Bold Influence

Most people can easily remember a time that they were genuinely afraid. In November 2008, in a city called Netanya, on a boardwalk adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea, I was paralyzed with fear in the grips of a stranger. Since then, every time a situation occurs, I feel my heart in my throat, my fingers tingling, and an aneurysm-like pounding in my head. My mind replays that particular memory and the physical experience of that encounter and views every fearful situation as if to the same degree.

The first place in the Bible that speaks about fear is found in Genesis Chapter 3; Adam and Eve hid themselves from God because of their nakedness. When God called to him, Adam said, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked. And I hid.” From there, we read about peoples’ encounters with fear all the way to the Revelation of John. I read that the words “fear not” (or similar to) appear in the Bible 365 times – one for every day of the year. Jesus tells us not to fear, but we more often listen to our sensations rather than the Word of God.

Fear makes people run, fight, or freeze dead in their tracks. Proverbs 29:25 declares, “the fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.” And Hebrews 13:6 proclaims, “So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” What man can do to us … that is really the gist of it all.

A snare is a trap. Setting snares is an art form of your enemy, the adversary, the evil one, the author of evil, the father of lies, the prince of this world. The best-used means of the adversary to try and usurp God’s glory and purpose is His people. Yes, the adversary’s go-to tools are other people, your fear, and your past.

Is this a problem for Christians? Yes. Indeed. In every respect. There are three statements in the Bible that leave no room for argument as to what is commanded of us:

1) Love God (Mark 12:30-31)

2) Love your neighbours as yourself (Matthew 22:39)

3) Go and make disciples and teach them what Jesus taught and still teaches us (Matthew 28:19-20).

The number one fear of Christians today is sharing the gospel with people who have not heard it or seen it in action. We are what God uses to share the gospel.

The book of Genesis tells us that the enemy was roaming the earth in the beginning. The Apostle Peter reiterates that in 1 Peter 5:8, and nothing, in that regard, has changed one iota. When the enemy throws down a false flag, he throws confusion into our situations and circumstances. He reminds us of our past sin and convinces us that if we open our mouths, we will be found out. We will be found to be imperfect and lacking in knowledge. We will be humiliated. We will lose family and friends. But no one has ever died from embarrassment.

God, through Jesus Christ, has given us all power and authority needed to trample on serpents. Our testimony is not necessarily and only about who we were, what we did, how we did it, and who we did it with. Our testimony is about who we are, what we are called to do, how we are called to do it and, who we are to do it with.

The idea of this post is not to criticize or condemn, but to encourage and remind you that you ARE a disciple of Jesus regardless of your age, your gender, your level of education, family situation, or how long you’ve been a believer.

You ARE justified with Christ and one with him in spirit. You ARE free from the condemnation of your enemy. You ARE free, established, anointed, ARE sealed by the Spirit of God. You ARE powerful! You HAVE a sound mind. And you CAN do ALL things through Christ who strengthens you! So be bold and courageous and keep his word on your lips at all times.

“And with great power, the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.” Acts 4:33