Monthly Archives: October 2015

Obedient

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

The range of emotions that lie within me right now is seemingly innumerable. Those close to me hear of my prayers of heavenly help in guarding them. The strains of life, both personal and spiritual are ever pressing into one another. The strains of small business, all that encompasses family, and seeing a world steep in sin, weigh on me heavily. They morph into each their own; they flood the mind when solitary concentration is desired. Thoughts seemingly run parallel, in series if you will, seeing how each is affected by the other. My family is second only to my Savior, yet the cares of business and the frustrations of society play out before them. My hearts desire is for those living for the world, would understand the futility of that misguided focus on a temporal life. 2nd Timothy 2:24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will. We are seeing a world being led by false teachers in grand pulpits; we are seeing a world led by the idolatry of self; we are seeing the gospel watered down to a needy Jesus that just desires to be “accepted,” not the Righteous Judge who demands repentance, submission, and obedience. I challenge you to review your pastors ability to preach on Hell; do you hear of the condemnation of sin, or only the promises of Heaven? There is equal power of God in the conviction of sin, and the hope of the gospel.

What drives you? When the strains of life come, what keeps you focused? Is it some means of escape, some coping device that takes your mind off reality? Is it some desire to gain more from life? Is it pleasures measured by properties that demand financial responsibilities? Is it the pursuits of happiness that demand countless hours of sacrifice to obtain those goals? What do you believe; what at your core drives your every decision in life? If you believe that this life is the pinnacle, then for less than 100 years do you pursue all it has to offer? If you believe this life is temporal, and preparation for eternal paradise (or damnation), you live in preparation. Fear is one of Satan’s greatest tools, yet God uses it against him. Satan may want you to fear many things, things that when you have a worldly focus, seem overwhelming. Yet when you see them as small as they are, no matter how big they seem, you have the power of God within you to overcome anything. 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. God. Is. In. Control.

I would be lying to you, if I told you I was not afraid of this trip to India. I have never been out of the country, never shut down my business, never left my family for two weeks; an endless list, but I have never stepped out in faith at this level before. I am stepping out of my boat as Peter did after Jesus commanded him to walk on the water with Him. Why am a going you ask? I am being obedient to a call to go; a clear tug on my heart to go one Sunday morning, confirmed at church only an hour later; I am being obedient. When you are gripped by fear, stepping out into the unknown, facing a giant tribulation in life, pray and get into the Word of God. There is nothing else that will change your life like time in the Bible. The secret, the true secret to life though, is the daily preparation before the trial comes. God will strengthen your faith, prepare your heart, and use your testimony to encourage others that see you face the tribulation. Be brave, be bold, be a faithful soldier of Jesus’ army who will fight the good fight with the strength he provides. 2 Timothy 2:3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.

Doors in the Stairwell

Genesis 12:11 Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.

Abram was being told by God to go, just to go, not to know the details of the trip, but to just leave the comforts of home, and out into the unknown. He was told to leave at a time of coming worldly inheritance (his father dying), to leave for unknown inheritance. God knew Abram’s heart for the Lord, God knew the great faith and the future He had planned for his descendants, but Abram only knew to trust God. Abram walked with the Lord in great faith, a faith that has left him known as the patriarch of faith in the Bible. Abram trusted God and walked in that trust wherever, and however God directed him. He had an abiding walk with God so close that his lineage includes the very Son of God, who came to save the world.

Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. I am a nobody, I am a humble spirit broken of sinful pride by the hand of God. I have chased earthy treasures, only to realize they have no value. I have chased sin, only to find the sting of it once held. I have been learning of the trials of discipleship as I have drawn closer to God; I have learned of those things I must suffer for my faith, but in all of it, I have learned obedience. The stairs of obedience is the stairway to heaven. If you in your heart are wanting to know God, to get closer to God, you must obey as Abram to every, single thing his Holy Spirit lays on your heart. The commands will be painful, they will require changes, and they will require the faith to step out of your comfort zone, out of your boat as Peter did, to walk on the water with Jesus. Matthew 14:28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. If you are staying in the security of the boat, how will you ever walk with Jesus?

