Why do you follow Christ? What motivates you to pray, to read scripture, to worship? There are two reasons we might follow Christ, two motivators that lead us toward Him. One is fear and the other is love. Sadly, many Christians follow Christ out of fear. They are afraid of hell. They are afraid of upsetting God. They are afraid of missing God’s will. Their choices are predicated upon fear of failure, fear of judgment, fear of condemnation. But that motivation is inadequate for following Christ and experiencing everything He has for us.

To understand this, we will look briefly at the nature of fear, the impact of fear, the limits of fear, and the product of fear. As we begin, please note we aren’t speaking about the Fear of God. That fear, often commanded in Scripture, is about awe and reverence. We are speaking of fear in the more common use. Continue reading →