When You Fear Death

[When You Fear Death]( Current Teaching Series [Radicalis: Developing Spiritual Roots]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [When You Fear Death]( By Rick Warren — 10/30/2022 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd like to share a Daily Devotional from Pastor Rick with you&body= “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” 1 John 4:18 (NIV) God is a God of radical freedom. In fact, the Bible says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1 NIV). What does God’s freedom give you? Over the last few days, we’ve learned that it gives you a clear conscience, direct access to God, and the power to do what’s right. It also gives you freedom from the fear of death. Death is a universal fear, yet it’s a fear that few people want to face. It may be tempting to go through life pretending you’re not going to die. But only a fool would go through life unprepared for what they know is inevitable. Here’s the good news: Jesus came to set you free from the fear of death. Hebrews 2:14-16 says, “For only as a human being could he die and in dying break the power of the devil who had the power of death. Only in that way could he deliver those who through fear of death have been living all their lives as slaves to constant dread” (TLB). I can say, in all honesty, that I am totally free from the fear of dying. Why? Because I know God, and I’m not afraid of him. I’ve been his friend for more than 60 years. The only people who are afraid of God are people who don’t know him. The better you get to know him, the less you’re afraid of him, because God is love. “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18 NIV). How could you fear someone who loves you unconditionally? How could you fear someone who thinks about you more than you do? God knows every detail of your life. He even knows how many hairs you have on your head! So why would you be afraid to go be with him forever? If you know the Lord when you die, you’re not leaving home—you’re going home! You’re going where you were meant to be for all eternity, to “the kingdom [God] prepared for you since the creation of the world” (Matthew 25:34 NIV). Praise God, you can live free! You can live without guilt, able to talk to God anytime and anywhere, free to do what is right, and confident there’s no need to fear death—all because you belong to Jesus. [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - How has this devotional given you a new perspective on dying? - In what areas do you live as though this life is all there is? - What is one small or big way you can prepare your heart today for the inevitability of death? Freedom from the Fear of Death Many people fear death—but Jesus can give you freedom from that fear. If you want that freedom, and the assurance that you will go to heaven when you die, here’s a prayer to get you started: “Dear God, I know that when I die, I’m going to give an account of my life to you directly. I confess I have ignored you. I know I have sinned against you, and I have lived by my plan, not yours. I want that to change, starting right now. I want to turn away from my sins and start following you. “Thank you for sending Jesus to die for all I’ve done wrong so that I can have eternal life with you. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness. I know only your grace can save me. “Jesus, thank you for loving me so much that you took all my guilt on yourself. I ask you to save me from my sins and from judgment. I believe in you, and because of you, I no longer need to fear death. I believe you will keep your promise to bring me to heaven for eternity. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.” If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at Rick@PastorRick.com and let me know about it. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus. The post [When You Fear Death]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd like to share a Daily Devotional from Pastor Rick with you&body= [Get The Lord's Prayer Children's Book when you give a gift to support Daily Hope!]( One of the most important roles you can play in the life of a child is teaching them to trust God through prayer. It’s the key to living with hope and happiness. That’s why we’re excited to send you a special resource as our thanks for your gift of support. It’s called The Lord’s Prayer: Words of Hope and Happiness, and it’s all about helping children pray like Jesus. This book brings the poetic Scripture from the King James Version alive for young readers as they learn to model their prayers after the example of Jesus. They’ll love the encouraging comments from Pastor Rick, as well as the engaging illustrations by award winning artist, Richard Jesse Watson. [LEARN MORE]( [Complete Audio Series (Purchase)]( Includes 6 full-length messages from Pastor Rick's series Radicalis: Developing Spiritual Roots. [LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: Radical Gratitude Message 2: Radical Faith Message 3: Radical Joy Message 4: Radical Hope Message 5: Radical Generosity Message 6: Radical Freedom [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rick’s daily audio teaching at [PastorRick.com]( Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.]( As the founding pastor of Saddleback Church with his wife Kay, Dr. Rick Warren leads a 30,000-member congregation in California with campuses in major cities around the world. As an author, his book [The Purpose Driven Life]( is one of the best-selling nonfiction books in publishing history. It has been translated into 74 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in all formats. His book [The Purpose Driven Church]( was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the century. Rick also founded [The PEACE Plan]( to address five global issues—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. 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