Do Not Fear Death

LUKE 12:4 NKJ 4 "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

Since Jesus defeated death and removed its sting, believers should no longer be motivated by fear of death.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:55,57 NLT 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? " 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Death has been defeated by Jesus. Now the death of a Christian believer is just a transition from this lower reality to a higher, more perfect, and lasting reality. For anyone trusting in Jesus, there is no reason to be afraid.

I believe that death is now like birth: just an entry into an unknown but better place, a place of more freedom and consciousness, where we will continue to learn and grow, as we enjoy the goodness of God.

LUKE 20:38 NLT 38 So he is the God of the living, not the dead, for they are all alive to him."

Death is not the end. And death is only sleep for your body, not sleep for the real you which lives inside your body. After you die your body will sleep in death till the great Resurrection, but you will be alive with God all the time.

2 CORINTHIANS 5:8 NLT 8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.

PHILIPPIANS 1:21,23 NLT 21 For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. 23 I'm torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me.

Believers need to realize that passing through death means we will be far better off. Why be afraid of that?

JOHN 14:1-3 NKJ 1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

When you leave this life, Jesus has a place prepared for you -- better than what you have experienced here. He told you to not be afraid! You can trust Jesus.

HEBREWS 2:14-15 CJB 14 Therefore, since the children share a common physical nature as human beings, he became like them and shared that same human nature; so that by his death he might render ineffective the one who had power over death (that is, the Adversary) 15 and thus set free those who had been in bondage all their lives because of their fear of death.

Through the fear of death, the devil has been able to hold us in slavery, by getting us to do whatever it took to avoid dying. Believers are supposed to overcome this fear because of the victory of Jesus. We should live our lives fearless -- knowing that God is watching out for us and will always be with us and take care of us -- even in death.

So we should never let the enemy stop us from doing God's will because of fear that we might die.

Every one of us needs to finish our race and fulfill God's plan for us on earth before we die. But when it comes time to die, we should not fear.

SAY THIS: I will not fear death. I will trust in Jesus my Lord.