Fighting Fear

Growing up I was a HUGE tomboy. Anything that involved playing outside, getting dirty, and being rough and tough I was one thousand percent for. And just to give you a little more insight, in 5th grade, I brought home a pee-wee football sheet begging my parents to let me play; isn’t every mother’s dream to see her little girl in shoulder pads and a helmet being tackled to the ground? So maybe I did not live out my dream as a pee-wee football star, but I very much prided myself on this “tough girl” image I portrayed.

Because of this image I needed to uphold, fear was not something I was willing to show at school around my friends. However each night the sun went down and it was time for me to go to bed, my tough girl image melted away like ice-cream on a July summer day. It was as though the dark was my kryptonite crippling me with fear beneath my covers. For this reason, my parents allowed me to sleep with a nightlight. But even that fell short at times and I would attempt to ninja sneak into bed with my older sister who had this keen sense of knowing when I showed up and preferred her bed space. When that failed, I would then attempt to creep into bed with my parents which ALWAYS startled my mom wide awake, resulting in my dad waking up and carrying me back to my own bed; all the while reassuring me there was nothing to fear. “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee” from Psalm 56: 3 was one of the first scriptures I memorized as a child and is the verse that I would repeat to myself until eventually exhaustion set in and I would drift off to sleep.

Eventually, my irrational fear of the darkness dissipated but as I got older other fears presented themselves. Fear of failure, choosing the wrong major, the unknown, rejection, etc. Although it manifests differently for each individual, we all experience fear in some form, whether rational or irrational; fear is part of our human nature. Fear can be rooted from a taught belief system, an environment someone is raised in, personal experience, trauma…the list could go on. Just to clarify, fear in and of itself is not bad or sinful. Fear can alert us to perceived dangers/threats and prompt us to protect ourselves, but it is what we may allow fear to become that leads us to turn away from God.

If you are someone who constantly feeds yourself with the news and social media all day every day, let me ask; how is that working out for you? Now, I am in no way saying we should not keep ourselves informed, but I am saying we cannot allow ourselves to become consumed with the outside world. Sweet friend, we as believers have to be intentional and guarded when it comes to feeding our fears. Fear is a tactic that Satan loves to use to steal our focus, divert our energy, stunt our spiritual growth, and cripple our faith. Fear decreases our hope, confidence, and limits our victories.

Did you know the phrase “do not fear” is the most often repeated command in the Bible? Some scholars say it is stated 365 times; that is significant! 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of sound mind.” Sweet friend, a spirit rooted in fear is not of the Lord. This type of fear is debilitating, cowardly, dissuades the work of the Lord, and brings spiritual death. So the question is, how do we as God’s children combat this fear? With an even greater fear, the fear of the LORD. Proverbs 1:7a tells us “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” The fear of the Lord is healthy, necessary, and encompasses admiration, holy reverence, and obedience. Unlike a spirit of fear, the fear of the Lord empowers and offers life. Psalms 112:1 says “Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands.”

Fear is nothing new, it has existed since the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden. It is one of the first responses we see after Adam and Eve sin in the Garden of Eden. After eating the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve become aware of their nakedness which instilled a sense of fear and they felt a need to hide from God (Genesis 3:10). This is not the first time we see fear after the fall, there are several accounts of people who experienced a spirit of fear in the Bible:

-Moses feared his ability when God called him back to Egypt to free the Israelites (Exodus 4:10-17)

-Gideon feared the Midianites so much we meet him threshing wheat in a winepress (Judges 6:11)

-Elijah’s fear of Jezebel caused him to flee into the wilderness and beg God to take his life (1 Kings 19:1-4)

-Jonah’s fear led him to disobey God and flee to Tarshish (Jonah 1:1-4)

You get the point! And although each of these individuals had their battles with fear, God did not leave them there battling alone, He met them where they were and transformed their fear to faith. One of my favorite reminders in the Bible regarding fear is the story of Elisha and his servant in 2 Kings 6:15-17. We find Elisha’s servant waking up to an army of Syrians surrounding them and he became fearful. Elisha who feared the Lord more than man prays for his servant’s eyes to be opened so that he may see with spiritual eyes…“And behold the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” Sweet friend this is the God we fear and serve, a God who does not leave us frozen in our fear but who fights for us! “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10.