Be not afraid – part 1

Have you ever felt lonely, a failure, rejected, uncertain, you being judged, something bad is about to happen, or you may get hurt?
What does it mean to be afraid?

More present than ever nowadays, fear affects us all, especially the fear of disease, wars, suffering, death, losing your job, enclosed spaces, heights, spiders and many more. Anxiety and fear often lead to moments of panic or psychosis that often exceeds the individual level. The fact that we have to isolate ourselves in our houses now, wear protective face masks, pay attention to things that were once deemed normal, breeds a more cautious individual prone to be hesitant.

Pandemics have occurred when we’ve least expected them bringing about harsh consequences like restrictions, conflicts, protests, and division between society. The economic and social crisis breeds more self-doubt, vulnerability and the feeling that you no longer know what to do and where to go. It gives you the unwanted feeling that you are controlled by fear, a deep sense of helplessness and constant uncertainty. But at the same time, we can’t help but notice that nowadays people are more afraid of everything other than God.

However, even those who still remember the fear of God forget the dread of sin. Today people know more about the fear of God than about His love. This is the angle from which we will present things, in the context in which man’s insecurity can call into question even this, that of God’s love for man. On top of that, the reality of now and forever proves to us that the biblical approach to fear melds itself as the closest thing to the truth. Psychology has studied fear in countless ways having an outstretched hand for many. But the Bible stretches out its own palms full of a deep understanding for the things only it can comprehend.

Why is this?
This is because fear even if it is related to external factors and specific contexts of human life, reaches the most intimate springs of the human soul. The soul of man is a field that can be best understood by the One who created it, God. Fear is written 501 times in the King James Bible, while fear not is recorded 365 times. It may be the most commonly used consolation of all the encouragements we can find written in the Scriptures. This is also because fear has always been present in human life since the first human beings had fallen short of the test of (obedience) to God. Faith is proven to be closely related to fear. Fear being from this perspective is both a first fruit and unbelief as its test.

Fear the first fruit of unbelief
Disciples know that sin separates them from Him, but fear does the same. It breaks the connection with God. Our unbelief binds the Creator’s hands not to save us, but fear also shackles God’s hands to support us. Fear is one of the most common feelings, but it’s also a great nuisance for society. It can reach levels that are sometimes difficult to comprehend.

The portrait of a fearful man
The portrait of a fearful man does not delight anyone and few recognise themselves immortalised by it. And yet, it is also good to keep this in mind because the possible recognition of the truth can grant us liberation. Firstly, the fearful man does not trust himself, others, or even the one true God. He sees it all in the light of the question: “What could possibly happen to me?” In addition, it is not advisable to be friends with a fearful man. At the lightest weight, he will still let you go. But, above all, may God keep you far away from him. Stay away to trust that the fearful man will protect you, or help you in times of hardship. A fearful man is a nuisance to himself and others, so can be said with a Disciple experiencing the negatives of spiritual fear. It is a nuisance for the salvation of the soul and a great sin.

Why can fear be a sin?
It’s a sin because the fearful Disciple cannot trust in the capability and guidance of Him. And, not infrequently, it denies the omnipotence of God. The fearful Disciple hasn’t the kind of God to help them and escape adversity when needed. He does not really know God, who can save him from any situation. God loved us first and removed every obstacle that stood between him and us through Jesus. So, it all starts with getting to know Christ and building the foundation from there. From this perspective, the Disciple coward is worse than the unfaithful coward.

Why is this?
Because the unbeliever says openly that he does not believe in God and does not trust Him. The fearful Disciple says that he believes in God, but through his own fear, he denies the Creators power. The God of the fearful man is just minuscule and rather incompetent. The fearful Disciple has God’s promises, power, and love firmly on his side, but he trembles beside Him. God has granted him will, wisdom, power, and boldness, but he cannot wield this fruit because of fear. He sees all things in the light of insecurity. The fearful Disciple can do nothing for his own salvation or for others. He is a light victim of satan, who plays with him like a cat and mouse. A fearful man is not of any deed but thrust firmly into battle or warfare. When we talk about a battle-hardened soldier, we have the image of a man full of ability and courage. A soldier by nature must be brave and full of gallantry. A fearful soldier is something ridiculous, a reason for laughter and concern.

