There is a man in the Old Testament you may have never heard of. He was given the opportunity to rule the 10 tribes of the north after Solomon's death. God promised him, through the prophet, that if he followed and obeyed God his kingdom would last forever, just as David's would. It was an amazing promise for a man who was just a servant to Solomon before God gave him this task of being king to the 10 tribes called Israel.
But he failed. His name is mentioned with the failings of each king after him. His decisions doomed the nation of Israel to captivity. It all happened because he feared the wrong things.
When this man became the first king of Israel he considered his situation and the nation of Judah to the south. He decided he didn't trust the promise of God, but instead devised a plan of his own. A plan that meant his demise. A plan that would make his name known in his time as we know Hitler today. A man ridiculed, rejected, an evil man because he trusted himself instead of God. A man who feared man instead of God. His name is Jeroboam son of Nebat.
When we fear man instead of God we always get in trouble. That was Jeroboam's downfall....he feared man more than he feared God. When God is small and man is big problems always follow.
If you want to read more about this foolish man you can find his story in 1 & 2 Kings. It's amazing to me how many generations of Israel were affected by the fears of just one man.
How has fear of man affected your walk with God? For most of us we would have to admit that fear of man is one of our biggest problems.
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