Fear of the Unknown?

Reposted from July 2023

“And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:
Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.
But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”
Acts 20:22-24

Do you have “fear of the unknown”?

With so much emphasis on sickness, death, disease, and turmoil these days, the words of the great apostle Paul have much relevance to all of us.

Paul was miraculously transformed by the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The one who had been the enemy of Christ and a terrorist to Christians suddenly became a believer in Jesus Christ.

Now Paul had to walk forward in faith instead of reason and knowledge. He had to leave the safety of earthly wisdom.

One of the hurdles to your spiritual maturity is the hurdle of fear. You live in a self-made bubble of safety and comfort.
We all do.
We take action and make decisions based on data, experience, and necessity…but UNGODLY FEAR is often a determining factor in our decision-making process. It’s a major hindrance to our obedience to God.

What a different Bible we would have if Paul had written, “Because they threatened my life, I did not go to Jerusalem, terrified of what they would call me and do unto me. Thus I stayed home shaking in my fear and waited for another to go in my place.”

Aren’t you glad that Paul obeyed God?
He didn’t walk in fear of the unknown.
He didn’t walk in fear of other people.
He walked in confidence of THE KNOWN: that the Holy Ghost was leading him right to where he was supposed to be.

Don’t create fearful scenarios of what COULD happen to you…reinforce confidence in what DID happen to you.

If Christ saved you, He gave you a purpose…and it wasn’t to shrink back in the face of the unknown.
Your purpose is to believe and obey God in the face of the unknown.
Walk forward anyway.

We don’t know WHAT the future holds.
We only know WHO holds the future.

Keep your armor on.