They say nightmares come in two primary and most common varieties: falling and being chased. OK, sometimes I dream I'm still in college and can't find my classes. One night it rained chocolate all night. But, most often I'll catch myself in a fall. Harriet sometimes wakes me up breathing hard because a creature is chasing her. It seems so real. So, they're most likely associated with having full calendars or being involved in issues that are spinning out of control, some subliminal urgency pushing on us. Or, maybe we had too many pickles at dinner. Whatever!
Still, the fear of falling paralyzes many people. This is true physically and spirituallly. A good many people live timid lives because they fear they're going to scrrew up or do something contrary to their faith. Most Baptists don't understand the security of God's people or the appropriation of God's provision for bold living. So, the fear of falling is more than the stuff of Mr. Sandman. It is a spiritual reality that renders many believers ineffective and inactive in living out their faith.
The crowing moment of Jude's Epistle is the declaration that God is able to keep us from falling. Of course, he was referring to a spiritual decline, the threat of apostasy, living a life opposite to the confessions of our faith. It is the final thought and instruction in an Epistle that emphasizes being able to contend for the faith once for all entrusted to the saints. The premise is simple: we cannot contend if we are weak and fearful of falling.
Here is a promise worth noting. May we allow this promise to give us boldness as we live out the tenets of our faith and contend not just through words, but in the most powerful witness of all, a changed life!
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