Fear of Death

I haven’t written any contemplations for some time now. I felt that it was time for me to walk out in my everyday life what God had already given me. I felt I really did know the truth and couldn’t understand why I was experiencing it to such a limited degree.

I realized that I had a terrible fear of leaving this visible realm before I had accomplished that for which we all take upon ourselves a visible body—to do the works that Jesus did, and even greater works, (i. e., see the kingdom of God come into the earth (visibility) as it is in heaven (God consciousness)) as we come into the light of realization that we are the sons of the living God.

I used to fear what we call death because I wasn’t sure that I would escape hell and go to heaven. I knew that I was beyond that fear and couldn’t understand what was really going on inside me.

As I was quiet this morning, God revealed to me once again that I must die before I can live. It is only this personality Jackie (which thinks it can do something to win God’s favor) that is attempting to hang onto life in this body. That personality must die so that I can be resurrected into my true and permanent identity which is the Christ, the son of the living God. It is the Father within that does the works that Jesus did (John 14:10)—not Jesus the personality man any more than it will be Jackie the personality woman. I have to recognize once again that this personality Jackie (body of sin; my humanity) was taken to death on the cross and is therefore already dead:

Romans 6:6
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
2Corinthians 5:14
For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

And I must reckon this to be so:

Romans 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin [the consciousness of myself apart from God], but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

When this is a reality to me, I will truly know that my righteousness (right standing with God) is a free gift:

Romans 5:15-16
But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
Romans 5:18
Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

I will no longer be concerned about whether or not I do the works that Jesus did. On the contrary, I will know that I can, in my personality Jackie, never do those works; I will know that looking to this personality is the very thing that is keeping the Father from doing the works through this body temple. I must let this personality go to the death and never consider it again. I will look only to the Christ (my true identity), surrendering my human will (as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:42)) that my Father’s will may be done while He walks this earth in this body.

I will learn again the lesson of the prodigal son and his elder brother (Luke 15:11-32). All that God wants from me is for me to leave this human consciousness which demands that I either do or not do something to win His favor and return to Him with the knowledge that all that He has is mine and that He will do the works as I make merry because I am ever with Him.

I can never be separated from His perfect love (Romans 8:37-39). As I keep my mind stayed on Him, rather than on my personality self, He will keep me in perfect peace (the peace that passes all human understanding —Philippians 4:7) because my trust is in him (Isaiah 26:3) and not in my ability to do the right thing to please Him.

As I come out from under the law and live only under grace, there can be no fear of what we call death but Jesus called sleep. For I will know that I am ever with Him (Luke 15:31) because He will never leave me (Hebrews 13:5); He will be with me always (Matthew 28:20) whether in the body, or out of the body (2Corinthians 12:3). I will have obeyed His command:

Ephesians 5:14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

There can be no death for me to fear, for I will have already arisen from the dead!