Encourage, Faith, Hope, Love
Fear
May 6, 2018 - Encourage, Faith, Hope, Love
And for every fear, there’s an empty grave. For the Risen One has overcome.
- Elevation Worship
Fear.
It is both a powerful motivator and a crippling disease. In some cases, fear is beneficial. It prevents us from touching poisonous snakes, jumping off a cliff, or taking other life threatening risks.
But in other cases, fear can paralyze or cripple us mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually. As humans, we spend much of our time fearing the circumstances of our daily lives. We worry and lose sleep over things like unpaid bills, rebellious children, or finding the right spouse. While it’s perfectly normal to feel anxious about our trials, we should not let fear prevent us from living the abundant life that Christ died to give.
Of all the fears we may have in this life, the fear of death is perhaps the most terrifying. With every passing moment, our bodies are ageing and there will come a day when we are no longer present on this earth. Our society is aware of this fact and often tries to distract us from our own mortality. We are encouraged to buy “anti-aging” creams, dye our grey hairs, and buy a flashy car if we experience a mid-life crisis– anything to make us look and feel young! The truth however, is that there is only one person who can free us from death: Jesus Christ.
In just a few days, Christians all over the world will be celebrating Easter. On this day, we will acknowledge two, life-changing truths. The first, is that Jesus rose from the dead! And the second, is that Jesus has conquered death once and for all, not just for himself but for everyone who puts their faith in him. Through his sacrificial death and resurrection, Jesus has freed his people from their ultimate fear. He has been given the key to Death and Hades (Revelation 1:18) and promises that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). What an amazing revelation!
Because Jesus has overcome sin and death, we can boldly declare that we too, are more than conquerors! Our victory however, is not just for when we get to Heaven. Ephesians 2:6 says that we are we are seated (right here, right now!) in Heavenly places with Christ Jesus. In other words, no matter what trials we face in our lives, in Christ, we have already overcome them! If God has already dealt with the most fundamental human fear by sending his own Son, rest assured, he will definitely help us in all of our daily struggles. So the next time you are tempted to give into worry and fear, remember that Christ has already earned the victory, and in Him, you are victorious too!
