Topic: Fear No Man [Friday, 17th March 2017]
And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they do. Luke 12:4
Have you ever been in a situation where you feared for your life, say an armed robbery attack? How terrifying that was? The thought of you losing your life and all? Knowing the great fear that comes with losing our lives, most of us would not deliberately want to go to places or put ourselves in situations where there would be a danger of losing our lives, even when God is telling us to go bear witness of Him in an environment where the people might be threats to our lives. If God does that, most of us will act like we didn’t hear Him, and some may even pray that He changes His mind.
What does the scripture tell us about the fear of man? Our anchor scripture says “I tell you, My friends, do not dread and be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have nothing more that they can do.” (AMP). This means that after killing your body, man can do nothing more to you. Nothing more! Isaiah 51:12-13 says “I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; And forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?” This just tells us that God is sovereign, and there is nothing that happens without His knowledge, and He is the one that is with us, why then do we fear man, and invariably forget God?
Verse 5 of Luke 12 goes on to tell us who we should actually fear. “But I will warn you whom you should fear: fear Him Who, after killing, has power to hurl into hell (Gehenna); yes, I say to you, fear Him!” (AMP). The only person that is worthy of our fear is God. You may not be sent to witness in an environment where there is constant threat to your life, yours may be that you live among a people that constantly challenge your faith and intimidate you, the Lord is saying today “Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee” (Jeremiah 1:8). And if your body perishes, remember what Paul said in Philippians 1:21 “For to me to live is Christ, and to die I gain.”
Keep winning daily.
Prayer:
Dear Father, I thank for choosing me to witness You among men. The constant fear of what they can do to me limits me. But You have said I shouldn’t be afraid of any man. Help me daily to remember You are the only one that is worthy of my fear, and that You are always with me to deliver me, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
By Esun Tekeme