Day 43 - Fear No More
Day 43 - Fear No More
Written by: Joy Hardin
SCRIPTURE FOCUS
Matthew 28:11-15, NLT
11 As the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and told the leading priests what had happened. 12 A meeting with the elders was called, and they decided to give the soldiers a large bribe. 13 They told the soldiers, “You must say, ‘Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.’ 14 If the governor hears about it, we’ll stand up for you so you won’t get in trouble.” 15 So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today.
DEVOTION
After this amazing event in which an angel appeared and the tomb was found empty, why did the Roman soldiers go to the Jewish chief priests instead of the one they should have reported to, the provincial governor, Pontius Pilate? From historical records we know that the punishment for failing their charge could have been death. These men had seen and participated in the Roman capital punishment and certainly didn’t want to experience it. From earlier in Matthew 28, we know these same soldiers shook with fear and fell into a dead faint when they saw the empty tomb and heard the angel say that Jesus had risen from the dead. Fear brought the soldiers to the Jewish religious leaders probably in hope of a way out of their own deaths.
We know from other passages that some of the Romans soldiers who saw Jesus die came to believe that He “was the Son of God,” and Luke said that one of the soldiers worshiped him. (See Matthew 27:54, Mark 15:39, and Luke 23:47.) But this was the night watch and as such, they were probably bored at the uselessness of guarding a dead man. When the angel appeared announcing that Jesus had risen and the body was indeed gone, fear took over their actions.
From the time God first revealed Himself, faith versus fear has been a decision before us. “And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith” (Genesis 15:6 & Romans 4:3, NLT).
Most of us can remember a time when we were afraid of getting in trouble and told a lie. Maybe it was when we were in school and said we didn’t cheat on a test, or we told a police officer that we were not speeding. Sometimes our lies have gotten us out of immediate trouble, but there are always consequences. What if the soldiers had chosen to tell the truth? It’s likely they would have been executed, but 2000 years later, where are they anyway? After seeing such a wondrous thing, it seems incredible that the soldiers would tell this useless lie, regardless of the consequences. Sadly, if they never repented and believed in Jesus, what they face for eternity is much worse than all the punishment they would have endured from the Romans. “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell” Matthew 10:28, NLT).
We have a neighbor who collects things. His shop is full of all kinds of treasures and our 5 year old grandson, Jonah, just loves visiting and plundering through them. One of Jonah’s favorite treasures comes with a fun activity. Our neighbor has a couple of old tennis racquets, and he and Jonah will spend afternoons together swinging the tennis racquets at bees as they buzz by. As far as controlling the bee population, this is an almost useless task. But every now and then, one of them will actually hit a bee and send it tumbling to the ground. While Jonah and our dear neighbor do occasionally swat a pest, the Roman soldiers hit a complete zero. Choosing to accept a bribe and perpetuate a lie, these guards knew the truth—Jesus had disappeared from the tomb! His body was not stolen. He had defeated death and risen to life!
Today as we celebrate the empty tomb, we are free to release our fears and look through the eyes of Jesus at eternity. We have life today with Him and an eternal future in His Presence! “So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:6, ESV).
ACTION STEP
Make a list of your three (or more) biggest fears. Take time to pray over each of these and ask God how you can trust Him in each situation. Finally, see these fears as reduced and eliminated in the Presence of Jesus.
PRAYER TIME
Father, You are greater than all my fears. You already have an answer and You already conquered our biggest fear – death itself. Help me not to allow my fears to control my mind or my actions. Help me to see that in You I have nothing to fear!
SCRIPTURE FOCUS
Matthew 28:11-15, NLT
11 As the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and told the leading priests what had happened. 12 A meeting with the elders was called, and they decided to give the soldiers a large bribe. 13 They told the soldiers, “You must say, ‘Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.’ 14 If the governor hears about it, we’ll stand up for you so you won’t get in trouble.” 15 So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today.
DEVOTION
After this amazing event in which an angel appeared and the tomb was found empty, why did the Roman soldiers go to the Jewish chief priests instead of the one they should have reported to, the provincial governor, Pontius Pilate? From historical records we know that the punishment for failing their charge could have been death. These men had seen and participated in the Roman capital punishment and certainly didn’t want to experience it. From earlier in Matthew 28, we know these same soldiers shook with fear and fell into a dead faint when they saw the empty tomb and heard the angel say that Jesus had risen from the dead. Fear brought the soldiers to the Jewish religious leaders probably in hope of a way out of their own deaths.
We know from other passages that some of the Romans soldiers who saw Jesus die came to believe that He “was the Son of God,” and Luke said that one of the soldiers worshiped him. (See Matthew 27:54, Mark 15:39, and Luke 23:47.) But this was the night watch and as such, they were probably bored at the uselessness of guarding a dead man. When the angel appeared announcing that Jesus had risen and the body was indeed gone, fear took over their actions.
From the time God first revealed Himself, faith versus fear has been a decision before us. “And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith” (Genesis 15:6 & Romans 4:3, NLT).
Most of us can remember a time when we were afraid of getting in trouble and told a lie. Maybe it was when we were in school and said we didn’t cheat on a test, or we told a police officer that we were not speeding. Sometimes our lies have gotten us out of immediate trouble, but there are always consequences. What if the soldiers had chosen to tell the truth? It’s likely they would have been executed, but 2000 years later, where are they anyway? After seeing such a wondrous thing, it seems incredible that the soldiers would tell this useless lie, regardless of the consequences. Sadly, if they never repented and believed in Jesus, what they face for eternity is much worse than all the punishment they would have endured from the Romans. “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell” Matthew 10:28, NLT).
