Fear

Fear comes in a variety of flavors. Those that study such things tell us that we are born with only two fears: Fear of falling, and fear of loud noises. All other fears are learned over time, and we have learned well. Apparently, we can learn to be afraid of almost anything. Covid 19, new pharmaceuticals, climate change, political winds, public speaking, and a long list of other fears. 

The phrase “fear not” is used at least 80 times in the Bible, most likely because God knows the enemy uses fear to decrease our hope and limit our effectiveness. Yet Scripture also tells us that the “fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” So, is fear a big negative, or does it serve a purpose? 

Fear is a powerful motivator, indeed. God used it in the Old Testament, telling His people more than once that there would be blessing for obedience, and cursing (laid out in some detail) for disobedience (Deuteronomy 30:15-18). In the New Testament, God uses the subject of hell, and loss of reward as motivators. So, in a culture that seems to capitalize on anxiety, marketing fear about a wide variety of things, when are we supposed to fear, and when are we to “Fear not?”   

Matthew 10:28, in the context of representing God to men, says  

“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” 

This does not mean that unfaithfulness results in going to hell. It simply means that in the end, only God’s evaluation matters. All of the temporal things that cause fear lose their punch in comparison to things that are eternal. 

Jesus asked His disciples “Where is your faith?” at some critical moments. One time they were in full-bore panic mode in a sinking boat, while Jesus slept. Catch the contrast there? He quelled the storm, and then asked them why they were fearful, and what had happened to their faith. Then Mark says they feared exceedingly, considering the presence of Jesus (Mark 4:35-41). 

Our fears lessen when we stop focusing on the “what ifs?” of our physical existence, and re-calibrate our thinking to the eternal. Choosing to focus on the temporal stuff of life is a choice to be controlled by fear. Looking unto Jesus is how we are to move through this anxiety-soaked world.