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Hi, I'm Heidi St. John, and today I want to talk to you for just a few minutes about the story of Esther.

Some of you may have already heard the story.

Esther enters the Bible and enters history during the reign of King Xerxes when the Persian Empire was at its peak,

and Esther's challenge was to serve God in challenging circumstances. Now Esther knew, as well as all the

other women who were being considered to be the wife of King Xerxes, that

Xerxes was a fearful man and he had a lot of power. And the overwhelming temptation, I believe,

for Esther would have been to be full of fear. Esther had to deal with her fear of the king.

His track record wasn't very good. Vashti had come up against him, although I have to say,

I mean, my hat's off to the guy. He could have killed her and he didn't. But the Bible mentions

two specific types of fear. The first type is beneficial and is to be encouraged. That's the fear of

God. The Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The second type of fear is detrimental,

and it's the kind that we need to overcome. It is the fear of man. The first type of fear brings with

it blessings and benefits. It's the beginning of wisdom, and it leads us to understanding. In Psalm 1110,

we read that wisdom and our faith in the Lord lead us to understanding. In Psalm 1110, we read that wisdom and our faith in the Lord lead

us to understanding. The Bible says in Proverbs that only fools despise wisdom and discipline,

and that the fear of the Lord leads to life, rest, peace, and contentment in Proverbs 1923.

Proverbs 1427 says it is the fountain of life, and it provides a security and a place of safety

for us.

We can see how fearing God should be encouraged, but the second type of fear is mentioned in

the Bible, and it's not beneficial at all.

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