There is significantly greater danger for the unbeliever than there is for the believer. The unbeliever is living without Christ. They are dead men walking (Eph 2:1). They are being driven by the spirit of Satan working inside of them (Eph 2:2). They are on a collision course with a world driven by Satan whose agenda is to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).
That’s why the world is so fearful: they’re fearful of climate change, fearful of disease, fearful of deadly viruses, fearful of influenza, fearful of pandemics, fearful of cyberattacks, fearful of getting their identity stolen, fearful of who’s in the White House, fearful of who’s not in the White House, fearful of terrorism, fearful of international situations. Fear, fear, fear!
The unbeliver has great reason to fear day and night. They are exposed to Satan and Satan’s diabolical scheming. They have chosen to live life without God.
How radically different is the case of the believer! The believer is born again, a brand new creature, alive in Christ and Christ is living inside of them. Greater is He who is in the believer than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). Christ in us is the hope of glory (Col 1:27). The believer participates in a covenant with Father God through the Lord Jesus Christ, whereby God gives them a new heart and moves by His Spirit and forgives and blesses and cares for His children. Under this Covenant we are healed, “and by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4) and so much more.
That’s why the believer must not get caught up and imbibe of the world’s panicky voice of fear, fear, fear. The world is constantly promulgating and preaching fear. Because the people of this world are those “without God and without hope in the world (Eph 2:13). So it’s essential for the believer to shut off the screeching, terrifying cry of the world. And turn ON the word of God, turn ON those who are faithfully teaching the word of God and the new creation realities. To saturate our minds with the good news of the Gospel and God’s glorious grace!
Not only are we under the personal care of Our Heavenly Father, we are also on His mission. We have been tasked to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature”. This saving gospel makes a profound difference in people’s lives. God does not want anyone to live in fear, in bondage to Satan:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Jesus (John 3:16)
I originally wrote this in 2018. We need this now, more than ever, given the current crisis (or any crisis of this scale). I am not saying to shut off information from government and health authorities. It’s important to receive timely updates from those officially charged with handling a crisis. We must be wary, however, of Satan’s tactic to draw us into the godless fear of the world.
Photo by niklas_hamann on Unsplash