Romans 8:31-
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Fear is the worst emotion for a Christian to have. Because of fear, we either do those things we should not or fail to do what we must. A fearful man becomes angry, a fearful man kills needlessly, a fearful man runs from responsibility and is a reproach upon himself. However, many will overlook the sin of cowardice. We justify it within ourselves and often “coddle” others who struggle with it. What the Christian forgets in these instances is what God truly thinks of the coward. In Revelation 21:8, what is the very first sin mentioned in the list? It is cowardice. God has no use for a coward in His kingdom. Those who shirk from duty and hide from the world instead of standing for what is right will be cast into hell with the liars, murderers and sexually immoral.

This does not mean that fear does not have its proper place. There are things we should fear, such as sin and the spiritual harm of others. In fact, it is perfectly natural to have the fear of facing death, even if it is for God. However, it is when we allow that fear to control us that we fail to do what we must is when it becomes sinful. We must take courage and face whatever we fear with complete confidence in God. However, we do not do this without any assurance. God has given us many reasons to take courage and do the work He has called us to do.

1. God is for us: If we stay true to God and fully submit ourselves to Him, He will stand with us. Our introductory passage in Romans reminds us that if God is for us, nothing can stand against us. The greatest proof of that is found in the book of Joshua. As the children of Israel conquered the land, they faced many people mightier than they. However, we see that they defeated everyone that they faced. The only time they lost was because they had sinned and God had left them. We can have this same confidence today. God is truly all powerful and the devices of man and Satan can do nothing to permanently harm the child of God.
2. They can only kill the body: Jesus addressed this very thing during His ministry. In Matthew 10:28, he tells us to not fear the one who can kill the body but not the soul. What we must take from this is that even if death is our earthly reward for serving Christ, our soul will be taken care of. The Christians of the 1^st century realized this. Stephan when he was stoned with his dying breath asked God to forgive his murderers (Acts 7:60). Paul at the end of his life faced death courageously (2 Timothy 4:6-8). A Christian has nothing to fear from death.
3. The reward is great: In Matthew 5, Jesus again encourages His listeners by promising a reward to those who suffer. Again in 2 Timothy 4, Paul was looking to the reward that comes after death. Peter and James each made remarks in this regard as well (1 Peter 4:12-19; James 1:12). The Bible permeates with the promise of a reward for the faithful. However, the only way to achieve it is to live a life faithful to Him and to leave the physical world. We must remember that the reward is not physical but spiritual and worth more than anything this world has to offer.

So we see that the Christian has nothing to fear. For these three reasons alone we should stand firm in our faith. With God on our side we can do anything, as long as it is in accordance with His will. We are truly unstoppable and nothing but our own fear and selfishness can change that. Let all Christians who read this gain the strength and courage to do as God would have them to.