I am not Enslaved to the Fear of Death

This has been a tough week for the church Mayfield and our area community.  We lost a sweet 17 year old Christian lady in a terrible automobile accident.  She came from a strong Christian family who has deep roots in the church.  Our young people have been devastated by this event.

This week ended with the news that one of my first cousins who is only a few years older than me died with a heart attack.  This brought back many emotions from other times in my life when death came close to me personally.  Like when some dear friends lost a child, or when we lost our good friend Amy Glass in 2000, or burying a 38 year old man last March, or when dad had a heart attack in 2003 (but survived), or Amanda’s dad having a health scare in Nashville.

When death comes close, even though I work with death regularly through ministry, I can get fearful and insecure.  Death is our enemy (1 Cor. 15:26).  As I watch and pray for the families involved in losing a close family member, I can’t help but internalize that loss and wonder what it would be like if it was me in their position.  I guess we all do this to a degree.  This is why death is our enemy, b/c it is a tool of satan to rattle and shake our faith — to cripple our productivity.  Yet, close times with death should teach us so much about life and help keep our priorities straight.

This week I have been thinking about Hebrews 2.  In verse 8 the writer says, “we do not see everything in subjection to Jesus.”  This is an incredibly true statement, and raw with reality.  The world has great chaos, problems, death, and suffering.  At present everything is not in subjection to Jesus, but  “we see Him” (Heb. 2:9).  Our focus and faith must be on Him and His suffering.  He suffered and paid the price of death for us all that he might “destroy the one who has the power of death” (Heb. 2:14).  He has stripped death of its power.  It still reeks havoc on our families, stealing our joy and loved ones.  But the key is that we do not have to live all our lifetime enslaved to the fear of death.  It seems that we will naturally fear death.  I fear my kid’s deaths, my wife’s death, parent’s death, in-law’s death, my own death, etc, but here is the key I need to remember this week — I am no longer enslaved to that fear.  I have been delivered and death has been overcome.  We have the victory over death b/c of our faith (I John 5:4).  We sorrow when our loved ones die, but we sorrow with a great hope (1 Thess. 4:13-18).   We are not enslaved to death’s power, b/c it has been stripped of it by Jesus Christ (John 11:25-26).

                  I need this reminder when I get to fearing and feeling death’s insecure feelings, that I am a freedman!  Will you join me in being determined to not be enslaved to the fear of death?  Live boldly, courageously, confidently, and with joy.  Don’t let the enemy cripple you with fear!