As I’ve talked about Charlie Kirk’s death with people, I’ve mentioned how I’ve lost respect for other Christian Conservatives who did public events who are either cancelling or moving indoors. It shows they’re afraid. This is going to be the first of several articles as I discuss how it is neither Christian nor Patriotic to be afraid of what might happen to your life. 

God commands us to not be afraid and give in to fear. 

“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

– Joshua 1:9, King James Version

I memorized this verse when I was young, and it always pops into my mind when I discuss how God tells us to not be afraid. This isn’t the only verse that tells us this:

“And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.”

– Ezekiel 2:6, King James Version

“In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.”

– Psalms 56:11, King James Version

“He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.”

– Psalms 112:7, King James Version

“I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.”

– Psalms 3:6, King James Version

“Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.”

– Jeremiah 1:8, King James Version

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.”

– Isaiah 12:2, King James Version

There are many, many more verses in the Bible that reiterate that we have nothing to be afraid of if we have put our trust in God – after all, we are the children of the God who created the universe and set everything in place…you think that someone can hurt us without God knowing? 

Everything in the Bible is important, don’t get me wrong – but if something is mentioned multiple times…then it is super important. And God constantly emphasizes that we should not be afraid of man and what they could do to us.

“The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid; The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me; In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.”

– 2 Samuel 22:3-7, King James Version

There are many examples in the Bible of what happens when people who followed Christ let their fear take hold. In 1 Samuel, we see that king Saul was afraid of the Philistines, and lost favor with God (1 Samuel 28). Peter was afraid when he was walking on water and began to sink as a result (Matthew 14). 

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

– 2 Timothy 1:7, King James Version

It is not a Christian response to be afraid. Fear doesn’t come from God…it comes from the Devil. God gives us a spirit of power and of a sound mind – a sound mind is a confident, unafraid one. Don’t fear people who might hurt you – your future is in Christ, not this world – what do you have to worry about? God knows what will happen and He won’t let anything happen to you that He doesn’t already know about. 

But it doesn’t end there.

As Christians, we are counted as sheep to the slaughter (Psalms 44:22 and Romans 8:36).

“For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

– 1 Peter 3:12-15, King James Version

Now, before you point out the very last word in that excerpt, it means the fear of God (2 Samuel 23:3, among many others)…not fear of man. But did you notice that God said if we do suffer for righteousness’ sake, that we should be happy, unafraid, and not troubled by it?

“For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.”

– Luke 12:2-5, King James Version

The only person we should fear (and a reverential fear, not a terror) is Christ. There is no reason to be afraid of what might happen to us. It’s a natural human response to initially be afraid, especially after we saw Charlie Kirk murdered for his faith and his Christian worldview. But we should not act on that fear – it is not the Christian thing to do. In fact, it is the complete opposite. 

As Christians, it’s made very clear that our road will not be made easy, and that we will encounter persecution. Christians have not encountered true persecution in this country. Just look at other countries, head over to the Voice of the Martyrs and read some stories on what’s happening to our brothers and sisters in Christ right now. Go back and read history on what happened to Christians in Rome, in the Ancient World, even at the hand of the Catholics during the Spanish Inquisition.

Persecution and killing Christians for their worldview is nothing new…it’s just new in this country. And it is saddening seeing clear evidence of America going away from Christian values, not knowing if they will ever return. But that doesn’t mean we should be afraid. In fact, those who are persecuted are blessed:

“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.”

– Matthew 5:10-11, King James Version

That last verse reminds me of all the things they said, and are still saying, about Charlie Kirk, just for his Christian worldview and his faith – making it ever the more evident how people were bothered by his message and how he was impacting people all over the world. 

“Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.”

– Luke 6:22, King James Version

“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.”

– John 15:18, King James Version

As Christians, we aren’t supposed to be afraid for our lives, our future, our families – we’re to put it all in the hands of Jesus. After all, He created the world and everything in it…I’m sure he can handle our struggles. Even if we, like Charlie, are killed for our faith, He’ll be there through it, and waiting to greet us. 

There are other arguments I have for why I don’t think that now is the time for any Christian to hide from the public, whether by cancelling things altogether or moving inside with heightened security. It tells the world that you are afraid of evil people, and that you don’t even believe that God can protect you – contradicting your words. You say that God is good and the whole world is in His hands. But when your life is suddenly on the line, your tune changes – all in the name of protection. Because, clearly, humans think that they can do things to protect their life, and the God who created them doesn’t quite fully know how to. 

Charlie Kirk was still killed, you argue. God didn’t protect him. 

And I fully believe that God keeps His word and will fully bless him for that. But do you think God didn’t know that would happen? You think God didn’t have a plan for his life? You think God doesn’t have a plan for your life?

Next time, we’ll dive into the armor of God and death as a Christian – and we haven’t even begun to discuss why fear is not a Patriotic trait.

If you are not 100% sure that you’ll go to Heaven when you die, now is the time to repent and put your trust in Jesus Christ. If you have any questions or doubts about your salvation, click here to learn how you can be saved!

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