“And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? And why do thoughts arise in your hearts?” (Luke 24:38).
TEXT — Luke 24:36-53
Message
In his sermon on Needless Fears of 11 June 1874, Charles Spurgeon noted that many believers are apprehensive about calamities they will never experience and crossing bridges that do not exist. Such people allow fear to rule their minds and determine their fate. According to Webster’s Dictionary, fear is ‘an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by expectation or awareness of danger’. The origin of the phenomenon of fear dates back to the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:10). This is why the Bible says, “The wicked flee when no man pursueth” (Proverbs 28:1) and that fear has torment (1 John 4:18-20).
There are times when our fears are baseless, arising from the figments of our imaginations and negative thought patterns, as evidenced in our text today. After the crucifixion of Christ, the disciples locked themselves behind closed doors, thinking all was lost. They were afraid when the risen Christ appeared to comfort and reassure them. They thought they had seen a ghost. Christ rebuked and blessed them, and they were full of ‘great joy’ (Luke 24:52).
Today, many people, including believers, live in fear. Fear of abandonment and failure, or decrease during economic recession. Some believers are apprehensive of losing their salvation or of persecution if they share their Christian convictions. The list is endless. If we question our fears and weigh them on the scale of the word of God, we would find no reason to entertain such negative worries.
Every challenge we face is covered by the promise of God in the Bible. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” As we fight fear with faith, we should hold on to the promise of God. “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed: for I am thy God… I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10).
Thought for the day
The 365 “Fear Nots” in the Bible cover us each for each day of the year.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