A fearful man is not for the army, nor is the army for him, he will be discharged quickly. A standing army is there to protect the nation and its dependent territories will always be its first role. Highly trained soldiers are ready to deploy anywhere at any time to meet a variety of challenges. The power of a fighting unit is displayed by the soldier’s courage, boldness, bravery and sacrificial spirit. With an army of fearful men, no battles have ever been won, this truth has always been known. We also find this truth in the scriptures.
On the way to Canaan, the homeland of the promise, God Himself instructs Moses to drive out the fearful fighters, to send them home so as not to soften the hearts of other soldiers. If this is compulsory by a battle-ready soldier, it’s all the more mandatory of those who are at the head of the army. Just imagine a commander fleeing the battlefield before the soldiers he commands?

Not to mention deserters and traitors are recruited from the cowardly, hypocritical people who praise you face to face, then mock you afterwards, kiss you today and brush you off tomorrow. Fear is both a hindrance to salvation and the temptation of Satan. That is why it runs like a red thread throughout the Bible. God in the Old Testament is often put in the position of repeating His words:

Jeremiah 1:8
“Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord. So does Jesus Christ too:

John 16:33
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

The Lord puts this before His children, because not being afraid is the beginning of victory and salvation, just as fear is the onset of defeat and downfall. Being not afraid is a precious gift to all His elect and His victorious children. Before approaching this very important topic we must first understand a few key points. There is instinctual fear, part of the group of defence impulses of our being, which also has its purpose. However, it can also include styles related to the pathological field, forms reminiscent of depression, anxiety, isolation and other conditions that limit or paralyse actions and relationships, including those akin to God.

From a biblical perspective, fear has its roots in unbelief and non-involvement, including indifference, in which the consequences are directly linked. The TV and media like to push the agenda of fear in films and movies, which tugs on the strings of the very being of man. There is the healthy fear of God, and Satan has his mirror the unhealthy fear of the devil. What is the fear of the devil?
Firstly we should never minimise the power of evil. Being aware that the devil is well-versed in the Word is the way to wisdom, as he has a great ability to deceive. From this perspective Peter teaches:

1 Peter 5:8
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, roams about, seeking whom he may devour:”

But let’s not forget for one moment that he is a loser. He was defeated and crushed at the cross. We should never be afraid of the devil, but we should also note he was a rebel at the beginning and a murderer. In this sense, many people experience trepidation of the devil, but they have a very strange terror, which turns out to be a false fear. The Bible mentions dreams, and it is clear that God can and does speak to people through dreams. So the mirror would be the devil speaking to people as dreams or nightmares. People are afraid of the night terrors, but they seem not to be afraid of the devil by day?
He believes that the devil dwells in desolate places, but does not recognise him in wrongdoings and his own sin.
A true Disciple is not even afraid of the night, because the Lord Jesus is with him day and night. The psalmist says:

Psalms 91:3-6
“Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings, you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the (terror) by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.”

A disciple who is apprehensive of the night and fears nightly terrors has a God with whom he does not dare to travel with at night. This kind of fear is evidence of a soul weak in faith. This does not mean that walking during the night is encouraged as if you were a deer guarded by lions.

So what is the fear of God?

One of the main clues is that it is the beginning of wisdom. The fear of God implies a reverent, respectful fear of the One who gave us life and the One who keeps everything alive. Healthy fear is not committing offensive acts to a heavenly Father, to whom you owe not only total obedience but also trust and Agape love. The peace of God should rule our hearts, and we should live in His peace. We then can become peacemakers who are blessed.

Sacred fear underlies religion and man’s relationship with God. Obedience and faith are by keeping the commandments that are there for our benefit. This begins the journey that leads to loving the knowledge and wisdom of God. Guarding our hearts against sin, with the healthy fear of offending God through evil, helps us to understand the Lord by his commandments which reveal His nature. A great man of God said, “that if you want to know the unseen God, all you have to do is keep His commandments.” The whole of the Old Testament especially the book of Proverbs and the book of Psalms is full of the praise and the healthy fear of God. The Lord God Himself spoke to Moses this message:

Deuteronomy 6:13
“You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take (oaths) in His name.”

In ancient Israelite society, (oaths) were of tremendous importance. It was believed that just through speech, one could affect the nature of empirical reality, and people needed to be careful with precisely what they said. There are people whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Whoever restrains his words has the knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of great understanding:

Psalms 33:8-9
“Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.”

Healthy Fear has its place in the plan of salvation. When the healthy fear of God awoke, it also awakened the reality of unhealthy fear. In this sense Solomon said:

Proverbs 8:13
The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate.”

