DO NOT BE AFRAID PART 2

Last week, we discussed some things of which we should not be afraid. We should not be afraid to use what we have been given to work for God, nor should we be afraid to get involved in doing good.

We should not be afraid to take a stand for what is right, even if it means going against the crowd. In John 9, Jesus healed a man who had been blind from birth. When the Jewish leaders questioned the parents of the healed man about this miracle, they refused to commit themselves because they did not want to go against the crowd. “His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue” (John 9:22). Certainly the right way is not always the easy one. Being a faithful Christian calls for courage. The Bible says, “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13). It is tempting to yield to the crowd and go along with what everyone else is doing.

Jesus taught that the majority will choose the wrong course. “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). Christians should not seek to be like everyone and everything around them. Romans 12:2 encourages us, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

If we stand for what is right no matter what, it may cause us to lose friends, be ridiculed, and even suffer persecution. Paul writes, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). No, it is not always easy to do the right thing, especially when it means acting contrary to what others are doing and what they want us to do. However, if our faith in God rests firmly in our minds, worldly opposition loses its significance.

We should never be afraid to confess our faith in Christ. We are familiar of the story of Peter’s denial of Christ. Only a short time earlier, Peter had stated that he would die for Jesus. Yet, when confronted by enemies of Christ and pressured, he gave into his fear. He denied Jesus three times, the final time with cursing and swearing (Matthew 26:69-75). Jesus said, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. “But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33). May we always have the boldness and courage to declare our faith and love for Him everywhere and to everyone.

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