“Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10, ESV)
In New Testament times, the devil was doing his utmost best to quash faith in Jesus. He caused all kinds of havoc; putting Christians into terrible situations, hunting them down. He sent Saul to persecute and execute Christians. Jewish religious authorities threatened Christians, stoning some. Political authorities put them on trial and questioned their motives and imprisoned them, even throwing some to the lions. It was a dangerous time to be faithful. Revelation 2:10 contains a warning to early Christians that “the devil was about to throw some of them into prison”. Their faith would be “tested”. The devil was going to use civil and religious authorities to fulfil his evil plan. Revelation 2:10 urged the faithful to “be faithful unto death” to receive “the crown of life”.
Threats and intimidation and trials and temptations against the faithful continue to this day. The devil has not eased his attempts to sabotage faith in Jesus. The devil still uses authorities and religious leaders to quell the faith. He still uses worldly means to silence the faithful.
If you read very closely the scripture for today from Revelation 2:10, you may notice one of the devil’s greatest tactics. He uses fear. That’s why the scripture begins with the encouragement and wisdom, “do fear what you are about to suffer”. God has been telling the faithful not to fear since the beginning of time. Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Nehemiah, David, and many others encouraged people to not be afraid while God was working out HIS plans. “Do not be afraid” or “Do not fear” messages were sent by Isaiah and Jeremiah to the Israelites enduring tough times. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was encouraged “not to fear” by the angel Gabriel when she was told of Jesus’ upcoming birth. Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father, was told not to fear to take Mary as his wife even while she was with child (Matthew 1:20). Then, when Jesus was born, angels said to the shepherds, “Do not fear! For behold I bring you good tidings of great joy!” (Luke 2:10).
Don’t you find it interesting that God tells the faithful over and over, “Do not fear!”? Did you know this message is meant to directly counter the devil’s desire to destroy faith with fear? Did you know that fear is a tactic used by Satan to quell faithfulness and the love of Jesus? So, the question for today is, “How much does fear damage your faith, your demeanor, your decisions, your emotions?” Do you let the devil weaken and destroy your peace through fear?
A mother of three children came to my office to ask for a few moments to speak with me. She seemed to me a very shy woman. I was surprised to see her want to talk. When we sat down in my office, she opened up to me. She was born with a medical condition. Her skin was saturated with oil. Her body produced so much oil that she had constant acne and sometimes her skin pores would become infected or inflamed. She considered herself hideous! She was teased by classmates at school throughout elementary school, even to high school. She often would beg her mother to let her stay home from school during outbreaks. To ease her suffering, she often wrote long stories about traveling to distant places where she would be a princess or would meet a handsome prince or defend someone in peril. In many ways, the young mother tried to escape or cope with her condition and her self-loathing.
As we talked, I felt this young mother needed something, so I asked her, “What are you wanting from me?” She responded that she recently realized in a sermon of mine that God loved her and, like the woman born with a flow of blood in the gospel of Luke, God wanted her to be whole again. As we talked further, it became clear that the mother of three wondered how she could ever be healed from her condition.
As we met over several months, it became clear that the mother’s condition gave her so much fear of what others thought of her that she couldn’t function. If she thought someone was looking at her acne, she covered herself or walked away. If she thought one of her children was looking at her for too long, she wondered if the child considered her a hideous mother. Over and over, this young mother was tortured by the fear of what others thought and the fear of being one who stood out in public due to her condition. It caused her untold suffering emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually.
Today, this mother no longer suffers from fear. During our time together and since, she has decided to let go of her fear of what others think about her condition. She has even taken on public roles as a coordinator for missions to help families in financial need as well as be a champion for the abused. Privately, she acts as a secret Santa to dozens of families. She no longer cowers when she thinks people are looking at her condition. Instead, she smiles a beautiful smile. She told me, “I have so much to be thankful for. I have a God who loves me, a husband who loves me, children who love me, and so much to give!” She has realized that her condition has given her a deeper insight into people who are outsiders, children who have been abused, and those who feel lost or alone. She is an amazing example of a faithful person who stood with Jesus instead of letting her faith be sabotaged with fears and insecurities.
