Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– AB Simpson
No Reason to Fear
Christians are not fighting the Devil and the demons for victory, but from victory. That’s because Jesus has defeated the Devil and doomed his dominion. His days are numbered, and there’s nothing he can do to take us from God’s grip (John 10:27-28; Rom 8:31-39). For us, he’s like a toothless, declawed lion. It’s as if the war is over, and now only a few skirmishes occur, but of course, these spiritual warfare skirmishes can get very interesting.
A Defeated Foe
God allowed Job to be tested by Satan (Job 1:6-12), but there was one thing Satan couldn’t do, and that he could not take Job’s life. He was allowed to afflict him with boils and sores, and even worse, to take his beloved children from him. Even his wealth was gone, of which he cared little about, so now he was left with friends who turned on him and a wife who told him to “curse God and die” (Job 2:9). Job appeared defeated, but at the end of the Book of Job, we see that it was actually Satan who failed.
Not of God
Fear is not born of God. It can’t be. The only fear that is good and right is a proper and healthy fear of the Lord. Solomon wrote, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Prov 9:10). That’s where wisdom begins. To fear God is not a fear of being struck dead, but a holy, reverential respect and awe about God and His Word and obeying it. If you fear anything but God, then that fear’s misplaced and is a waste of time.
On the Solid Rock
I love the old hymn, On Christ the Solid Rock, where it says, “On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand…all other ground is sinking sand.” If it’s in Christ you’ve placed your trust, your trust’s is in the unmovable, unshakeable, Solid Rock, which is Christ. Stand on that Rock and come what may, you will never sink in sand.
Conclusion
Fear, other than a fear of God, is not from God but from Satan, and the fear of man is a big stumbling block too, as it says, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe” (Prov 29:25). Christians have no reason to fear God’s wrath anymore and surely Satan can’t separate us from God, so what is there to fear? For the children of God, there is nothing to fear but fear the Lord.
