Jump to content

Living Fearlessly in a Fearful World


RETIREDFAN1

Recommended Posts

Living Fearlessly in a Fearful World

By: Jim Crews
 

We live in a fearful world. We are surrounded by evil all the time. We hear about shootings in schools all the time, where innocent children and adults are murdered in cold blood. We hear about shootings in denominational churches and even some assemblies of the Lord’s Church have been affected by these. We recently had the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh. We read and hear all the time about the murders in Chicago and the violence along the border. It has become clear in a very big way how fearful our world has become.  Such tragedies are no longer something that happens somewhere else. So, what can we do as Christians and as a local church to enable us to live fearlessly in a fearful world? In this lesson, we’ll turn our attention to this very important – and very timely – question…

 

This world is definitely a fearful place. We have abortion, homosexual marriage, sexual harassment, mass shootings, terrorism, drug violence, and gang violence all around us. We can’t go a day without hearing about one or more of these things in the news. We fear for our own safety, the safety of our families, the safety of our friends. We even fear for our safety in our places or worship and work. God allows such fears to continue to exist. These things are a consequence of free-will.

II Thessalonians 3: 1 - 2

 

Though these things exist, Scripture tell us to rise above the fear. We are told to be fearless.

Psalm 23


As Christians, we should be fearless. Paul didn’t know if he would be put to death or set free. Despite this, he did not fear.

Philippians 1: 21 - 26

 

Why didn’t Paul have any fear, despite not knowing what his future held? Because either way it turned out, Paul was going to win. He would either be with Christ, or remain here and live for Christ.

 

God has created the civil authorities and governments to protect us in our daily lives.

Romans 13: 1 - 4

Acts 23: 12 - 24

 

This is part of His providential care for His children. The civil authorities are useful in providing protection for us most of the time. However, they can’t be there all of the time. We are also have Scriptural permission to defend ourselves.

Exodus 22: 2 - 4

Luke 11: 21

Luke 22: 35 - 37

 

We don’t have to use deadly force to defend ourselves, and we should not seek to kill anyone. You can defend yourself without killing the person attacking you.

 

As a local congregation of the Lord’s Church, we should be fearless. The assembly at Smyrna was told not to fear anything they were about to suffer.

Revelation 2: 10

 

Evil things come and evil things go, but we can take comfort in civil protection such as an alarm system or hired guards. Some assemblies of the saints even have brethren who are armed and have concealed carry permits to protect the gathered group. Living fearlessly in a fearful world, in the final analysis, is directly tied to our faith.

Matthew 17: 14 - 20

 

We must trust God and trust the means He has provided to protect us.

 

Jesus commands us not to fear.

John 14: 1 - 6

 

He will protect His children through His divine providence.

Romans 8: 31 - 39

 

We must always remember that the wicked will be judged one day.

II Thessalonians 1: 7 - 9

 

We remember this so we won’t be fearful and angry at these evil people. We remember this so we won’t seek vengeance or retribution.

Deuteronomy 32: 35

Romans 12: 19

Hebrews 10: 30

 

God will take care of these evils eventually. It may not be in our lifetime, but it will be in eternity. There are things worse than death.

Luke 12: 4 - 5

 

We don’t have to seek vengeance or retribution, nor do we have to fear these people, because all they can do is kill us. That’s all they have. Why should we fear death, if we are faithful followers of Christ?



 


We often find ourselves worrying about our financial situation. We should not worry about this, either. God will take care of His children. He will provide our needs. He may not provide our wants, but He will take care of our needs through His divine providence.

Matthew 6: 25 - 34

 

Despite all of the evil in this fearful world, despite all the things that cause us to worry and make us anxious, we can and should live fearlessly. This is not because we are so tough,  but because our God is on our side. We should cast all our cares and troubles upon Him, praying without ceasing for His forgiveness, His mercy, and His aid in these troublesome times.

I Peter 5: 6 - 7

 

Hopefully. we continue to put our faith and hope in Him. However, if you’re not a Christian, you do not enjoy His protection.

 

So how do you become a Christian? You follow the teachings in the New Testament.

 

We must repent of our sins.

Luke 13: 3

Acts 17: 30

 

We must make a public confession of our faith in Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God.

Matthew 10: 32 - 33

Romans 10: 9 - 10

 

We must be immersed in water to wash our past sins away.

Mark 16: 16

Acts 2: 38

Acts 22: 16

 

We must then live faithfully unto death, as we read earlier in Revelation 2: 10. We must not fear what things the world can throw at us. We must overcome our fears and anxieties. We must trust God to take care of us in these times of trouble and worry.  


 

So why not obey the gospel, be saved, and allow God to be your reason to for living fearlessly in a fearful world? Why remain fearful, when God can help you?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...