Fear Full, Fear Free
ave you ever completely flipped your opinion on something? Maybe it was a food that you couldn’t stand growing up but now you love. For me, I used to scoff at the idea of note-taking, considering it a bigger distraction than just paying attention. That changed for me when I learned that you forget 70% of what you don’t write down. In addition to that, studies show that even just doodling helps our memory activate.
Jesus had a moment like this for his closest friends in Matthew 16. He begins by letting them know they will be persecuted. LIKE BAD FR FR! He says he’s sending them out like sheep among wolves…? That’s not very “Jesus loves the little children” of him at ALL!
In spite of this impending persecution, Jesus is adamant: “do not fear” (Matthew 10:26). He goes on to give his disciples, and us, a clear picture of how to go from fearful to fear-free. We can live fear-free when we live boldly and for eternity.
Truth is empowering. It is in truth that we have boldness. Jesus tells us that the way we live fear-free is to live boldly. Proverbs 28:1 says, “The wicked flee when no one is pursuing them, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.” This boldness is not bravado or self-indulging chest pounding, but authentic confidence in what Jesus has done in our lives.
I love the story of Peter and John in Acts 4, who were brought before the religious leaders for preaching and healing in Jesus' name. At this moment of questioning, these two get filled with the Holy Spirit and start preaching to the religious leaders too!
Acts 4:13 tells us, “When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus.” Being around Jesus makes us bold in the truth!
The leaders told them to stop preaching, but Peter and John let them know they weren’t going to stop speaking about all they had seen and heard. I wonder what kind of revival we’d see if we had a little bit of that boldness in our lives?
Jesus doesn’t just give us the tool of boldness as a way to live free from fear, but he also instructs us to keep our focus on eternity (Matthew 10:28). When we understand our true destiny, we can live fearless lives.
This is why it is so powerful when we run our race on earth with our sights fixed on Jesus! We don’t have to bow to the culture or live for the moment; we can live with eternity in our sights. Paul said it so well in his letter to the Philippians: if we live, it is to glorify Jesus, and if we die, it is to be with Jesus.
Jesus finishes this passage by telling those gathered and us that God values us! Think about that—you have value to God. He cares for you and about you, and in this truth, we can live boldly and continue to focus on him.
