Bible Reading: Job 3&4; Acts 7:41-60
“For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me” Job 3:25(KJV)
Fear is a yoke, a tormentor, a predator and an intimidator. It crawls upon its prey and gradually overwhelm him. Fear attracts negative events and occurrences into a man’s life. It magnets negatives thoughts and produces negative vibrations. The ultimate attraction of fear is death. Fear is not expected to be in a believers’ dictionary. Fear breeds depression and sadness which can terribly overwhelm its victim to the point of death. Fear suffocates and reduces the ability of its victim to see beyond the now. We can see Job confessing that what he feared most has come upon him. Truly it is what you fear you attract, so Job feared to be poor, sick and incapacitated by disease, to lose his wealth and all these came upon him. Fear can erode our trust in God. Every man is a victim of his fear, “The fear of a man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe” Proverbs 29:25(KJV). Fear is not a state of the mind, it is a spirit (2 Timothy 1:7). Fear is devastating and is a robber. The spirit of fear is the spirit of exaggeration; this was the picture painted by the ten of the twelve spies sent out by Moses. They said the land eats up it inhabitants and yet people lived in it and they returned not eaten up (Numbers !3:32)
The major antidote to fear is faith and righteous living. Knowledge of God and the working power of His word when believed on can deflect fear from our life. This is why the just shall live by faith. When we have absolute trust in God and believe His word it translates into righteousness which in turn breeds boldness. “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion” Proverbs 28:1(KJV). As Christians we are called to live by faith because “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” 1 John 5:4 (KJV). We must strive to build up our faith in order to take delivery of our victory. Fear is an instrument of darkness and operates therein. On the other hand, faith is an instrument of light and operates in the light. As believers, we are properly informed in 2 Timothy 1:7(KJV), ”For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Apostle Paul further threw more light on this in Ephesians 3:12(KJV), “In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith in him” One of the strongest attributes and virtue of a true believer of Christ is faith in God which produces undeniable boldness. One of the exhibitors of such undeniable boldness in our time was late Archbishop Benson Idahosa of blessed memory. It takes uncommon boldness for someone to ride through a town as big as Benin-City looking for the dead to raise back to life by the power of God. We must as a matter of fact pursue the act of building up our faith, for that is the only way to bring to submission this untoward generation.
My dear reader, you must to come to Jesus Christ and accept Him as Lord and Saviour, in order for you to receive the Spirit of Truth. It is only then you can be a recipient of His righteousness which produces boldness in you to live triumphantly and victoriously on this earth.
Prayer: O God, my Father, endue me with Spirit of Truth which will release in me righteous boldness for my service in the kingdom.
Bro. Joel Ezeugo