“Come before God with freedom and without fear . . through faith in Christ.” Ephesians 3:12 NCV
“Any fear that would keep you from God is unnecessary.”
My thoughts today are about being “free and with no fear.”
Can you even imagine standing before God? Who would even presume their right to do so or be bold enough on their own? Unholy men approaching an absolutely holy God – unthinkable. There are lots of reasons to fear the thought of doing that. The psalmist wondered about that, “Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart . .” Psalm 24:3-4 NLT. (Also read Psalm 15:1-5 NLT). A person might clean their hands, not always a simple thing to do, yet who but God can purify a man’s heart? See Jeremiah 17:9-10 NKJV.
Have you ever experienced the awkwardness of coming across a friend to whom you had not been loyal? And with that knowledge, you feel an awkwardness being there with them. We assume, and rightly so, that they may also share that same discomfort. That discomfort is your conscience. They may or may not know what you’ve said or done, but you know. Paul prayed that he might “have a conscience void of offense before God and man.” Acts 24:16 NIV. That is precious thing to have.
If someone feels uncomfortable just with another person they have wronged, no wonder people are fearful to approach God. None of us can escape the painful truth when the Bible says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 NIV. Yes, guilty as charged, and deserving of God’s judgment and wrath . . but . .
When you finally and fearfully come to God, you will find every time that He is not angry with you; He is compassionate and forgiving. Any fear that would keep you from God is unnecessary. “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:16 NLT.
But don’t confuse brashness with boldness. Boldness comes only after you have confessed and repented for your sin. You will be bold after you truly understand in your heart that God is not like you as you fear He might be, but that coming allows you to become more like Him than you were. You can be bold when you realize that you are not coming in your own goodness or worthiness, but in the Name of Jesus, His Son and your Savior.
“Come before God with freedom and without fear . . through faith in Christ.” Ephesians 3:12 New Century Version. With freedom and without fear! The fear you felt is replaced with deep reverence and pure awe in His presence. See Jude 24 NLT.
My prayer for you today is: fear what you are capable of doing, but not God.