Not Afraid

Hebrews 11:23

"By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a
proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment."

You can never go wrong by choosing to obey God.


Russia was a controversial place during the early 1900s. Led by a dictator named Stalin, the country built up forces just in time for World War 2, a war that saw them betrayed by their "ally" Hitler, and eventually led to their switch to the Allied side of the war. One of Stalin's leaders in his
regime was Nikita Khrushchev. Khrushchev served many different roles including soldier, military
leader, ruler of Ukraine, and party official. Khrushchev had a hand in a lot that went on during
Stalin's rule. After the death of Stalin, a long battle for the control of Russia took place,
eventually leading to Khrushchev's rise to power.


While in office, Khrushchev sought to de-Stalinize the nation and move them toward a more liberal
form of government. He publicly denounced Stalin's policies and ideas and spoke of his own ideas for moving Russia forward into a time of prosperity and growth. At one such meeting, he spent an unusual amount of time degrading Stalin. After his speech, during the comment period, someone in the crowd yelled out, "You worked with Stalin. Why didn't you stop him?" A hush came over the room, and Khrushchev angrily boomed, "Who said that?" No one replied. "Now you know why I did nothing" he explained.

Khrushchev's fear of Stalin kept him from speaking out against the atrocities Stalin committed. He
allowed his fear to cause him to follow along in practices he knew were wrong, but no matter how
much he detested Stalin, or how loudly he renounced his ideas, Khrushchev was always tied to the
acts of the previous administration.

Sometimes fear can cause us to give in to what we know is wrong. This act is most often seen in
teenagers who are pressured into doing wrong because their friends are doing it, yet even adults can be pressured into doing wrong.

Our verses show us a couple who was not pressured to doing wrong, even though the king had commanded it. Amram and Jochebed were blessed with their third child, a baby boy named Moses. At that time the Jewish people were living in bondage in Egypt. Due to the king's fear of the Israelites taking over, he ordered that every Jewish baby boy be killed. Amram and Jochebed knew God had a plan for baby Moses, so they risked their lives to save his.

Hebrews points out the faith of Moses' parents, "By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three
months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the
king's commandment." They knew the penalty for disobeying the king's command, yet they chose to obey God.

Obeying God seems like a logical decision, yet pressure can cause Christians to make decisions they would not normally make. Don't allow outside pressure to dictate your actions. As Moses' parents listen to God above the king, choose to obey God's commands no matter the consequences. You can never go wrong by choosing to obey God.

Who will you obey today? Will you allow the world's influence to guide your decisions? Situations
may come when choosing to obey God may carry some earthly consequences. Even in the face of
difficulty, choose God. Don't fear men of this world. Choose to follow God's path and obey Him. In
the end, following God will reap more benefits than following the world.