Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." Deut. 31:6 (NKJV)
Richard Wurmbrand was faced with a very difficult situation; he sat and watched as many of his fellow clergymen of the Soviet Union announced that Christianity and communism could coexist because they feared Joseph Stalin and the Communist regime. Richard’s wife told him to wipe the shame from Jesus’ face, from the spit of the other ministers. Wurmbrand knew he would pay dearly if he stood against Stalin, but with the encouragement of his wife and the love and strength of the Savior he proclaimed Jesus over the open radio broadcast. He chose not to allow his fear to overtake him; he courageously stood despite the fear. Wurmbrand did pay dearly for his witness; however many lives have been touched and souls added to the kingdom of God
Although we are told many times in scripture to “fear not” we tend to hold on to this human emotion. We stop talking about Jesus openly and sharing the true saving faith that is found in Him alone, because we are afraid of what people will think of us, or do to us. We attempt to live a comfortable life; we will go wherever and whenever God sends us, as long as it is safe, we’re not too afraid, and we’re comfortable with it. We fear that God will take away our comfort and we withhold our full lives from Him. We are guilty of watering down the Gospel and quenching the Spirit because of our fear (1 Thes. 5:14 ).
If we buckle in the face of fear we limit our ability to grow as believers and followers of Christ; we set limits on our witness, and we will never experience the fullness of the mountain moving, life changing power of God here on Earth. We must instead stand in the face of fear, lean on the power of the Almighty God and press forward. If we are the light of the world that Jesus said we are in Matthew 5:14, then the eternal state of the souls of men (i.e. our friends and family) depend on it; we must be courageous despite fear so that men can hear the “Good News” of Jesus Christ (2Cor. 4:3): He loves us, all of us, and He desires an eternal relationship with each one of us (John 3:16, 2 Peter 3:9).
Are you allowing fear to stop you from doing the will of God? Maybe it is fear that you will lose comfort. Maybe it is a fear of persecution. Or maybe it is a fear that you do not have the ability or the know-how. Pray to God that you will have courage to stand in the face of fear, taking away its power, regardless of the outcome. Remember, if you are His: He is with you ALWAYS and He will forsake you NEVER!
