"Fear Of Who?"

"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:28

Who do we fear? Has our fear of man replaced our fear of God? Have we stopped speaking the truth when the situation dictates because we fear man more than we fear God? Have we stopped contending for the faith because we fear man above our fear of God? Have we ceased to be obedient to the commands of God because of our fear of man?

King Saul is our example of the consequences of fearing man more than we fear God. "And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice." (1 Samuel 15:24) The Lord rejected him from being king over Israel.

"The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe." (Proverbs 29:25) The fear of man will bring a snare that will disturb our peace. It also brings a snare that will entangle us and lead us into sin.

"I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass." (Isaiah 51:12) Why do we fear people- their opinions, their words, their looks, their responses, their threats- more than we fear God? They are no different than we are. They will all die one day just like we will. Their power is limited just like ours is. They aren't God, they can only kill the body- if God permits- and after that there is nothing else they can do to us. It is the fear of the Lord that we must be more concerned with than the fear of man, because He has the power to destroy both soul and body.

How do we stop fearing man? The antidote is to fear God. It is better to have them look down upon us, talk about us, ridicule us, persecute us, than to have God "frown" upon us.

Have a great day. When you truly fear God, you won't fear man.

For further reading:
Acts 4:19
Psalm 111:10
Proverbs 1:7; 8:13; 9:10
Isaiah 33:6

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.
Please feel free to
call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.
You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.