I know, each, and every one of us can account to something God has laid on our hearts to obey, and we have acted like we didn’t hear him. That has become a closed door in our heavenly stairwell. That disobedience is keeping us from drawing closer to Jesus, closer to an abiding relationship with our heavenly Savior; abiding is a state of being “in Christ.” Don’t you think that Peter was in Christ as he walked on the water? How many times in history has a mortal man defied physics as we know it? Peter’s great faith, Peter’s understanding that he could only do it if Jesus commanded him to, that act of obedience took him to a place of intimacy with the Lord. Can you imagine what Peter was feeling with Jesus in that moment? What if your lack of obedience was keeping you from getting closer to heaven? What if in your heart you knew your relationship would grow if you just simply obeyed that act you denied? Could not God build a powerful testimony through your stepping out of the boat? Only by returning to that undone deed, will you ever open that heavenly door and step out into the unknown, where Jesus is.

Praise Him Today!

Luke 19:40 But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”

Jesus was coming into Jerusalem on his triumphal entry, riding in as a king, yet in the humility as a sacrifice. He was entering to the praise of the ones who would only a few short days later call for his execution. He wept for their hard hearts as he entered the city. His disciples, maybe even wrapped up in the moment of seemingly victory, began to praise his name loudly as he came down into town. The crowd quickly grew, both those that wanted to praise Him, and those prideful Pharisees that wanted him dead. They began to try and silence the crowd; they demanded that Jesus tell them to shut up, but Jesus told them all of creation was designed to praise him in this passage above. “This was, in effect, literally fulfilled, when, upon men’s reviling Christ upon the cross, instead of praising him, and his own disciples’ sinking into a profound silence, the earth did quake and the rocks rent.” (Matthew 27:51)

You know how a new Christian is sometimes called “on fire” for Jesus? They have experienced him so personally in forgiveness, in his grace, and mercy for seeing their life before, just covered by His blood for them on the cross. They have such a desire to share their testimony and faith with others, they simply cannot contain it; no matter who hears, who cares not, they will boldly proclaim their faith. Sadly if they do not become rooted in daily prayer and his Word, the old devil will dim their fire, and the world will regain their focus and attention of what has no matter. They will be the people that Jesus talks about in the parable of the soils (Matthew 13:1-23) 20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Did they loose their salvation; did they ever have it? Only Jesus knows the answer to those questions, but we are clearly called to produce fruit as a disciple of his, and a heart that remains on fire for him and lives as a disciple will produce heavenly fruit that is a sweet aroma to God. They live their lives in praise of the One who gave them eternal life.

This world is like I have never seen in my lifetime, rebelling against God. The evil of the world is peaking, which means Satan is that much closer to his final defeat when Jesus returns soon. Being a Christian means you are now an outsider, you are going against the cares of the world, seeing the world for the sin-filled state it is, and proclaiming repentance and praising Jesus. You are boldly living by the Truth found in the Bible, when society says their is no absolutes. You are standing for your faith, when it may costs you friends and family. Will you sing our praises to Jesus? Will you be his light at work or school today? Will they see something in you that makes you different? Those questions in their hearts, may become openly asked when they are obedient to the tugs He is placing there; all because you are praising him today. Be bold, be obedient, be a positive Christian in a negative world and let Jesus use you today to draw others to him.

Straight Furrows

Luke 9:62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Oh what a sermon is in the context of this passage in Luke 9:57-62. This is the beginning of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem, the beginning of his end, leaving this world for the next. He is on a pilgrimage, both of the road, and in this life, just as we are told in Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Without ever understanding you are just passing through this life, this life is only a journey to your eternal home, you will never understand how to become a disciple of Jesus Christ which is your ultimate calling to become. You might play church, practice religion, or you just might not worry about any of it lost in false hope, but Jesus calls you to lay down your life as his disciple, just as he laid down his life to give you eternal life.

Jesus was approached on this road by three people proclaiming their faith, yet when He questions the level of it, they find themselves lacking. All had the desire, but yet lacked the heart of total commitment. They found themselves placing duties, seemingly more important duties, above total abandonment to following Jesus. There is nothing and no one that should be placed in higher importance than your Savior. Jesus’s words sting when he tells us of the cost of following him. Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. He is by no means calling us to “hate” anyone, especially those that have been given to us by Him. He is calling us to love him greater than anyone or anything in this world. That is total abandonment to him, that is the first step in discipleship. My wife knows I love her second to my Savior.

