Fear

And I said to you, 'I am the Lord your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.' But you have not obeyed my voice."

Judges 6:10 ESV

https://bible.com/bible/59/jdg.6.10.ESV 


I often hear about God's regular call to not be afraid. But I haven't often read it as a command, as it clearly comes across here. The Israelites had taken over the land of the Amorites, but they still feared their gods. 


Before we judge the Israelites, what about us? They were delivered from Egypt; we've been delivered from the devil. They passed through the Red Sea; we have passed, through faith in Christ, with Him from death to life. 


Having received eternal life, we don't need to fear any deathly counterfeit religion. When I was young, Islamic terrorism was the big scare. Now once again, it's probably communism. 


Why are we afraid of false ideologies when we know the truth? We're like the boy who observes that the Emperor's new clothes are no clothes at all. If eternity is ours, nothing this life throws at us needs to scare us. 


'Almighty God, may we recognise the importance of courage and bravery to You, and for You. Thank You that we don't need to be afraid, please forgive us if we are, in Jesus's name, amen'

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