Fear is the new F Word. Or probably the old one because I’m sure it’s been around longer and it’s much more damaging. In the Bible, we are told NOT to fear a gazillion times (slight exaggeration but a lot), yet it is something that most of us struggle with and it holds us back from living unencumbered lives. The Bible is full of examples of fear – Gideon, Moses, Jeremiah, and Peter to name a few – so we certainly aren’t alone.
I believe fear is the root of many other problems that we experience in our lives. Fears such as fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of losing control hold us back and result in other harmful issues like comparison, overthinking, perfectionism, stress, anxiety, and more.
In John 14:27, Jesus said the following to his disciples when he was on the precipice of torture and death.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Notice he says, “do not let your hearts be troubled” and “do not be afraid”. We don’t have control over our fears, do we? Do you think it’s possible to live in freedom from fear? If we let our lives listen to Scripture, we will find that it is our choice as to how much dominion fear has over our lives. There will always be moments in life when we are afraid to give ourselves over to God, but the truth is we can trust him with our tomorrows. Obedience does not require us to be fearless, it only asks that we have the faith to follow God in difficult times.
In conclusion, trusting in Him is our ultimate remedy for fear. He tells us in 1 John 4:18 that perfect love casts out fear and that He is love.
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
REFLECT
What are your biggest fears? What will you do to work towards overcoming them?
