For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
2 Timothy 1:7-9
This is an ancient Chinese story about a great general named Zhuge Liang who found himself trying to hold a small city named Xicheng with a handful of soldiers while the main army was fighting elsewhere. When a large enemy army approached, Liang gave orders for the gates to be thrown open, clothed his few soldiers as civilians and set them to working sweeping the streets, and sat on a raised platform by the gate playing a guqin, an instrument similar to a flute. When the enemy army arrived, their commanding general surveyed the situation. Knowing Liang’s reputation as a cautious military leader and strategist, the general immediately ordered a full retreat, fearing that Zhuge Liang was trying to lure him into a trap. The victory was won by the side not governed by fear.
To say that Christians should not live fearfully does not mean that there are no real problems or dangers that we must face. The enemy is active every day seeking our destruction, and we must be on guard. The key to living without fear is understanding that we are on the winning side. Though there are battles in this world, the ultimate victory has already been settled. We must live in faith in that victory, and when we do we will not be conquered by fear. “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4).