Proverbs 6:16-19
“These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.”

Proverbs 14:27
“The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.”

But let us not forget that the healthy fear of God alone will not save a soul. Fear is our teacher pointing the way to the Holy Spirit and in turn to Christ and the love of God. The heavenly Father shows us that there is reconciliation through His Son, and now we must live and serve Him in love and be thankful, for this is a pathway to peace. Golgotha ​​is the peak of death and the fear of God. This fear passes away only when a man dies completely to the world and to sin.

The Bible is full of situations where we can witness people trembling and fearing God but not straightening up. What is meant by this, is that they have no backbone and steadfast repentance. Under the thunder and lightning of Mount Sinai, the Israelites trembled with the healthy fear of God. But that didn’t stop them from getting impatient, losing faith and building a golden calf to worship. Humans today are led astray by the entertainment industry pumping us full of unhealthy fear through horror movies, if they made shows with a healthy fear of God, this would over time reverse the effects of sin. Netflix please take note! The healthy fear of God must lead us to Golgotha. Therefore, it is a starting point for all Disciples and religious people. We find sacred fear in other religions, but Christianity is above religion or a denomination.

From this perspective, what really set apart Christianity from other religions, is the transcendence of religion, i.e the existence or experience beyond the normal or physical level. This pushes the boundaries of overcoming unhealthy fear in the context of the law and orientates it firmly towards love and relationship. From a biblical perspective, the opposite of fear is not first of all courage, but love. And, the opposite of love is not hatred, but fear. When the Bible places fear in relation to love, it actually puts its finger firmly on the wound that hurts humanity the most:

1 John 4:18
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”

This biblical scripture remains a sharp echo that reverberates the soul.

The Father-Son relationship

Fear, in its condemnable form, is no longer justified when God is with His true believers in a Father-son relationship. This is clear from the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father). The Lord’s Prayer could start with Father who art in heaven, but it starts with (our) Father meaning a family relationship with His son’s and daughters. Only in Christianity, is the God-man relationship, not an institutionalised affiliation. In the pagan symbols and signs, there god little (g) is at the top of the pyramid. Then there are some (initiates) some (sages) to whom he reveals himself, and the rest are ignorant and ignored, who must worship the (pyramid) of spiritual Egypt. God big (G) does not want this with us. There is an organic relationship between man and God, or a family relationship. Therefore, He says even more so through the mouth of His Son Jesus Christ:

John 15:14-15
“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant, does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”

To make things clear about what He calls the commandment, let us remember His words:

John 15:12-13
“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

Moreover, Jesus Christ is in a marriage relationship, He is the (Bridegroom) and His elect are the (bride). Is the Groom waiting for His bride frowning ready for punishment?
Or does He wait with joy for the bride her groom in fear?
The truth of the matter is also found in the pages of other Christian literature. It helps us to go deeper into things and to understand that in the family when unmixed truth is intertwined with pure love, men can be men who were created by God to be without the need to dominate because no insecurity is found within them in the first place. In fact, insecurity and fear try to hide a need or desire that craves to be nurtured. This is the greatest abyss into which love can sink. Through true love, man becomes a real man, and women can be the joy that they were created for because their love has overcome fear. True love will never try to dominate, manipulate, or attempt to control through jealousy. Insecurity is freed from the shackles of selfish notions, for the need to view relationships as opportunities to gain something from others. Forgiveness is key, and then your love will shine brightest in the darkest moments in your relationship.

Where does fear come from?

Fear, ultimately, arises from the poor management of the fear instinct. The instinct of fear is part of the group of defence instincts, respectively, of conservation, planted by God inside us for the preservation of the human species. From the time we’re infants, we are equipped with the survival instincts necessary to respond with fear when we sense danger or feel unsafe. This fear is shared with the animal kingdom. With the world de-evolving instincts have also suffered, hence healthy fear has turned into an unhealthy fear of self, pride, and control which is a sin.

