part0016

Solomon wrote that a person should "be NOT afraid" of sudden fear. But that is sometimes easier said than done. When one simply reads a newspaper or listens to a news telecast, he or she quickly realizes that the dangers in this life are numerous. People sometimes are murdered. They sometimes lose their lives by being involved in other kinds of accidents. Sometimes they do NOT lose their lives. But they do experience other kinds of bad events. For example, they might lose their property because of an earthquake, a hurricane, or even a tornado. They might be involved in another kind of violent crime other than being murdered such as being assaulted, raped, or robbed at gunpoint. Their home might burn to the ground, or they might even be involved in a very serious automobile accident. All of the types of sudden, unexpected fears that can occur to a person are too many to mention. But a few of the more common ones are as were just stated. So, in the next two sections, the sudden fear of people that kill other people and the sudden fear of other bad things that sometimes happen will be discussed. Then the chapter will conclude by saying that one's only real hope against all of the sudden fears in this life is to completely trust the Lord .

"And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him." [Luke 12:4-5]

"But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror , neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ." [I Peter 3:14-16]

Matthew 10:28-33 says, "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell . Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." In those verses when Jesus had sent out His disciples, He had given them specific instructions about what to take and how to behave. He had also told them about their actual value to God by comparing them to a sparrow .

It is NOT that a godly person will not be or cannot be murdered or hurt by someone else. But it is that the Lord is ALWAYS in control of such events. God takes care of a sparrow. So He will also take care of every person that has come to Him by faith. In another but very similar discourse with His disciples in Luke 12:4-5 about the Pharisees which was quoted above, Jesus had repeated that same truth as in Matthew 10:28-33. If an individual is going to be afraid of anything or of anyone in this existence, it should be to fear the one that can eternally hurt him or her. According to Jesus, a person should NEVER be afraid of the person that can only kill in this existence. Even further, the Apostle Peter wrote that the persecuted saint should be happy if he or she suffers for the Lord. He also wrote that a Christian should desire to share his or her hope in Christ rather than be too concerned about when or how he or she leaves this existence.

A person can fret about all of the bad, non-life threatening events that were listed at the beginning of this chapter. But the Bible does NOT support that kind of fretting. When faced with any kind of devastating personal loss whether at fault for that loss or not, one should ALWAYS remember that everything belongs to the Lord anyway. Psalm 50:10 says, "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills." He may place someone temporarily in charge of and in possession of some things. But in the end, it all goes back to Him. Thus, a person's simple basic approach should be to try to take good care of those things that have been entrusted to him or her but to not be bound by any of them. Luke 12:42-43 says, "And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing." I Corinthians 4:1-2 says, "Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful ." So it is healthy for one to ALWAYS remember whose name is actually on the eternal deed.

Nothing stated above in this chapter is intended to minimize the hurt, agony, or trauma that people sometimes feel in this life. There are plenty of very, very bad things that can happen to anyone in this existence. But a couple of points are worth noting. First, no matter what the circumstance or experience, God is still in control . God had been in control when Job had lost everything and had ended up unhealthy to boot. He had been in control when Joseph the eleventh son of Jacob had been made a slave and prisoner in Egypt. He had been in control when Jeremiah had been thrown in the cistern and left to die. He had been in control when John the Baptist had been decapitated. He had been in control when His only begotten Son had been scourged and crucified. He had been in control when all of the apostles had been martyred for their stand for the Lord.

But every one of those people would say without qualification that having lived for and having served the Lord had made everything worth it. It is true that they are plenty of bad, sudden fear types of events that can happen to a person. But second, those people that have sought the Lord with all their heart, that have committed themselves to Him, that are trusting in Him, and that have entered into a personal relationship with Him will or at least should have as their top priority in life to bring honor and glory to Him . Psalm 57:5 says, "Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth ." Psalm 62:6-8 says, " He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory : the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him : God is a refuge for us. Selah." When reading those verses and others like them, it is useful to understand that David had uttered those words of praise and encouragement as his enemies had been trying to destroy him.

As the close of the above section indicated, the only way to really have victory over EVERYTHING in this life is to completely trust the Lord. The simple truth is that many saints of God past and present have been persecuted in this life. While not all of that persecution had or has resulted in death, it had or has all been intended to severely hurt the victim. So one's only real recourse is to forget oneself and to lean totally upon the Lord. It is understood that doing that might be very difficult. But it is still the only way to truly have victory over EVERYTHING in this life. In the psalms, David often wrote about his many difficulties. But he also very often acknowledged that the Lord was his only real hope. While many people may not be completely comfortable with that, He is really the only hope for everyone.

Psalm 18:1-3 says, "I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust ; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies ." Psalm 27:1 says, "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid ?" Psalm 7:1-2 says, " O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me : Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver." The writer of the book of Hebrews had also indicated that he did not have to fear his enemies in this existence. Hebrews 13:6 says, "So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me ." So, one would do well to have the same mindset as they.