The other day I talked about a convention of speakers called TED. One of those speakers who spoke for 18 minutes was Chris Hadfield. I came across his very interesting talk, which was about conquering fear from the perspective of an astronaut. These people are in a category all to themselves; they really are out of this world. There are others like them who will lay down their lives for the furtherance of mankind. These people are made up of men and women in the military, fire and police departments, to name a few, all who will lay down there lives when called upon. These are all amazing people. During Chris Hadfield’s talk he discussed removing fear from a situation by being prepared so that the dangers were minimalized. He even had the audacity to suggest you do not have to be afraid of walking into a spider web, as most Canadian spiders are harmless. His suggestion was to walk through webs a 100 times and you would find there is nothing to be afraid of. That would be no fun as most people’s bodies contort when they walk through one. He then ended his talk by saying, “fear not”. It really was an excellent discussion.
This got me to thinking. During his conversation he did not talk about God or what happens when you die. The truth of the matter is that many are not afraid to die but should be afraid of God. Why? The answer is simple. Luke 12:4 says, “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell.” This could be applied to dying for a cause. For those who are willing to die the question is, are you ready to meet this God. We all should have a fear of God and judgment day. It should bring us to our knees but we live in a day where there is no fear of God. It is not just about dying; it is about where you will spend eternity after you die. As Chris said being prepared is the best thing to conquer fear. This is true but no amount of astronaut training will prepare you to meet God even if you are floating in his creation. It may help you with your life and death task but if you do happen to die for your country or cause it will not prepare you to meet your maker. Amos 4:13 “prepare to meet your God. He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth— the Lord God Almighty is his name.” Fear is an interesting subject. The more we fear God the less we fear anything or anyone else. Paul says as Christians because we believe in Jesus Christ there is no sting in death. Chris is true when he says preparation can make you fearless, but you need to make sure you are preparing the right way. Even the most fearless person must fear God. Deuteronomy 10:12 “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good? This obedience leads us to a fearless life. In the NIV the phrase “do not be afraid” appears seventy times. We are commanded to not be afraid. This type of fearlessness can only come from the Lord. Are you prepared to meet God?
