Let The Dead Bury The Dead

Dear one, read this and let it sink in: if you're in Christ, you have no reason to fear death.

However, many Christians do fear death. They fear the death of their life on earth - in two different ways - and they fear the death of their salvation. We're going to chat about all of this in this post.

When Jesus commanded the guy in Luke 9 to follow Him rather than bury his father, he was asking the guy to give Him his life. Jesus was telling him to let the earthly and worldly things go. To follow Jesus means we must radically transfer our loyalty to Him.

In order to be saved we must die first.

If you're with Christ, truly with Him, then you're going to Heaven when you pass, yes? What in the actual world is there to fear, then?

We don't have to know what Heaven looks or feels like to not fear death. We don't need to know when the rapture or end of days will come. We don't need to know the day or the hour that Jesus is coming to get His people. We simply must trust in God. God's timing is perfect and absolute.

How do I know if I'm saved? If this is a question you ask yourself regularly, then read my blog post about being saved. You can also watch the video about salvation in Christ here.

One thing that's for sure going to happen to all humans is death. There's no escaping that. What we ought to concern ourselves with in the here and now is where our souls are going after we die. There are only two options, and we have instructions on how to live life to go to either eternal home. Heaven or Hell.

Because we have free will given to us by God we get to participate in choosing which place we go to. Ultimately, Yahweh is the decider of our fate, but we can trust Him because He created us and everything else. He is good and just and Right. He will make the absolute correct choice. He sees our hearts and our intentions, and He gave His perfect Son, Jesus, for when we screw up, and repent.

If you're still concerned with your fate, ask God to work with you on this. Ask Him to show you His truth and take away any lies and deception of the enemy. He will honor that prayer.

What if we're afraid of other people dying? Like our kids or our spouse? Don't kill the messenger here, friend, but our kids and spouses will die. *slowly backs away* If you're a mom and you're worried about your kids dying, ask yourself why you're fearful. Is it because you don't know if they're saved so you don't know if they're going to Heaven, or are you afraid of the pain and suffering you'll endure as a parent if they die before you? Maybe it's something else, but let's talk about those two for now.

If you're not sure that your kids or spouse are saved, then you've been given the power, the authority, and the opportunity to share the gospel with them! Ultimately it'll be their choice to be in relationship with Jesus or not, you cannot make someone accept Him as their Lord. If you're nervous or anxious about talking to them about Jesus, then ask God for courage and strength to start the conversation - you'll never know how it'll go until you start sharing.

If you're fearful that your kids and spouse will precede you in death from this life, then I think that makes you a normal human being. The truth is that the death of a child or spouse, although different pain, is excruciatingly painful. There's no other grief like it, other than the deep grief felt by those who witnessed Jesus's crucifixion and death.

If you struggle with this fear, move forward today knowing that if this happens, dear one, you won't be alone. You'll have Jesus with you, helping you to process the grief, sitting with you, holding you, comforting you. And if your child or spouse knows Jesus, they truly will be in a much better place than this.

When the anxiety comes flooding back STOP and PRAY for protection for them, and peace for you. You don't have control over their time here - you don't even have control over your own time here - but Father does, and that is a blessing. We can truly give our lives to Him and know we are safe and secure, no matter if our souls reside here on earth or in Heaven. ♥