Instinct by itself is neither sinful nor virtuous. It is just a tool that is provided to us by God for survival. However, the degeneration of this instinct inevitably brings a disintegration of the human character leading to spiritual death. The Bible teaches that God has not given you the spirit of fear. He has not given you an obsession to worry, this fear, this terror, somebody else has, the devil. He would like nothing more than to distract you from God and to affect your ministry and calling. The spirit of temptation will make you continually worry in ebbs and flow. Fear can ultimately be used as a tool by propaganda to muzzle a person and a nation. But in the Book of Revelation there is one thing that should make us stop and think:

Revelation 21:8
“But the fearful, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Isn’t it surprising by the order in which sins are placed?
The fearful and unbelieving are at the top. So how is fear seen as greater than murderers?
Well from fear spawns many other things like the distrust of the Almighty God, respectively, His role as a kingdom sovereign. Unbelief captures your belief that nothing you do is worth the effort and has no value. In the end, you reach an unproductive lifelessness, bringing spiritual self-destruction, first and foremost. We should never play around with fear like we do today. Fear is no joke. The Divine Promise: “Do not be afraid!” is the basis of victory.

This message is more current than ever today, and should not be treated superficially by any Disciple who loves his soul. Fear comes from weak faith. Courage, on the other hand, starts from a genuine, strong, living trust in God. The Bible is full of men and women of remarkable courage. Good courage is fueled by faith in the ultimate reality that God promises his people. In the Old Testament there is clear evidence that God has always been with His people and constantly encouraging them:

Isaiah 43:1-2
“But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.”

This is why we see in the pages of the Bible, many people who have overcome themselves primarily by trusting in the Lord God. Isaiah said:

Isaiah 12:2
“Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid; For Yah, the Lord is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.”

The bravery of the Lord and all fighting Christians comes out from a strong faith in God. The Bible is full of such conquerors. But, the Old Testament also presents situations that prove that in the lives of otherwise courageous people, oscillating moments of fear can often occur. Such is the disease of fear and distrust of the Lord. Thus, we see the prophet Elijah, who was not afraid of King Ahab, he was not afraid of the 300 priests of Baal, but then he fled for fear of a woman, Jezebel, and trembled for the fear of death under a juniper. David was one of the Lord’s elect in the Old Testament who seems to have taken more from the divine promise: “Do not be afraid!” In Psalm 55:2-5 we see him trembling with fear of men:

Psalms 55:2-5
“Attend to me, and hear me; I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily, Because of the voice of the enemy, Because of the oppression of the wicked; For they bring down trouble upon me, And in wrath they hate me. My heart is severely pained within me, And the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me, And horror has overwhelmed me.”

Although the Lord had assured David that He will be with him in his battle with Saul, yet in a moment of weak faith, he said to himself:

1 Samuel 27:1
“And David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me anymore in any part of Israel. So I shall escape out of his hand.”

But we also have some verses from him that speak of another David, full of courage:

Psalms 27:1
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?

Psalms 46:1-3
“God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling.”

Psalm 23:4
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

Prophets must be mentioned in the line of people with great boldness and courage. Most of the prophets are a great example of this, who can do all things through him who strengthens them. Many have paid with their lives having the audacity to shout, “That’s what the Lord says!” wherever they were sent and without sparing anyone. The heroes of the Old Testament followed those of the New Testament. And all of them have been followed over the centuries to the present day, by the crowd of martyrs who sacrificed their own lives, for the victory of the gospel. The Bible is full of heavenly messages of “Do not be afraid.” Through them the Lord God offers Himself as a kind of guarantee and security, telling us clearly not to be afraid because He is with us.

The elect of the Lord and all the children of God throughout time have carried in their souls this promise, this assurance, and with it they have stood fast and overcome. All the elect of the Lord, all the victorious Christians were men of courage, they were people who feared nothing but (sin). Yes, there were folk who knew fear but they received courage. They acquired courage through faith, living strong with an unshakable conscience, and trusting that the Lord is with them. They became vessels that the Lord used and cares for and that He also leads to victory. Jesus came to repair what sin had ruined in the Garden of Eden, in Adam’s soul, and in male-female relationships.

Fear did not initially exist in human nature. God created a perfect man, but satan had enticed man, that he would become according to the likeness of God through his independence and self-government, without the collaboration of the Holy Spirit. But once the temptation overcame them, the consequences of sin began to manifest beginning with fear. By sinning, Adam knew that he had come out of obedience with God, and this feeling aroused fear in him. Genesis 3:9-10 marks the moment when mankind marked his forehead and heart with sin. And the Lord God called to Adam, and said to him, Where are you?
And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself.” Fear is therefore the first consequence of sin. It is the natural consequence of their disobedience. Jesus Christ came to save humanity from sin and to put back the relationship of obedience and family. The apostle Paul said:

2 Timothy 1:7
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

1 John 3:8
“For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”

Fear needed to be broken. Fear is the opposite of faith. God wants us to walk by faith, and Satan wants us to walk by fear. When we learn to live by faith and not let fear dominate our life, we can live a fulfilling, satisfying, peaceful and joyful life in Christ:

Matthew 10:16
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

And warns them that:

Matthew 10:18
“You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.”