Throughout your life, the devil will try to damage your faith with fear. Even when you are dying, he will cause you to doubt eternal life and question your worthiness or life choices. To you, God is saying again today, “Do not fear!” God’s angels not only proclaimed this message to Mary and Joseph and the shepherds that first Christmas, God is also shouting it out now to you. Do not let fear destroy your faith! Do not let testing and trials and temptations and emergencies shake your trust in God. Do not let fear have its day! Be fearless in life and in death knowing that God Almighty has your back, the angels will guard you, and Jesus has an eternal home for you in Heaven!
Threats and intimidation and trials and temptations against the faithful continue to this day. The devil has not eased his attempts to sabotage faith in Jesus. The devil still uses authorities and religious leaders to quell the faith. He still uses worldly means to silence the faithful.
If you read very closely the scripture for today from Revelation 2:10, you may notice one of the devil’s greatest tactics. He uses fear. That’s why the scripture begins with the encouragement and wisdom, “do fear what you are about to suffer”. God has been telling the faithful not to fear since the beginning of time. Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Nehemiah, David, and many others encouraged people to not be afraid while God was working out HIS plans. “Do not be afraid” or “Do not fear” messages were sent by Isaiah and Jeremiah to the Israelites enduring tough times. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was encouraged “not to fear” by the angel Gabriel when she was told of Jesus’ upcoming birth. Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father, was told not to fear to take Mary as his wife even while she was with child (Matthew 1:20). Then, when Jesus was born, angels said to the shepherds, “Do not fear! For behold I bring you good tidings of great joy!” (Luke 2:10).
Don’t you find it interesting that God tells the faithful over and over, “Do not fear!”? Did you know this message is meant to directly counter the devil’s desire to destroy faith with fear? Did you know that fear is a tactic used by Satan to quell faithfulness and the love of Jesus? So, the question for today is, “How much does fear damage your faith, your demeanor, your decisions, your emotions?” Do you let the devil weaken and destroy your peace through fear?
A mother of three children came to my office to ask for a few moments to speak with me. She seemed to me a very shy woman. I was surprised to see her want to talk. When we sat down in my office, she opened up to me. She was born with a medical condition. Her skin was saturated with oil. Her body produced so much oil that she had constant acne and sometimes her skin pores would become infected or inflamed. She considered herself hideous! She was teased by classmates at school throughout elementary school, even to high school. She often would beg her mother to let her stay home from school during outbreaks. To ease her suffering, she often wrote long stories about traveling to distant places where she would be a princess or would meet a handsome prince or defend someone in peril. In many ways, the young mother tried to escape or cope with her condition and her self-loathing.
As we talked, I felt this young mother needed something, so I asked her, “What are you wanting from me?” She responded that she recently realized in a sermon of mine that God loved her and, like the woman born with a flow of blood in the gospel of Luke, God wanted her to be whole again. As we talked further, it became clear that the mother of three wondered how she could ever be healed from her condition.
As we met over several months, it became clear that the mother’s condition gave her so much fear of what others thought of her that she couldn’t function. If she thought someone was looking at her acne, she covered herself or walked away. If she thought one of her children was looking at her for too long, she wondered if the child considered her a hideous mother. Over and over, this young mother was tortured by the fear of what others thought and the fear of being one who stood out in public due to her condition. It caused her untold suffering emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually.
Today, this mother no longer suffers from fear. During our time together and since, she has decided to let go of her fear of what others think about her condition. She has even taken on public roles as a coordinator for missions to help families in financial need as well as be a champion for the abused. Privately, she acts as a secret Santa to dozens of families. She no longer cowers when she thinks people are looking at her condition. Instead, she smiles a beautiful smile. She told me, “I have so much to be thankful for. I have a God who loves me, a husband who loves me, children who love me, and so much to give!” She has realized that her condition has given her a deeper insight into people who are outsiders, children who have been abused, and those who feel lost or alone. She is an amazing example of a faithful person who stood with Jesus instead of letting her faith be sabotaged with fears and insecurities.
Throughout your life, the devil will try to damage your faith with fear. Even when you are dying, he will cause you to doubt eternal life and question your worthiness or life choices. To you, God is saying again today, “Do not fear!” God’s angels not only proclaimed this message to Mary and Joseph and the shepherds that first Christmas, God is also shouting it out now to you. Do not let fear destroy your faith! Do not let testing and trials and temptations and emergencies shake your trust in God. Do not let fear have its day! Be fearless in life and in death knowing that God Almighty has your back, the angels will guard you, and Jesus has an eternal home for you in Heaven!
The video for today brings glory to Jesus' birth... click below to have a listen!