What do you Fear?
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Fear is a powerful emotion. Fear is one of those things that can shape, motivate, and mold people into entirely different people. In the face of fear, many people will do things they otherwise wouldn’t and sometimes completely change their responses to certain situations.
The things that we fear changes greatly over the course of our lives. A newborn infant does not fear much. Infants are born with a natural reaction to falling, however I would not really call it fear, but more of a reflex. As children get a little older, most seem to develop a fear of loud noises, high places, “monsters” under the bed, and the dark. However as children grow older, these fears usually seem to fade away. These fears fade away because as children grow they begin to realize that there really is no reason to fear these things. While the dark is mysterious and can sometimes conceal dangers, the dark in and of itself is nothing to fear. While loud noises are startling and sometimes unexplained, children come to realize that loud noises in and of themselves are not dangerous.
Adults often have an entirely different set of fears. Adults often fear financial hardship, romantic struggles, tragedy, or death in some fashion. Sometimes adults have fears because they have seen the things they fear in other people’s lives and their fear stems from the possibility that these things could happen to themselves. Others fear things because they have personally experienced them and the fear is one of having to endure that difficulty a second time.
Interestingly enough, the most given command in the Bible is “Do not fear”. This is a command that is given over and over and usually accompanied with a reminder of the power of our God. Moses told Israel to “fear not” but to stand and watch the salvation of the Lord (Exodus 14:13). As Israel entered the land of Canaan they were told not to be afraid for it is God fighting for you (Deuteronomy 3:22). Jesus told them not to fear, because God would give them the Kingdom (Luke 12:29).
Notice also, this is not a suggestion. It is not, “don’t fear if you don’t want to”. It is a command without other option. DO NOT FEAR! This simple command is found about 70 times in the Bible. Why is fear such a horrible thing? Why is fear something that has been addressed through out the Bible more so than any other command?
Fear keeps us from accomplishing the work we are here to accomplish. Fear moves us to idleness, lack of growth, and uselessness. Yet even more than that, fear is a lack of faith. When we trust God, His power, and His promises, we have no reason to fear. God will provide that which we need (Matthew 6:33). God will never leave us or forsake us (Heb 13:5). God will comfort us through any difficulty we might face (Phil 4:7). God will work all things in our lives for Good (Romans 8:28). God is capable of delivering exceedingly abundantly above what we ask or think (Eph 3:20).
Children fear things that they do not understand. They fear darkness and “monsters” under their beds. Yet when their understanding grows, they no longer fear these things realizing that these fears are not rational. Christians who don’t trust God fear all sorts of things. Yet as we grow in our faith and knowledge of God, we must come to realize that we have an all powerful, all knowing God who loves us beyond what we are capable of understanding. We have no reason to fear when we put our faith and trust in God.
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@dddoo7 Listen to the song "My Wife" from The Who written by the bass player John Entwhistle. It'll give you a reflection of his fears.
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