What Are You Afraid Of...


I've heard it said that "faith and fear cannot live in the same house".

I don't think you could have said that to a younger me and had me believe it....

For when I was young, I remember all of the nights I watched as my closet door seemed to open slowly - ever - wider, as I peered at it intently, convinced that at any minute whatever was in there was going to come and get me.

Then holy smokes, after the movie Jaws came out - night swimming in the pool was always dicey.  As the light under the diving board illuminated the water, I was certain that I was moments away from a giant shark crashing through the walls and wreaking havoc.

Ethologists (those who study the behaviors of animals in their natural environment) will tell you that "fear is a motivational state aroused by specific stimuli that give rise to defensive behavior or escape" and that it is a necessary human emotion. 

There are memes that say the Bible contains 365 versions of "fear not" (one for every day!)...

I've also read that isn't true.

But whether true or not - THIS verse DOES appear in the Bible: "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love and of a sound mind." - 2 Timothy 1:7, and so maybe it's the one we should focus on.  

Fear does not come from God, it comes from a place of uncertainty.  But we can be certain of this:

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." - Exodus 14:14

"The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness.  There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place." - Deuteronomy 1:30-31

I think one of the hardest and BEST things we can do when we're afraid, is to offer to trade our fear for trust, and know that regardless of the situation, He will be there with us.

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." - Isaiah 41:10

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