… most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.
Summary: Confidence in the Lord is something every true believer desires. In this life, we are engaged in a spiritual battle. Our primary weapon is to proclaim the Gospel without fear.
Paul’s chains were made of iron. They were heavy, they bruised and chaffed the skin, and they could not be ignored. There are other chains in this life that are not as obvious. One of them is fear.
The online dictionary defines “fear” this way:
(noun) … an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat.*
Everyone knows what fear is, but not everyone experiences it the same way. Some fear can be good. A common example is teaching a child not to touch a hot stove. A healthy fear of pain can keep us from serious injury.
Unfortunately, unreasonable fears can also keep us from trying something new or achieving what God has planned for us to accomplish.
Unreasonable fears sneak into our consciousness in a variety of ways. Well-meaning parents, instead of teaching a useful fear, might inadvertently convey a personal fear that has no rational foundation. Suppose, for example, a woman who was traumatized by excessive fear as a child has a child of her own. Every time her fears surface, they are communicated to the child. Some children might shrug this off, but others might be burdened by a parent’s fears their entire lives.
Proclaiming the Gospel shouldn’t be a cause for fear, yet it often is.
Why?
Paul explains:
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil…” (Ephesians 6: 12a)
There is a battle raging, and we are in the middle of it. The enemy does not seem concerned with those too timid to fight. He is interested in those who, freed by the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, are willing to stand up against evil.
Simply speaking out about the Kingdom of God is enough to make you a target, but the people of God are not afraid. Just as a parent’s fear can be contagious and infect the child, Paul’s courage and faith in Jesus are also contagious.
Application: Jesus provides us with the courage to proclaim God’s Word.
Food for Thought: How does Satan discourage us from proclaiming the Gospel?
*The dictionary also adds this definition: archaic — a mixed feeling of dread and reverence: the love and fear of God. — This is a different kind of fear and one entirely appropriate when in the presence of the living God.
How does Satan discourage us from proclaiming the Gospel?
Satan has no power to make or force anyone to do evil. He does not reveal himself for who he truly is. Instead he comes to us as an angel of light, appealing to our flesh as he tempts and leads the spiritually weak away from God. His objective is to deceive all he can, possibly thinking numbers bring power, when in reality he is leading people into self-destruction, eternal separation from God.
Jesus describes the devil as “a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44
Who disguises himself as an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:14
He is the god of this age, has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Corinthians 4:4
While Satan can only tempt our flesh, Jesus Christ becomes our Spiritual power to overcome all lies leading to self-destruction, and effectively serve our God
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:11
Thank you, Ron.
You remind us of some very important points. Satan is the opposite of truth, and at the same time the opposite of forthrightness.
Thanks for the devotion and R2T2 covered the Scriptures well.
I think the demonic will mercilessly use anything and anyone at their disposal to discourage us from proclaiming the gospel. The enemy has a fear too – it is the proclamation of the gospel. So the battle rages and we need to remember that greater is He Who is in us than he who is in the world (1 John 4: 4).
Thank you, Rich!
I like that you point out the enemy is motivated by fear. That is absolutely true!
Scripture says that God is love (1 John 4:8). If Satan is the opposite of God, then he is the opposite of love … fear.
One way that Satan discourages us from proclaiming the Gospel is by trying to get us to believe that we are “inadequate” or “unworthy” to proclaim the Gospel.
A good example of this is in Exodus Chapters 3 and 4. God called Moses to deliver His message of redemption for His chosen people to Pharaoh, and to lead them out of bondage to the land He had promised them through Abraham (Hmm, sounds very much like Christ’s message for the world today!).
Moses’s rebuttals:
Exodus 3:11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
Keeping in mind that Moses was an Israelite that had been raised in the palace and had killed an Egyptian. It would be reasonable to assume that He knew that was accepted by neither the Israelite’s nor the Egyptians. This would be like someone fearing to share the Gospel because they had a sinful past.
Exodus 3:13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?”
Exodus 4:1 Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’”
Moses was bringing God’s message of a great transformation in the lives of the Israelite’s. A change in the relationship between God and the Israelite’s. Moses would have been asked a lot of hard questions. This would be like someone fearing to share the Gospel because they feared conflict and were unprepared to give an answer.
Exodus 4:10 10 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.”
This was Moses’s “I can’t.” This is Moses saying even if they accepted me, accepted the message I bring, I am unable to accomplish the task you [God] have given me.
The good news about faith in Christ and sharing the Gospel of Christ is that we are inadequate and unworthy, but He is not. He has promised to build us up, and to prepare the way, just as He did for Moses. God uses our past to show the transformative power of grace and redemption. He gives us the Word and the Holy Spirit to help us speak in truth. He uses the talents that He has given us to proclaim His Gospel, and gives us the courage and confidence to speak in love and not in fear.
Thank you, Chris!
So well said! Keeping our eyes on Jesus is the cure to fear!