Being a disciple, being sold out to the next life, brings abandonment in this life. It brings a simplicity with obedience to his will for your daily life. My hearts desire for my earthly tombstone is to only have one word on my epitaph, “Obedient.” For most of my life I did things my way, regardless of consequence or cost, I pursued everything judged by the worlds standards. When God rescued me from hell, he began a great work in weakening my pride I had rested on. My physical strength is now my weakness, my idols became just stuff, my hard heart was softened by the gospel. My only desire is to share with you what I eternally possess; for God to use me to change your worldly view into an eternal one, just as he did mine.

Remember what happened to Lot’s wife in Genesis 19:17 So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.”26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. Have the cares of this world such a hold on you that you can’t totally abandon yourself to Jesus? Do you see how the measure of your heart for him is seen in your life’s focus on him? Nothing can compare to the as Paul described, Ephesians 3:16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man. Look ahead to heaven, look ahead to eternal paradise, look ahead to a world free from sin and pain forever. Look ahead to your priceless treasures, and quit looking back at just stuff.

Eternal Serenity

John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

It is hard to describe the feeling to have the first thought in your head when you awake a passage of scripture; my thoughts this morning seem to be flooding, and I hope to share with you what is on my heart clearly. Your life, this one and the one after it, is lost without Jesus. Your life may seem here to be abundantly blessed with material possessions and wealth, but your soul will be destroyed eternally for your idol worship here of the god of money. There was a meme on social media this week, “The devil doesn’t come to you with his ugly red face and scary horns. He comes to you disguised as everything you ever wanted.” Satan is the father of lies, deception is his greatest tool, and we all fall for it. Jesus came down harshly on the religious leaders of the day; those who were using religion for profit, and living in self-righteousness. John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. Satan is seemingly peaking in society around us today. The church has lost it’s spine for standing for truth, and we have watered down the Gospel to simply asking the lost to accept Jesus into their hearts; we are painting Jesus as a needy wanna be, instead of the righteous Judge that will return. He demands discipleship that is fruit producing, not just saying prayers and signing cards and returning to sin.

One of the most disturbing tweets I have seen, that was quickly removed, was from Creflo Dollar. “Jesus bled and died for us so that we can lay claim to the blessing of financial prosperity. #ProsperityInChrist #Wealthyliving #Abudantlife” That is straight from Hell through one of Satan’s messengers, and repentance is the only hope for him before he answers for that brutal assault on scripture. Jesus is promising a life of liberty, and an eternal life of prosperity in heaven with him, in a place free from sin. Jesus has come that they may have life; eternal life, not death, but eternal life to those who will repent and believe. John 10:28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. If God is tugging at your heart, respond by turning from your sins (repentance) and believing in the Gospel that Jesus came and died for you, arose from the dead, conquering death, and will return to call all those who do believe into heaven eternally with him.

An abundant life here is a life that lives for the next. A life of liberty (freedom) as the Apostle Paul describes in his epistles. It is a life that has grasped a glimpse of the sovereignty of God, understanding that he is in control of this world and your life, and you rest in that understanding. John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. That peace that John speaks of is the Holy Spirit of God given to each believer, living inside of you, you are walking and living your life with him. The peace of him grants you the eternal serenity of facing all of Satan’s attacks with the strength of God; knowing you are fighting a defeated enemy; eternally defeated by Jesus.

Pursuits

1 John 2:28-29 And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.

Lord help us to live
As you would today
Help us to flee sin
To not go astray.

The promise you give
The hope that you place
Help us with righteousness
To abide in your grace.

Lord help us to flee
All this world shows
The sin filled lusts
The desires that grow.

Parading endless desires
Satan knows we are weak,
But Lord it is you
With all our hearts we seek.

The promise of Heaven
The rescue from Hell,
Your atoning sacrifice
Has made us well.

This battle we endure
The mind games that are played,
The tactics of our enemy
Are not openly displayed.

Our battle is fought
Already you have won,
Our souls eternally secure
Understanding what you’ve done.

Strength is found each day
By seeking you with our heart;
You promise us in your Word
From us you will not depart.

