Are You Afraid?

Fear can be good or bad. It is foolhardy to have no fear. It is debilitating to fear everything. I think I have met some folks at both ends of the spectrum. I’ve known a few people who, at least on the surface, seemed to have no fear. They drove recklessly, lived dangerously, and usually died suddenly. And then, there are those folks who are so frightened of everything that they almost never leave their homes. They create their own little fortress (prison) and never leave it. They are prisoners at home held by fear.

We seem to enter this world with at least a little fear. The fear of falling and the fear of loud noises are with us from the start. But, other things, like the fear of flying, or the fear of snakes and spiders are acquired. Often, our fears are not justified. Flying is far safer than driving. But, because plane crashes always makes the news, and fatalities almost always occur when a plane goes down, we associate flying with disaster. Yet, crashes are very rare. Automobile accidents, on the other hand, are quite common, but we get in our cars without a second thought. And, not many snakes and spiders are poisonous. But, because a few are, we fear them all.

Maybe our fears are misplaced. On the subject of fear, Jesus offered these words of warning: “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” (Matthew 10:28). The one thing that should frighten us most is the prospect of being lost eternally. And, it seems to be the one thing that many people never even consider.

Jesus, however, has removed the fear of death for His disciples. As Christians, we can say with the Psalmist, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me…” (Psalm 23:4). We can live in hope, not fear, for He has said: “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Hebrews 13:5, 6).

Are you afraid? More importantly, are you afraid of the right things? The one thing that should frighten us most is the thought of facing eternity unprepared. That doesn’t have to happen. We can face death and judgment without fear because of Jesus Christ. Are you prepared?