Fear is a byproduct of sin.  Adam and Eve did not know fear until after they violated the command of God and ate of the tree in the midst of the garden (Genesis 3:2-3).  When they heard the sound of God walking in the garden, they hid from Him.  When God asked Adam why they hid, Adam said, “I was afraid…” (Genesis 3:10).

Fear has been in the world ever since.  It is a part of the devil’s toolbox.  He often uses fear to paralyze Christians and stop us from doing the will of God.  Allowing ourselves to be controlled by fear can cause us to lose our souls.

Revelation 21:8 (KJV)
⁸  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. 

This does not mean that feeling the emotion of fear is in itself sinful.  It only becomes sinful when we allow it to prevent us from doing the Lord’s work, or being the example we are called to be to the world.  What are some things that we should not fear?

We should never fear what man will do to us for serving the Lord.

Matthew 10:28 (KJV)
²⁸  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.

The key to overcoming this fear is realizing that man can only do so much to us.  The very worse thing he can do is take our physical lives away, but he can never take away the eternal life of the souls.  For this to be helpful, we must have the right perspective of things, realizing that eternal things are far more valuable than those that are temporary.  Paul lived his life in view of this truth (2 Corinthians 4:16-18), and we should as well.

Another thing we do not have to fear is death.  We used to be in bondage to the fear of death (Hebrews 2:15), but since Jesus’ death, whereby He destroyed the one who had the power of death, that is, the devil (Hebrews 2:14), we are free from such fear.  Now, we can look forward to dying because we know what comes next.  Our lives are not consumed by doctor reports, aches and pains in the body, or even the natural approach of death as we grow older.  The older one gets, the more the reality of death comes into focus, but it does not scare those of us who are Christians because we rest in the promises of God and the hope of heaven.

Finally, we do not have to fear the day of judgment.  While that day is going to be terrifying for some, for the children of God it will a day of rejoicing.  Let’s wind down tonight with the words of John that put it all into perspective.

1 John 4:17-18 (ESV)
¹⁷  By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. ¹⁸  There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.   

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.