Wholly Committed

Mark 7:6-9 He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 7 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ 8 “For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men–the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.” 9 He said to them, “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.

Jesus was calling out the Pharisees again; knowing the questioning hearts, knowing the truth in their hearts, knowing the hypocrisy that lie in their hearts, by quoting the prophet Isaiah in this passage. They had come to him charging his disciples with breaking religious traditions, ceremonial traditions, ones that believed the body was corrupted by eating with unclean hands, and unclean food. Jesus addressed this directly in Mark seven, possibly with a smile, paraphrasing as he said, “whatever you eat is pooped out.” Jesus addressed them directly how they had changed the commandments of God given to Moses, into what suited them (vs. 10-13). They would be profiting financially in how they had twisted God’s Word so that money could be given to the church, instead of supporting elderly parents. How many churches and pastors are watering down the Gospel today, preaching only of prosperity and love, and not suffering and Hell? They will answer to Him on Judgement Day, held to a higher standard than the hearer.

One of my study Bible’s commentary on the quoted passage from Isaiah 29:13 says, “Outwardly proper worship offends God if it is a way of evading him at a deeper level.” We must evaluated ourselves on this question. Are we going through the motions to feel good about ourselves; are we doing it to impress others; are we feeling we are earning our salvation by following any religion practices? Big questions, with eternal implications, that will all be revealed. The scariest verse in the Bible is addressed by Jesus to “Christians.” Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Are you going through the motions but know in your heart something is not right? Do you know God wants a deeper relationship with you, but the world and all the lusts of it have you turning your back on God? These words of Jesus in Matthew, Mark, and the prophet of God Isaiah, should be a warning to you. We do not know when He will return, but my prayer is that it is not too late to repent, believe, and live your life fully for him.

Can you imagine the difference in worship if everyone fully committed to living as his disciples? Can you imagine the power of God with a church of hearts given to him and worshipping him for the grace and mercy of the week? What may be holding you back, either in church, or even not attending, is a matter of your own hard heart. The first step is to humble yourself before the Lord in prayer, asking him to soften your heart, and reveal truth to you. This step could be the beginning of eternal paradise; the security of knowing your are headed to heaven to be with Jesus, living your life here with a glimpse of God’s sovereignty, and giving your life wholly to Him spreading the Good News, sharing your testimony, and seeing his kingdom grow.

By Faith

Hebrews 11:13,16   These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

What are you struggling with? That is a personal question, with a heavenly solution. Your struggle could be of any sort, but the solution is in the level of your faith. Now if your faith lies in your ability, or any system this world offers for it, you only have a temporal solution at best. You may find you band-aid your problem, but it will return, and likely with a greater fervency. This world cannot offer anything but band-aids; this world does not have the real answers, only patches. We can offer pleasures that numb pains, but the pain or worry still resides. If you are admittedly struggling, you are either denying or knowingly worried about the struggle. If you are denying it, you are truly in danger of loosing that war. Knowingly worried about it is the first step of humility that is required in seeking heavenly assistance.

Worry is from hell, one of Satan’s greatest weapons that all of us battle. Worry is a battle of the mind, (Spiritual Warfare), and even in it God can use Satan’s weapon against himself. We must first recognize that is is from Satan, and then claim the power of God over it. 2nd Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. When God begins to stir our hearts in these struggles, we begin to see our need for him. We hopefully begin to reach out to him for help through prayer and his Word. There is a heavenly strength found in the humble soul who seeks God instead of relying on their pride. This world is steep on the pride of self, and even knowingly hiding behind the ruse of religion, in the works based systems that lead us astray. Participation in any level of prayers to a certain saint, or rituals of any sort, are not the solutions.

The writer of Hebrews was addressing the Jewish Christians who were down at this time. It was becoming hard to believe in Jesus, and the religions rules and practices seemed much easier to them. If all we must do is go to church, follow the rules, and a few ceremonies, the faith to believe seems much more difficult. This chapter is the one of great faith; quoting almost 20 times their Jewish ancestors had believed, obeyed, and followed God. God is not found in religion, he is found in your heart. 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith is how you move forward when you have no idea where you are going. Faith is a glimpse of understanding God’s sovereignty, knowing he is in control even when Satan wants to convince you otherwise. Faith is knowing the end result, even when the present situation seems grim. Faith is all those great patriarchs of Hebrews 11, but also the story God is writing through your life, if you will by faith, believe and follow him.

