Stop Running Away

John 8 : 31 – 32, Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." NKJV

Since the fall of man, he has been afraid of God. Whenever God’s presence descended upon Mount Sinai, there was thundering and lightning, the ground quaked, and the people trembled. The sight of God was so overwhelming that the Jews refused to hear God’s voice. Let me interject something here. If the presence of God was so terrible and frightening, why was Moses not afraid to enter the thick darkness and speak with God?

The answer to this puzzling question is very simple. The children of Israel allowed unbelief to rule their hearts; and, consequently, they rejected God. Moses, on the other hand entered God’s presence with faith and, therefore, understood what was really going on that day. In Exodus 20, Moses told the people not to be afraid of God. God was only revealing His power to them so that they might possess a reverential fear of the Lord that would keep them from sin.

Jesus gives us even more clarity as to why people, and many Christians, are either afraid of God, or they are fearful of “facing” the truth. John 3: 19 – 21, And this is the condemnation that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." NKJV

It’s not that we’re afraid of the truth, itself; it is that we understand that the truth of God will force us to face our fears. The Jews in their unbelief didn’t want to have to face the realization that they had unconfessed sin in their hearts. God wanted them to come into His presence in faith so that He might use their faith to overcome the fear that held them in bondage to the power of sin.

Are you on-the-run? Is there something from your past or hidden in your heart that you don’t want anyone to know about? Does the fear of being put to shame cause you to run instead of trusting God to defend you? When God appeared to Moses at Horeb, he had been on-the-run for murdering an Egyptian. Therefore, when God revealed to Moses the plan to send him back to Egypt to free the Jews from Pharaoh’s power, Moses was afraid to return. God explained to Moses that the Pharaoh who pursued him was dead.

When Moses turned his life over to serve the Lord, it caused him to have to go back and face his past. Even so, because Moses was obeying God, he returned to Egypt with power and liberty. Like Moses, God has a far better plan for your life than to see you run from your past or from a failure. If you turn your life and the outcome of the situations that have made you afraid over to God, then He can set you free from the fear that is caused by unbelief. Remember this: God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.

Walking in God’s Love,
Pastor Asa Dockery