Fear is good.  Fear warns and helps prevent foolish actions.  The symptoms of fear are unmistakable and distinct —a hollow feeling in your stomach, a dry throat, and sweaty hands—those unmistakable signals your body involuntarily sends due to messages from your brain and eyes. 

Situations like heights and flying can cause fear, words can evoke fear, and words spoken in anger can make one flee or withdraw.

But there is another kind of fear. Perhaps I should call it deeply rooted fear. This is the fear that settles within you and dictates your life, especially your decisions. This kind of fear becomes part of your DNA, with roots so deeply embedded in your being and mind that it influences your choices, motives, and even your trust in the goodness of God.

Fear is an act of distrust in the Lord. It may sound like a mild political term for a spiritual matter, but it is incredibly powerful and destructive, a frighteningly effective weapon in the hands of our enemy.

The Kingdom of God is an invisible kingdom that operates in the realm of eternity. When a person is born again and a member of the Body of Christ, as described in 1 Corinthians 12, he is already part of eternity, where things happen differently than in the earthly realm.  When we say that we inherit eternal life, we enter into God’s presence while still clothed in a mortal body.  Eternity is a word, in its full meaning, that belongs only to God and is associated with Him. It becomes the playing field of our lives—the wonder of salvation.

Eternal life assumes a different perspective, deep insight into circumstances and people, steadfast trust in God’s goodness, and an unshakable hope for the future.  We have already discussed the joyous  content of our future.  The content of our future is the promises of God, not the policies of leaders, whether local or global.

Eternal life also implies a different view of time.  We divide our ages into decades, our years into months and days, and our days into hours and minutes so that we can comfortably and chronologically keep track of time’s unstoppable progression.  But eternity is time as God determines it.  It unfolds with a beginning and an end, an origin and a purpose, allowing us to live in wonder at God’s works in our lives without ever becoming panic-stricken or exhausted from stress.  We live in “kairos” time—the fullness of time, the right time—under the supernatural covering of the Shelter of the Most High and the Shadow of the Almighty, which protects us behind the veil in the Presence of God (Psalm 91:1).

This is our dwelling place—the “mansion” Jesus has prepared for us (John 14:1-3). 

Being in the dwelling place prepared for us by Jesus, is a daily awareness of God’s goodness, provision, and protection.  It is daily dependence expressed in a heartfelt cry, a daily desire for a deeper relationship, more dedication, fewer obstacles, and… no fear.

There was something different about the Man who stood before Pontius Pilate.  Pilate sensed it.  Unlike all the other people he had to judge, despite holding the power of life and death in his hands as an official of Rome, he felt an unusual awareness of greatness in this Man—something he had never encountered before.  His wife’s troubling dream only added to his unease.  More than unease—it deeply disturbed him.  How could he escape this decision?  He was an officer of the most powerful empire on earth, and a single signal from his hand could take a life.

Pilate knew he had to stand firm, especially in the eyes of the hysterical crowd before him.  As much power as he held in his hand, there was also power over him—a swift decision in Rome could end his career and even his life.  His fear of Rome was rooted in his fear of the frenzied crowd before him, who, driven by evil influence, demanded the death of this Man.

Pilate was convinced of this Man’s innocence.  He was impressed by His answers and His quiet authority—a dignified calm that was completely unheard of in someone facing such circumstances.  Pilate knew what a revolutionary troublemaker looked like, and this was clearly not one, despite the accusation that He called Himself the King of the Jews.  Pilate himself felt like the accused, yet he could not give in.

Pilate’s record with the shouting Jews before him was terrible.  Their rigid religious customs and arrogant defiance of Roman rule had caused trouble for him before.  He had insisted that Emperor Tiberius’ banners be carried into Jerusalem when he and his soldiers arrived, but the Jewish leaders had complained, forcing him to back down.  These leaders were entirely willing to die for their convictions, and so much bloodshed would only lead to a greater uprising.

Pilate walked on eggshells when it came to this peculiar corner of the Empire, which constantly attracted unwanted attention in Rome.  He feared the crowd’s reaction, and it overpowered his conscience.

Pilate was not free to act with the courage of his convictions.  He gave in, surrendered, and granted the crowd their demand.

Fear prevailed, sealing Jesus’ brutal death.  For Pilate, there was no alternative.  His rule was heavily dependent on violence, and even in ancient times, when human life was worth next to nothing, mass murder was not seen as a political success.  Diplomatic calm was valued higher, especially since Roman soldiers were needed elsewhere.  Pilate had to work with what he had.  He wanted to get through Passover.  He wanted to put his Jesus problem behind him.  But he would soon realize that was impossible.

Pilate’s fear increased a thousandfold when he heard of the Resurrection. Just imagine!  What had seemed final on Friday, a bad memory to be pushed aside, was now a new and greater crisis.

God’s Word is clear about fear.  It comes with gentle encouragement and sharp warnings.

“The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does. He said,
12 ‘Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do,
and don’t live in dread of what frightens them.
13 Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life.
He is the one you should fear.
He is the one who should make you tremble.
14 He will keep you safe.’” (Isaiah 8:11-14 (NLT)

This scripture came to me during a time of intense fear.  It was a fear that not only influenced but dictated my decisions about the future.  During that time, I learned a lot under the ministry of John Bevere, who often quoted from the New Living Translation.  Before digital Bibles were readily available, I bought a small NLT paperback Bible.  While flipping through it, I came across Isaiah 8:11.  The words hit me like a sharp warning not to let fear dictate my decisions.

These words hold true for every aspect of life.  I often hear people say that our world is unstable and uncertain.  That is true, but I believe there have been even worse times in history.  Perhaps that is a small consolation, yet it does not diminish the fact that our world is indeed uncertain and unsafe. This uncertainty is often linked to politics, where we are inclined to speak in terms of conspiracies.

It is precisely in such times that God’s Word becomes the power-path we walk on.  This means we can fully rely on God’s words and build our lives upon them.

It will always be the most luxurious life on earth—a life without fear.  This is what the Word guarantees us.  It does not matter what happens around us. The words of our beloved Scripture will keep us from making wrong decisions like Pilate.

Hear the gentle words of Jesus in your deepest being, as He spoke to His disciples just before the crucifixion when their world fell apart:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in Me.”  (John 14:1

Isaiah spoke in Jesus’ idiom without knowing Him on earth, when he conveyed the words of God to the people:

“Do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be afraid, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you; I will help you;
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.”  (Isaiah 41:10