“It’s scary,” she said, “and I can only imagine what’s down there.  I cry every time I snorkel.”  Sitting there, I could see the image in my mind, the tears leaking out the corners of her eyes as she sat on the edge of the boat, preparing to snorkel.  She was a distinguished swimmer, so it was not that.  This was not her first time snorkeling, so it was not a fear of doing something new that made her cry.  She was afraid of what she could not see, of what she imagined that might be there, under the murky water.

• What fear keeps you from obeying God?
• What action of obedience are you delaying?
• What stops you in your tracks because you are afraid?
• Could this be the day that you step forward, courageous in the LORD’S might?

When the children of Israel were close to the Promised Land, they sent spies into the land to scout, to see the land, to observe the people, to notice their crops, and to see if their cities were fortified.  When these ten spies were sent into the land promised to Abraham years before, Moses was alive and leading the people.  Joshua had not yet taken the leadership position that Moses would pass on to him before his death (Moses’s).  Thus, God’s people had not yet taken the city of Jericho after they crossed the Jordan River and Joshua’s biblical writing had not yet been written.  Let’s pause to read what God led Joshua to write AFTER the battles had been fought, after the land had been taken.

The Lord Jesus commissioned His redeemed ones to “Go.”  Sometimes we question:  Where?  When? How? & What will happen if we “Go”?  We never question:  Why? Because we already know Why we are to “Go” wherever the Lord sends us, just as we know Why there is an urgency to “Go now.”

• People are lost and do not know Jesus as their Savior.
• People are dying—lost—without Jesus.

Let’s pause to read what Jesus spoke to His disciples BEFORE His crucifixion and BEFORE the truth of His resurrection was clearly known.  Followers of Jesus Christ, let us read what Jesus spoke about our witness, about the testimony we must share.

“It’s scary,” she had said, “and I can only imagine what’s down there.”  Is that not what we might say about the abyss of hell?  It is a horrible thought to consider that someone might remain silent while they know that their testimony of what the Lord did in their life would plant a seed, would water a seed, and would bring another person to their decision to accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

 She told me, “I cry every time I snorkel,” and I sat there, thousands of miles away from her, imagining her tears whenever she prepared to drop off the side of the boat and fall into the deep of the sea.

• She did not fear drowning.
• She did not fear doing something new.
• She did not fear that she might die.
• She feared what she could not see.
• She feared what lay beneath the murky water.

As our conversation replays in my mind, and as I consider my fear to “Go” as my Lord has commanded, I question if my fear is just like hers.  I wonder if I can step forward in faith and say, “Yes, Lord” whenever His Holy Spirit prompts me to “Go”?

The apostle Paul wrote the words of GOD, reminding us of the LORD’S assurance, much like the LORD promised the children of Israel (His people) BEFORE they took possession of the Promised Land.

Let us see the LORD’S PROMISE.

• What fear keeps us from obeying God?  &
• What action of obedience are we delaying?
• Truly, what stops us in our tracks because we are afraid?
• Could this be the day that we step forward, courageous in the LORD’S might—and “Go”?

When Jesus was teaching His disciples about the importance of not hiding the lamp but instead allowing it to shine in this dark world, He was reminding His followers to be bold in their faith, so others might see the Light inside them.  Jesus also reminded them of the coming judgment day to every person (both the redeemed and the lost).

Then, in closing, the Lord Jesus reminded His followers of Whose they were & of His Great Commission that He gave to them to “Go” wherever, whenever, and however He tells them (us) to “Go.”