Feed or fight fear

WE EMPOWER whatever we meditate on. The nature of chronic fear is that we repeatedly think about it, and it in turn drives us. What we fear will catch up with us. Some persons, for example, were so petrified of COVID and thought about it so often that they started to develop its symptoms. It’s part of human nature. Peter walked on water towards Jesus and was doing well, until he allowed his fear to distract his focus, then he began to sink. Focusing on sinking brought on his sinking.

We must guard ourselves and others because our fear is contagious. Deuteronomy 20:8 (NIV) gives us some insight when it says, “…Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too”. God doesn’t want us to live our lives in constant fear. He spoke repeatedly to His servants in the Bible who were in fear and admonished them. God told Abraham in Genesis 15:1 (NIV), “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield…”. To the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 1:21 (NIV) He said, “Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged”, and in Isaiah 41:10 (NIV) He declares, “Do not fear, for I am with you.” We don’t have to be afraid, because Jesus has overcome all, and He’s with those of us who have surrendered our lives to Him.

Often, our fears can seem impossible, but they only look that way. When Goliath threatened the Israelite army, he seemed impossible to beat. That’s the nature of fear – false evidence appearing real. It was not false that Goliath was strong, loud, and big; but it was false that he was undefeatable. David faced the object of the Israelites’ fear in the power of God. David said to the Philistine Goliath, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty…” 1 Samuel 17:45 (NIV). Nothing we fear is bigger than our risen Lord. Jesus died and snatched the keys to death from Satan, overcame death, and is alive for evermore. When we expose our fears to God, He annihilates the object of our fears.

As we expose our fears to God, we must also carefully consider the source of our fear. Sometimes the things that we fear have their foundation in our sin.

We learn this principle from man’s first sin. God created man and woman and placed them in the garden, and would daily go and fellowship with Adam and Eve in the garden. It was a time of complete innocence and there was nothing hidden and nothing to fear, except God. Then they ate the forbidden fruit, and everything changed. When God came to the garden and looked for them, they weren’t in their usual place. God called out, “Adam, where are you?” and Adam responded from behind a bush, “I’m here God, I’m hiding.” Adam said in Genesis 3:10 (NIV), “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so, I hid.” This shows us that the more we try to hide or cover up our sins, the more we try to hide from God; and the more we refuse to face our sins, the deeper we will plunge into fear. Some fears are because of our sins or circumstances; either way, expose them to God. Regardless of their source, in order to overcome them, we need to face them for what they really are and expose them to the power of God.