"^A ^ hether you will admit it or not , there are few v v of us who do not experience fear in some manner. Man is the only creature on earth whose existence is passed in a state o f dread, who is prey to constant fear of one sort or another. Some people are possessed of physical fears; they live in constant dread o f the loss of health, and go to great lengths to keep themselves in the best possible physical trim. Some have social fears; they are afraid o f contact with other people, or they are fear ful lest they will not receive due recognition. Many a man doing business on Main Street operates his business with fear surging through his heart; he has fears concern ing his competitor, the loss of business or money. Still others are possessed of political fears; politicians fear their constituents and only too often trim their principles to suit the opinions of the voters. There are others who have fears regarding their appearances; they are afraid of being kept out of fashion, and because of this they will almost bankrupt themselves to keep up with the latest fads and fancies, literally selling every virtue to keep themselves in style; to them, “ keeping up with the Jone ses is the biggest thing in life. There are thousands of people who are afraid of death; to them death is com pletely a mystery and an unknown. They shudder and break out in beads of perspiration at the very thought of dying. A doctor said some time ago, “ Fears are the most dis ruptive thing we can have.” I know a lady who is in a mortal dread of germs. She stays inside her house, the prisoner o f her own fear, lest she meet one. She doesn’t realize that fear itself is ten times more deadly than the germ. I know a school teacher who had a basic fear which brought on a stomach ulcer; when she got rid of the fesar, she got rid of the ulcer. A former psychologist says, “ Fear is not natural, but faith is. I am so made and constructed that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life. Faith is oil. I live better by faith and confidence than by fear, doubt SEPTEMBER, 1963
and anxiety.” Here Christian victory is experienced. A Johns Hopkins doctor says that we do not know why it is that the worriers die sooner than the non worriers. But that is a fact. We are inwardly constructed in nerve, tissue, brain cell and soul for faith, and not for fear. God has made us that way. Therefore, the need of faith is not something imposed on us dogmatically, but is written in us intrinsically. We cannot live without it. To live by worry means ultimate destruction of body as well as of soul. Jesus said we áre not to fear; we are not to be any, ious: we are not to fret; we are not to worry. The Bible teaches that this type of fear is sin. “Peace I leave with you , my peace I give unto you . . . L et not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). The greatest fears are those of death, judgment and eternity. And these are indeed well-grounded fears, but confidence in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary and in His Word will conquer all such fears. If we trust Him, we do not need to fear judgment, for He shows us that the believer shall not come into condemnation. The Bible declares that for those in Christ, there is no ~ that the sting of death is gone for them. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he [Jesus Christ] also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy fum that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetim e subject to bondage?’ (Hebrews 2:14, 15). Your fears can be banished, yoür frustrations quieted; your worries can flee if today you give your heart and life to Jesus Chnst. Right where you are now you can TK “yCS: to Christ. You »«y, “What do I have to do?” A ll you have to do is at this instant submit your will to Him and accept Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour. You must acknowledge that you are a sinner, and then by faith let Chnst come into your heart. 13
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