I believe there is a time in the life of every believer when a choice has to be made between fearing man or trusting God. This is what I had to do when I served in a country where Christians were “welcome”, but had to remember to keep their faith to themselves. 

One afternoon, as I was getting back home from work, my landlord and I crossed paths. He was very happy to see me. He pulled me aside and whispered he needed to talk to me. Intrigued by his whispering, I leaned in and told him I was all ears! 

He swiftly informed me that the governor, who so happened to be a close friend of his, had received a complaint that I was giving Bibles away to people in my neighborhood. I winced, aghast at his tale, I could not believe my ears. I tried to defend myself, explaining that in my neighborhood I had only given Bibles to two Christian domestic workers from Ethiopia and that I had not done anything wrong. He was a Christian himself and explained that he understood and knew that I didn’t mean any harm, but he strongly advised me: “Don’t give Bibles away in this neighborhood anymore. They know where you live and if anybody reports that you are continuing to give Bibles away, you could get expelled from the country. 

For a moment, I was seized with fear that I was being watched. Who could have gone so far as to complain to the governor that I was giving Bibles away? Giving Bibles away was very important to me because I strongly believed that the word of God was crucial for people to discover God. I was always disposed to giving Bibles in any language to whomever was hungry and thirsty to know God, but now I wondered what was I going to do? 

As my landlord and I parted ways, I went home very discouraged, paranoid and fearful that my days in this country I had called home over a decade was possibly coming to a sad end. This is when the Holy Spirit who always faithfully comforts us and brings God’s word to our remembrance, infused me with courage and ministered to me. He reminded me that just as God had been with Prophet Elijah, He was with me. He took me through 1 Kings 18 and 19 to show me how Prophet Elijah had been brave in proclaiming God before Baal worshipers, killing every single one of them and seeing God’s powerful hand at work, when He answered His prayer by consuming the offering he had prepared. Subsequently, Queen Jezebel intimidated Prophet Elijah and threatened to kill him. It is after his great triumphant that he was gripped by fear, fled and retreated into a cave where he became depressed and self-absorbed, seeing himself as the only prophet of God left (1 Kings 19:14). Nonetheless, God met him in his pit of despair. He encouraged him, sustained him, and commissioned him to continue with his ministry and He reassured him that he was not alone, but that there was a remnant of 7,000 that He had preserved who had not bowed down to Baal (1 Kings 19:18).  

Elijah’s story comforted me. It encouraged me to not let fear overtake me, but to continue to rely on the Holy Spirit in giving Bibles away when He would lead me, rather than fear what man could do to me, if I continued to do so. That day God taught me that honoring, obeying, and trusting Him was paramount. “We must obey God rather than human beings!” (Acts 5:29b, NIV) because the “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” (Proverbs 29:25, NIV)