But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not
fear their threats; do not be frightened.” 1 Peter 3:14
One of the major tactics of Satan is to use difficult situations to create
fear in us and thus immobilize our witness. For example, during the 9/11
attack in USA, Heather Mercer and Dayna Curry were being held in a prison in
Afghanistan. In an interview with Christianity Today magazine on the
tenth anniversary of 9/11, Heather Mercer said, “There is not a day that goes by
that I don’t think about it. God sent me to prison to set me free. I don’t think
I realized how much fear I actually had in my life until I had to confront some
of my deepest, darkest fears. When I first set out to go to Afghanistan, I knew
it might cost me my life to reach Muslims with the love of Jesus. Then I had
this opportunity to face that fear of, ‘What would I do if someone tried to kill
me for sharing the gospel?’ God made Himself known in such a profound way that
now, what do I have to fear?”[1]
In Papua New Guinea (PNG), Wycliffe’s Sue Ambrose was out for a walk on
February 4th, 2009. She was talking to the Lord about people, issues and life.
As she continued her walk, she read memory verses from three Gospels that say,
“Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life
for my sake will find it.”
The slapping sound of bare feet running on packed earth causes her to turn
around to see a crazed PNG man charge her with a large machete-like knife raised
murderously above his head. After a quick altercation and feeling as though she
was dying, Sue was rushed to the medical clinic where friends and co-workers
were shocked to see her in such grave condition: many abrasions; a damaged hand;
a puncture wound near the sternum just below the diaphragm and lungs; and the
knife still stuck fast in her hip.
Sue was remarkably calm through the process and felt no pain. Once
stabilized, she was transferred to medical facilities in Australia. While in
hospital, God gave Sue a clear vision of an angel, “A big warrior kind of guy
that was eight or ten feet tall with his sword raised, saying, ‘No, that is
enough! I am not going to let you kill her.’” Sue says, “That really opened my
eyes to the whole spiritual realm; that this man was part of Satan’s attacks on
us, on the training centre and on the work of SIL.”
Two and a half weeks after being air-lifted out of the country, Sue returned
to her ministry in PNG. The Wycliffe magazine, Word Alive reported: That
seemingly simple act proves to be a strong counterstrike to the enemy—a living
sermon calling others to shun fear and courageously press on in their respective
callings. “I don’t think that I ever considered not going back,” says Sue. “God
has given us the strength to return and it has spoken volumes to people.” Sue
models an attitude that we all must grasp, the article concluded. Let fear not
rule![2]
RESPONSE: Today I will not allow the enemy to use the tactic of fear
against me.
PRAYER: Thank You, Lord, for the wonderful examples of fearlessness shown
by Your people today.
1. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/septemberweb-only/heather-mercer-interview.html
2. Craig Pulsifer, “Let Fear Not Rule,” Word Alive (Wycliffe Bible
Translators, Fall 2011), pp. 33-37.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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