In the context in which He warned them of the dangers that awaited them and that had the power to frighten them, he also encouraged them. He said:

John 16:33
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

And he reminded them that:

Matthew 10:30-31
“But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

God cares about the smallest details of our lives. This does not mean God will always, in all cases, prevent harm or hardship from coming to His Disciples. It does mean that we should not interpret difficult times as abandonment by God. The lesson of trust, faith, and fear was one of the first lessons the Master had in mind for His disciples. This is also highlighted in the episode with the storm at sea when the disciples panicked because of fear. They even rebuked him, telling him:

Mark 4:38
“But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”

The picture is clear that fear is put next to unbelief and fear kills faith. It’s also evident that fear was not yet completely dead in the New Testament either. Fear was ripe even when the disciples were with Jesus. Relevant in this regard is the episode in the Garden of Gethsemane when they came to arrest Jesus. The Bible teaches:

Matthew 26:56
“But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.”

In a moment of courage, Peter even drew his sword to protect the Lord, and he solemnly declared:

Matthew 26:35
Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And so said all the disciples.”

Then later he betrayed the Lord three times because of fear and the maid. We meet the spirit of fear even after the immediate moment of the Resurrection when Jesus appeared to Thomas the unbeliever. The Lord found the apostles in a house with the doors locked for fear of the Jews. This episode is described in the book of John 20:19-20. The antidote where fear shrinks away is Pentecost with the divine presence of the Holy Spirit. Jesus sent us help for all times in the person of the Holy Spirit or the Ruach Ha-Kodesh:

John 14:16-17
“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”

The moment is captured in the book of Acts of the 2nd chapter when at Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended. From now on we will not find traces of fear among the disciples of Jesus. Pentecost was a pivotal moment when there was a notable change in the people of God, who became courageous and bold showcasing power snd authority. For example, the apostle Peter is unrecognisable. We see him renounce Christ three times but after the descent of the Holy Spirit, we see another Paul, who proclaims the Lord Jesus as the Messiah full of boldness and power after repentance. With the majesty of the Holy Spirit within him, he performed many miracles among the people. In front of the Sanhedrin Peter snd John boldly amazed everyone who had raised eyebrows:

Acts 4:13
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marvelled. And they realised that they had been with Jesus.”

In the book of Acts we see them confidently confronting the entire Council:

Acts 4:19
“But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.”

With this flag of “Don’t be afraid!” all the victorious believers have passed through the world in faith. In this way of total obedience, we see Stephen the first of the martyrs. After powerfully announcing the crucified Jesus, he dies suddenly under a hail of stones by the Jews. When we speak about courage, we must remember the apostle Paul, whose life pivotally shines from this perspective. He is a true hero in the New Testament, who through the power of the Holy Spirit reached the height of bravery and courage to proclaim the crucified Christ. Through him, we see what fortitude, and audacity can do with a Holy Spirit driven mind. The book of Acts teaches:

Acts 20:18-24
“And when they had come to him, he said to them: “You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews; how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”

The whole of Hell seemed to have bound itself to this great man, wanting to awaken in him to the paralysing notions of fear and to separate him from Christ. But nothing frightened him, although he went through awful trials and tribulations:

2 Corinthians 11:23-27
Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.”

But he was confident and said:

Acts 21:13
Then Paul answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

Trusting and loving the Lord must lead not only to the death of fear but also to the joy of suffering for Him, in persecution and distress. Christian martyrs never sway from righteousness because Christ specifically promises heaven when they reach the shore of eternity. So it has been and so it will be at the end of days, the times in which we live. The Holy Spirit works today just as He did yesterday. The signs of His presence are inexhaustible and undeniable.

A true disciple of the Holy Spirit is first and foremost a fearless soul. Fear of people, fear of the world died in him. He is ready to suffer anything for the Lord and for the salvation of his soul. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit did not grant fearful Christians to the world. Disciples are sealed with the wind of the Ruach Hakodesh who quickens, fills, comes upon and comforts. Courage and boldness are a sign of a true Disciple, a soldier in God’s army refined through the heavenly wind:

Philippians 1:21
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”