Fear not, for I am with you.

be not dismayed, for I am your God;

I will strengthen you, I will help you,

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. –Isaiah 41:10

 

Fear is a very powerful emotion. Fear itself is not a bad or wrong, it was given to us by God to warn us of danger and to cause us to be more careful.  This is healthy fear.  A few years ago, our family took a trip to Colorado and decided to take the tourist train up to Pikes Peak. Pikes Peak is 14,000 feet above sea level – talk above high places!  Once you get to the top, a little further past the tourist welcome center, you can see the edge of the cliff.  We called it the “drop off” (after ‘Finding Nemo’).  Mere looking at it gave me fear chills and rightly so.  God has given us the emotion of fear to warn and keep us away from danger. As soon as we got back into the visitor center, my fear of the “drop off” was gone, as it should be.

 

A friend on twitter posted a quote by Ralph Waldo Emmerson on fear which reads “Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world.” 

 

Fear is the most exploited emotion.  It can be exploited by anyone who seeks to have control over the life of another person.  The devil can do nothing to us without first exploiting our fears. Abusers and dictators also use the weapon of fear to perpetuate their abuse on those around them. Since we live in a fallen world and bad things will happen, the tendency for us to be afraid or anxious about the unknown is to be expected among sinful humans like us. However, the Lord does not want it to be so with us. He does not want us to be held captive by fear.  That is why the Bible is filled with plenty of verses telling us not to be afraid or anxious.

 

Being a Christian does not exempt one from becoming afraid or anxious about certain situations or circumstances.  Since we live in a fallen world, believers will run into and situations that will cause fear/anxiety. We are not to give in. We are to make use of the weapons given to us by God to fight fear and anxiety. Weapons such as reading the Bible, praying, and fellowshipping with other believers.

 

A friend on twitter posted a quote by Ralph Waldo Emmerson on fear which reads “Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world.” This is so true. So many lives have been lost and so many relationships destroyed by fear.  Someone said there are 365 “Fear Not” in the Bible, one for each day of the year. Fear is such a powerful emotion that it causes people to do things we never imagined we would ever do.

Fear also paralyzes us – renders unable to do those things we previously know how to do. Fearful people do irrational and sometimes ungodly things. Fear never comes alone; it comes with its twin – anxiety.  Fear and anxiety go hand in hand. Where there is fear, there is anxiety & where there is anxiety, there is fear.

Fear and anxiety causes Christian to forget the promises of God as well as the means of grace given by the Holy Spirit to help in trouble. Means like Bible study, prayer and fellowship with the saints.  The Lord continues to encourage and command us not to be afraid or anxious. Being a Christian does not exempt one from becoming afraid or anxious about certain situations or circumstances. 

Since we live in a fallen world, believers will run into and situations that will cause fear/anxiety. We are not to give in. We are to make use of the weapons given to us by God to fight fear and anxiety. Weapons such as reading the Bible, praying, and fellowshipping with other believers. These weapons will help to keep us strong, and unafraid. Our enemy and oppressor can only  succeed in keeping us afraid and anxious by trying to hinder us from getting into the word, praying, and by separating us from fellowship with the saints. Don’t let him.

What is the opposite of fear and anxiety? I believe it is hope.  Hopelessness fuels fear and anxiety.  Fearful and anxious people feel hopeless and helpless in their situation.  To counter fear and anxiety, we have to turn to where hope can be found – God’s word, prayer and fellowship with the saints.  When we don’t heed God’s commands, we sin.  Nothings says we don’t trust God like living in fear and anxiety.  Here is a small sample of scripture to encourage us not to be afraid. There is more, but I leave you to do your own search in the Bible.  

 

Isaiah 35:4

Say to those who have an anxious heart,

“Be strong; fear not!

Behold, your God

will come with vengeance,

with the recompense of God.

He will come and save you.”

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Isaiah 43:1

Israel’s Only Savior

But now thus says the LORD,

he who created you, O Jacob,

he who formed you, O Israel:

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name, you are mine.

Hebrews 10:25
not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Philippians 4:6-7

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 6:27
And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

 

If you are currently living in fear of some circumstance in your life or maybe about the COVID situation or any other situation, let me encourage you to get into your Bible. Study your Bible constantly, pray constantly. Any time the thought of fear or panic or anxiety about the situation comes to mind, pause and and say a short prayer, giving the situation to the Lord.  You have to do this several times in an hour, that is ok.  

Never forsake to gather together with other believers. We find encouragement when we fellowship together. If for some reason you are not able to physically gather, find a healthy Bible-believing online small group Bible study to be a part of.  Lastly, feed your soul with godly teaching from Biblically sound preachers. You can get a lot of Biblically sound teaching from Ligonier.org, gty.or or truthforlife.org.  You can also subscribe to Biblically sound podcast such as: ’The just thinking’ podcast. I highly recommend their podcast on fear. It is titled “Why are you Afraid”?.  You can listen to it here:

EP # 113 | Why Are You Afraid?

Just Thinking Podcast

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/just-thinking-podcast/id1328733796?i=1000532342759

 

Soli Deo Gloria!