We have a neighbor who collects things. His shop is full of all kinds of treasures and our 5 year old grandson, Jonah, just loves visiting and plundering through them. One of Jonah’s favorite treasures comes with a fun activity. Our neighbor has a couple of old tennis racquets, and he and Jonah will spend afternoons together swinging the tennis racquets at bees as they buzz by. As far as controlling the bee population, this is an almost useless task. But every now and then, one of them will actually hit a bee and send it tumbling to the ground. While Jonah and our dear neighbor do occasionally swat a pest, the Roman soldiers hit a complete zero. Choosing to accept a bribe and perpetuate a lie, these guards knew the truth—Jesus had disappeared from the tomb! His body was not stolen. He had defeated death and risen to life!
Today as we celebrate the empty tomb, we are free to release our fears and look through the eyes of Jesus at eternity. We have life today with Him and an eternal future in His Presence! “So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:6, ESV).
ACTION STEP
Make a list of your three (or more) biggest fears. Take time to pray over each of these and ask God how you can trust Him in each situation. Finally, see these fears as reduced and eliminated in the Presence of Jesus.
PRAYER TIME
Father, You are greater than all my fears. You already have an answer and You already conquered our biggest fear – death itself. Help me not to allow my fears to control my mind or my actions. Help me to see that in You I have nothing to fear!
Categories
Recent
Archive
2023
January
January 9th, 2023 - Adventure AwaitsJanuary 10th, 2023 - The Burning BushJanuary 11th, 2023 - Strong and Courageous January 12th, 2023 - Obediently Set ApartJanuary 13th, 2023 - Faithful Among Enemy NationsJanuary 14th, 2023 - Adventure AwaitsJanuary 16th, 2023 - Be StillJanuary 17th, 2023 - God Inhabits His PraisesJanuary 18th, 2023 - Enjoying God's PresenceJanuary 19th, 2023 - Broken & Contrite HeartJanuary 20th, 2023 - Asking for OthersJanuary 21st, 2023 - Petition and ProvisionJanuary 23rd, 2023 - One Body, Many PartsJanuary 24th, 2023 - Love One AnotherJanuary 25th, 2023 - Unity in the BodyJanuary 26th, 2023 - Consider Others BetterJanuary 27th, 2023 - Living in the LightJanuary 28th, 2023 - Don't Let Anger Control YouJanuary 30, 2023 - The Power of FastingJanuary 31st, 2023 - Pray as You Can
February
February 1st, 2023 - ScriptureFebruary 2nd, 2023 - Sabbath Day, Best DayFebruary 3rd, 2023 - SimplicityFebruary 4th, 2023 - WorshipFebruary 6th, 2023 - Love Your NeighborFebruary 7th, 2023 - Come and See, Go and TellFebruary 8th, 2023 - GenerosityFebruary 9th, 2023 - Caring for the VulnerableFebruary 10, 2023 - HospitalityFebruary 11th, 2023 - Build
2022
January
Covid UpdateDay 1 - Is It Worth It?Day 2 - God Promises His PresenceDay 3 - Aligning Ourselves With GodDay 4 - The Voice of the ShepherdVision 2022 - Begins this Sunday!Day 5 - Rushing or Resting?Day 6 - "By the Grace of God"Day 7 - A Day for Rest and WorshipDay 8 - Ask Boldly and Surrender CompletelyDay 9 - Our Deliverance for His GloryDay 10 - Ask for the ImpossibleDay 11 - Adversity Meets Unwavering FaithWhat an incredible start to 2022!!Day 12 - Focus Reveals FaithDay 13 - Impossible Mission!Day 15 - Followers of JesusDay 16 - The Good News of God’s LoveDay 17 - Radical Love Leads People to JesusLet's Try this Again...Day 18 - Relentless CommitmentDay 19 - Unending Power SourceDay 20 - Come and See, Go and TellDay 22 - Many Parts, One BodyDay 23 - A New Command - Love One AnotherDay 24 - One Body and One LordDay 25 - Be Angry, But Do Not SinDo you Belong?Day 26 - The Commandment of LoveDay 27 - The Attitude and Obedience of Christ
March
Day 1 - Seeking the Lord TogetherDay 2 - Ash WednesdayDay 3 - The Baptism of JesusDay 4 - The Word as a WeaponDay 5 - Freedom in ConfessionDay 6 - Love Your EnemiesDay 7 - Anxious for NothingDay 8 - Effective PrayerDay 9 - Amazing FaithDay 10 - The Bleeding WomanDay 11 - Confidence in GodDay 12 - Fear Not!Day 13 - Come and RestDay 14 - Kingdom Minded CommunityDay 15 - The TreasureDay 16 - Peace in His PresenceDay 17 - Raise the RoofDay 18 - A Parent's CommitmentDay 19 - Too Good to be TrueDay 20 - Only JesusDay 21 - The Ninety-Nine and the OneDay 22 - Salvation Through SurrenderDay 23 - Good Rest from a Good ShepherdDay 24 - Read the RoomDay 25 - A Fruitful FaithDay 26 - The Wedding FeastDay 27 - Serve Like Jesus