The 21st Step on John’s Ladder, is simply called FEAR. John defines fear as danger tasted in advance, a quiver as the heart takes fright before unnamed calamity. Fear is loss of assurance.

Fear is, of course, natural, but it must be controlled. To be dominated by fear is a sign of lack of faith and trust in God.

It dawned on me that this step is truly very important in today’s world. It is my opinion that what the terrorists of this world hope to achieve is that we will live in fear. We become so concerned about life in this present world that we allow the terrorists to cheat us of living with hope and faith. To be dominated by fear is a sign of lack of faith and trust in God. Of course, there are irrational fears (phobias) of specific things. I do not suggest that phobias are related to a lack of faith, or whether they can be overcome by faith alone. But fear in general can be a very destructive and oppressive force in one’s life. It can dictate our actions and our decisions, and thus may govern our very lives. There are people who think Christianity is all about living in fear, but on the contrary, Christians are called to live a fearless life.

Fear should never be a part of a Christian’s life. Why? Because we Christians are called to hope and trust in a living God who has revealed to us through His Son – His manifestation – that LIFE IS IMMORTAL. God has told us through His Son that we need not fear death since death is only a means built into life to make a transition to the next way of living.

I know that many might assert that we don’t know this to be true. My response is that FAITH tells us that this is true. We don’t need proof. It is a way of living – living with faith. Funny, life is happier when we live with belief in human immortality!