Fear Not

The number one injunction the Lord tells us in the Bible is to Fear Not. God tells us not to fear 63 times. So I think we can guess that this is one of the most important things in the Bible.

Nor is this just something we are supposed to take comfort in. God expects us to have no fear, and having fear is a lack of faith in Him. Look at Jesus' reaction in
Matthew 8:23-27.

"When he got into a boat, his disciples followed him. Behold, a violent storm came up on the sea, so much that the boat was covered with the waves, but he was asleep. They came to him, and woke him up, saying, "Save us, Lord! We are dying!"
He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Then he got up, rebuked the wind and the sea, and there was a great calm.
The men marveled, saying, "What kind of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

In the face of a storm that could have killed them all, the disciples weren't comforted by his statement. No, they were admonished for their lack of faith because they were afraid.

Fear is a form of defiance, and a lack of faith.

I hear a lot of fear. It didn't start September 11, but after September 11 fear is being used to justify actions which otherwise would not be tolerated. "We live in a dangerous world" some would say.

Maybe they are right, maybe the world is a dangerous place, but we have nothing to fear. And if we do become afraid, then we have lost faith.