Hebrews 2:14-15 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve begun a series of devotions based on the Exodus wanderings of the Children of Israel, and their tragic mistakes which we can learn from and avoid. One powerful influence common to their failures was fear.
Fear is a terrible motivator and a true slave-master. And it’s a source of incalculable sin. Yet, the Lord has not given us the spirit of fear, but of love, of power, and a sound mind! [2 Timothy 1:7]
The first test came when the Israelites feared death at the hands of Pharaoh and the Egyptians [Exodus 14:9-14] The Lord heard their cry, opened the Red Sea and made a way of escape. Nevertheless, time and again the children of Israel became fearful of death, and this is why they failed miserably in the wilderness.
But this bondage to the fear of death can be broken. Yeshua (Jesus) has said that He holds the keys of hell and death. [Rev. 1:18] Because He Himself was resurrected from the dead, in Him we are no longer in bondage to this fear.
If the Egyptian Pharaoh is a type of the antichrist spoken of in John’s Revelation, then we may also find there the examples of those who are overcomers, as were Joshua and Caleb in the time of the Exodus. And there they are: “they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” [Rev. 12:11] The martyrs throughout all of history testify to this faith in the Resurrection.
The fear of death must not have its hold upon us. Identifying with Yeshua in His death will enable us to live a fear-free life, for there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. [1 John 4:18] Life enters a realm of freedom with this realization: “If you’re willing to die for Yeshua (Jesus), then it becomes easy to live for Him!” So instead of wandering fearfully in the wilderness, make it your place of victory over the fear of death.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy Devotions. This devotional was originally published on Worthy Devotions and was reproduced with permission.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]When I teach about “understanding the will of God,” I’d like to talk about a story that is told in all the synoptic gospels, except that Luke’s account gives a significant nuance. (Many skeptical Bible “critics” point out differences in the gospels to argue that they can’t be reliable — yet it’s actually the differences that support the validity of these accounts because they reveal that the events recorded were simply experienced and told from slightly different viewpoints, a very common circumstance when people are telling a story.)
Charles Swindoll wrote about these men who bring in animals from Africa for American zoos. They say that one of the hardest animals to catch there is the ringtailed monkey. For the Zulus of that continent, however, it’s simple. They’ve been catching this agile little animal with ease for years.
When Jim Burke became the head of a new products division at Johnson & Johnson, one of his first projects was the development of a children’s chest rub. The product failed miserably, and Burke expected that he would be fired. When he was called in to see the chairman of the board, however, he met a surprising reception. “Are you the one who just cost us all that money?” asked Robert Wood Johnson. “Well I just want to congratulate you. If you are making mistakes, that means you are taking risks, and we won’t grow unless you take risks!” Apparently, Mr. Johnson wasn’t joking! Years later, Johnson & Johnson remains one of the largest multi-national manufacturers of pharmaceutical, diagnostic, therapeutic, surgical, personal hygiene, baby and biotechnology products.
The baby that came into the world through the scenario above was named Ishmael. According to Islamic belief, it was Ishmael that was offered as a sacrifice by Abraham, and through him that they became the rightful inheritors of the promises of God. In other words, Ishmael was the seed through which Islam was born. Hmmm.
In her book, Let Me Be a Woman, Elizabeth Elliot records the story of a friend who had great difficulty accepting the looks God had given her. While everyone this girl knew had grown beautiful golden hair, hers was black. And while they were all still growing, she had stopped. She grew to be only about four feet ten inches tall.
“A young man enlisted, and was sent to his regiment. The first night he was in the barracks with about fifteen other young men, who passed the time playing cards and gambling. Before retiring, he fell on his knees and prayed, and they began to curse him and jeer at him and throw boots at him. So it went on the next night and the next, and finally the young man went and told the chaplain what had taken place, and asked what he should do. ‘Well,’ said the chaplain, ‘you are not at home now, and the other men have just as much right to the barracks as you have. It makes them mad to hear you pray, and the Lord will hear you just as well if you say your prayers in bed and don’t provoke them.’
A United States Army officer who trained pupils at Fort Sill for over 20 years once described the different qualities of the students during the two decades of his tenure. During the 1950’s, he observed the students’ attitude as being so lax that the instructors had trouble keeping their students awake during their lectures. This drastically changed in the mid 1960’s. The students began taking meticulous notes and absorbing every word of instruction. So, what changed?