Before it is too late

Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

What did your pastor preach about this weekend? What scripture did they expound upon? Did they show the relevancy of the Bible in the context of today’s events? Did they expound upon what Jesus, or one of his disciples said, or did they inject their “opinion” or their interpretation of scripture? Did they present the gospel, and show your need for a Savior? Did they offer an invitation to come to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Would you like to read Jesus’ longest Sermon? Read Matthew 5-7 and see how his words will speak to you through the Holy Spirit as no other pastor can. He will encourage, convict, and challenge you on every level of your life. Likely you will see your life differently as the Holy Spirit works on you in this passage.

When Jesus began the closing in chapter seven, he injected many warnings, but he also put the solid staple of promise to those who sought God with all their heart, mind, body and soul. Those who will live their lives as his disciples, will enjoy all the hearts desires, because their hearts desires will to be in the center of God’s Will for their lives. 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. There is an indescribable peace to the disciple that lives in the freedom of life, the freedom that prays the humble prayers of “not mine will, but Thine will.” When you get it, when you grasp all the Bible says about discipleship, living this life in preparation of the next, living your life in honor of the One who gives you eternal life, that promise in verses seven and eight become alive to you. You worry not (chapter six), because you want not what this world provides, but what He provides temporal and eternal.

Jesus made is clear to the religious leaders of the day, that he was the ONLY way to heaven. It was not by a list of religious rules, for he had came to fulfill the law. It was only by the humble faith to respond to his tug on their hearts, to repent and believe in Him alone. John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. The recognition of your need for a Savior, leads you down the path to eternal paradise. But, Jesus uttered the scariest passage in the Bible to those who don’t live as his disciples in the closing of his sermon also; those who think they are saved, but are not. 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Full circle back to the question of how you are living your life. Are you living your life seeking his will for your life, and as a result producing the fruit the New Testament proclaims his disciples are to do? If you are praying to benefit you, and your faith proclaims that, you had better do a soul analysis before it is too late.

Christian Persecution Hits Home

Matthew 10:26-33 Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. 27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

I was very busy at work the day I heard of the latest school shooting in Oregon. As much as it pains me to admit it, the news did not shock me as did the first time many years ago. This has become “normal” in our country, every couple of months someone looses their mind and kills the innocent; I cannot begin to fathom the level of evil in their hearts that moves them to such deeds. This is a sin problem, not a gun control problem, but proof of the power that Satan has in this world. Proof that his limited reign is peaking in my generation; proof that we are closer to Christ’s return with the evidence of our need for Him being presented. I truly believe that our nation is falling under the judgement of God, for we have turned our back on him and mocked him to the point of great idolatry, condoning murder in the ruse of choice, forsaking marriage and even the symbol of his promise to us of never flooding his creation again; we have mocked God. Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

The next day when I learned that the shooter directly targeted Christians, asking them to stand and proclaim, or renounce their faith in Jesus, I felt as though I had been gut punched. The evil persecution of Christians had reached my home soil; the evil that those in other parts of the world had broken the sanctity of our borders. This is only the beginning, only the first act of many, the reality of Christian persecution is about to hit home. Will you stand up for your faith? Will you die for your faith? Will you deny your Savior to save your children? What value do you put on eternity? What, or who, do you place higher than Him?

Look at the words of Jesus to his disciples above in Matthew. He is warning them of the hardships that they will face, of the persecution, but yet of the assurance they are under the care of God. God is in control, and when you grasp that understanding, of knowing the end result, you live your life differently. Paul suffered likely more than any other Christian, and he put it in Galatians 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. That is what Jesus is telling his disciples here in the gospel of Matthew; don’t fear the first death, but fear the second death. The first death here to the Christian disciple is the door to eternal paradise. What is the worst thing that can happen to you here when you die? You find yourself at the feet of Jesus in paradise! When you begin to grasp the security found in that understanding, you live your daily life differently. There is “liberty” as Paul proclaimed, freedom to the Christian that abides in Jesus. The fear of death is a hold Satan has upon you, a fear locked in sin, a door that can only be unlocked by the Gospel.