Dealing with Fear

[Mark Metcalfe]

The Bible has a lot of things to say about fear, and yet many of the admonitions of the Lord are to not be afraid. That seems to be an impossible command to follow, especially in the Presence of God or one of His angels. (I often wondered why they would say "fear not!" when they clearly knew that showing up with scare the stuffing out of us!)

It seems even more impossible not to fear when faced with the more familiar and less-than-supernatural forces, because all-too-natural forces can generate fear in us, such as wars and rumors of wars, terrorism, crime, violence, global warming, over- or under-eating, health-care, and such phobias of spiders, snakes, heights, water... you name it.

The Bible asks the rhetorical question "who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (Luke 12:25)

Does this stop me from worrying? Truthfully, sometimes I let worry overtake me. When I remember, I do find solace and the strength to fight worry with Scripture such as this.

When wars and terror loom, I remind myself that "such things must happen" (Matthew 24:6; Mark 13:7). It doesn't make the possibilities or realities any less terrible, but the reminder of Whom I place my trust in (2 Timothy 1:12) does help me to keep a divine perspective of such things.

1 Peter 5:7 says to "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

You know, that Bible book - something that I think doesn't get a lot of reading or respect these days - has pretty good advice in it to help me to "fear not!"

So, what are you afraid of? How do you deal with fear?

Mark

[Charles W Christian]

Mark,
I always read those "Do not fear" texts as saying, "Stop being afraid now...." That seems to be better contextually. Implication: Fear is normal, but when God shows up, it's OK to not be....

Just a thought....

CWC

[Barb Bouldrey]

The only way I deal with fear is prayer and quoting scripture. And I often have to return to prayer again and again as the fear creeps back.

When Stephen was in Iraq both times, I went to God in prayer and sought a promise from Him. When I had that promise I prayed it, spoke it and wrote it...and believed it.

What times I am afraid I will trust in You....I quoted that a lot. It is not always easy to trust when afraid.

And I surrender what it is that is causing me to fear....again and again.

Barb

[Ian Gentles]

Its a good question, and yes in general I "fear". I fear depression will always be part of me, I fear financially at present, I fear when family members are late in coming home, etc etc etc. I have often found scriptures instructions to "Fear not" rather strange as we live in a world, in circumstances, that naturally cause fear. Also "Fear" does have positive affects, it causes us to seek our own and families safety, etc.

[Mark Metcalfe]

Its a good question, and yes in general I "fear". I fear depression will always be part of me, I fear financially at present, I fear when family members are late in coming home, etc etc etc. I have often found scriptures instructions to "Fear not" rather strange as we live in a world, in circumstances, that naturally cause fear. Also "Fear" does have positive affects, it causes us to seek our own and families safety, etc.

Yes, Ian. We have fears. The point I had hoped to make is that when we have those fears, we must combat them with something, and our own strength is insufficient to dispel fear. However, God's Word allows us to lean on Him in times of fear. As Charles indicates, "Its okay not to be [afraid]" when God is present and we rely upon Him through His promises.

Mark

[Tami Martin]

I fear my kids dying before they've surrendered their lives to Christ. I fear standing before God not having done what He put me here for. I fear major life changes.

But I am not "in fear" of those things. Fear can be a healthy thing. Fear of getting into an accident makes me drive carefully. Fear of crime makes me make efforts to be aware of my surroundings when I'm out at night.

Fear is a lot like stress. You need some of it to be healthy. None at all can be a real problem!

But I don't believe God would have us to live in fear as if there were no solution to or protection from those things we fear.

Yes, I have financial worries, but God has promised to supply all my needs and has a history of doing so. I am concerned. My concern drives me to be responsible and a good steward. But I don't disregard my faith and pursue a job that would take me away from my family responsibilities nor a job that would require me to compromise my values and beliefs.

I am concerned for the spiritual condition of my children. So, instead of letting it eat me up, I pray. I hold to the promises that God has given us about finishing what He starts.

I could go on, but I think you get the general idea. It seems many have taken the concept of fear and disregarded all the nuances of it. Proverbs tells us that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. I know most would translate that to be reverential awe, but in my book, that still looks a little knee-shaking to me!

[Gina Stevenson]

.......................

And I surrender what it is that is causing me to fear....again and again.

Barb

That seems to be a given here, too ... not once & for all, but "again & again."

[Rance Gould]

Fear is a natural emotion and has its place in the full range of human emotions. Fear of falling, heights, catastrophic events, etc are the normal experience. Such fear is good but still requires a healthy response. Not being a mental health expert, I have probably already "said more than I know." (Sorry Wilson! :basic05)

I do know this, doubting God brings on the wrong kind of fear that cancells our faith. The Christian can and must choose to live by faith and not doubt. Is it possible? Of course.

Jesus chided Peter when fear had replaced faith and he began to sink, not for having little faith but for his doubting. Matthew 14:29-31. I always thought this scripture taught us to "keep our eyes on Jesus." and not the wind and waves. That's kind of hard to do when you're the only mortal to ever walk on water!

Because of my disability, I'll probably always have a healthy fear of slipping and falling during Michigan winters. I have the blessed privlidge as a Christian to surrender all my problems to the Holy Spirit and simply trust Him, especially the wrong kind of fear.