed to die once, and after that to face judgment.“ Christians should believe it is a stepping stone to glory and anticipate what is coming next.
Stonewall Jackson wrote one of his captains regarding fear:
Courageous Stonewall Jackson has succumbed to death as billions have before him. From the words he wrote we can safely assume he is with Jesus Christ and enjoying heaven at this very moment. He was not fearful in facing death or telling others about his relationship with his maker. Some “closet” Christians seem to be ashamed of the Lord and adamantly refuse to witness to others or even admit to others that they themselves have accepted Jesus as their Savior and would never say grace in a public place.
A family member passed away Saturday night. Most in the family believe he accepted Christ as his savior, but to my knowledge he kept his faith primarily to himself. Most Christians want to know that their departed loved one had given their heart to Jesus and accepted him by faith and today is with Jesus. It causes no small amount of consternation to the family when someone does not declare their utter devotion to following Christ prior to shutting their eyes on this earth for the last time. Many who read these daily posts have not made it clear to their family that they are rock solid believers. If they should suddenly pass, their loved ones will be left to wonder.
“Fear not,” is in the Bible 365 times.” God does not desire for us to live our lives in fear of anything including a bad result on a test, an impending surgery, not anything. He wants us to love Him and trust Him.
In Psalm 56:11 the psalmist writes, “In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” This is an awesome testimony to the power of trusting in God. Regardless of what happens, the psalmist will trust in God because he knows and understands the power of God. The key to overcoming fear, then, is total and complete trust in God. Trusting God is a refusal to give in to fear. It is a turning to God even in the darkest times and trusting Him to make things right. This trust comes from knowing God and knowing that He is good. As Job said when he was experiencing some of the most difficult trials recorded in the Bible, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him”
Romans 8:31
“If God is for us who can be against us!”