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Fear of Death
What do you fear? The most common and greatest fear, I have been
told many times, is the fear of public speaking. Some people fear
snakes and spiders. Some fear heights. Others fear water. Some
fear enclosed spaces. Some fear germs. Many fear death.
That last fear is the real problem. The
other fears might cause us to miss out on some good things. If you
fear heights, you will likely never know the breath-taking beauty
of God’s creation seen from the peak of a mountain. If you fear
water, you may never enjoy the fun of a white-water rafting trip.
If you fear germs, you may live a life of compulsive cleaning and
separation from people. However, if you fear death, Hebrews
2:14-15 says you will be subject to lifelong slavery.
Sadly, even Christians who claim to
have hope of eternity fear death, allowing death to have power
over them. We want to preserve life as long as possible. We think
death is the worst possible outcome for anyone. A loved one who is
a Christian dies and we think how awful it was, especially if they
died young.
No doubt, the death of a loved one is
awful for us. However, do you think Lazarus was upset in
Abraham’s side in Luke
16:22? In Acts
12, when James was killed but Peter was allowed to live,
who really got the short end of the stick? Do you think James was
complaining that He was stuck in paradise while Peter got to stay
down on the sinful and plague filled earth?
The fear of death enslaves us because
it focuses us on the preservation of our lives. In that mindset,
we are stuck on ourselves and our flesh. That, perhaps is the big
point. The fear of death is about our flesh. When our mind is set
on the flesh, it is impossible to walk by the Spirit.
It is an awful cycle. Many who fear
death do so because they live in sin. They know they have not
given themselves over to God. They know they have not surrendered
to Him fully. Thus, they are afraid to meet Him face to face. So
they work hard to preserve this life, focusing themselves on the
flesh. When they focus on the flesh, they just live in more sin,
causing more fear.
When we are in Christ, we don’t have
to fear death. When we are in Christ, we are forgiven and
cleansed. Jesus lived as one of us, in flesh and blood, and died
like one of us to destroy the one who has power over death. Satan
has no power over us in Christ. Therefore, death has no power, no
sting, no victory (I
Corinthians 15:54-56).
Do not fear death. Surrender to God. Let Him ease your
fears by the victory in Jesus.
Edwin L. Crozier
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