No Thief Like Fear

Fear has many names. Whether you call it insecurity, anxiety, worry, nervousness or apprehension, its effects remain the same. Science tells us that to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and this same principal finds its way into our spiritual lives as well. For every ounce of fear you accommodate in your heart, you rob yourself of an equal of the peace and joy Christ offers instead.

Fear is the enemy of faith (Matt. 8:26), which is why Satan has looked for ways of instilling fear in people’s hearts since the beginning of time. Why did Peter deny Christ? Why did all of Israel cower before Goliath for 40 days? Why did only one disciple go out to meet Jesus on the raging sea? Why did the Pharisees crucify the Messiah they’d so long been waiting for? Fear. Fear of persecution, fear of defeat, fear of shame.

"Do not be afraid of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; For the LORD will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught." (Proverbs 3:25, 26)

Fear gives us a thousand opportunities every day to entertain it. The evening news is full of crime and hatred; analysts predict economic crisis and – do you hear that? – it sounds like the car is making that funny noise again! No matter how hard you try not to care, you do, and fear often seems like the only logical reaction to what is unknown.

But this kind of fear isn’t logical! In His Sermon on the Mount, Christ asks this convicting question: “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? . . . Therefore do not worry about tomorrow” (Matthew 6:27-34). Most people accept the fact that worrying about their height will never make them taller, but we struggle to accept that the future is just as much beyond our control.

To be a Christian is not to be exempt from adverse circumstances, but to be free from the power and bondage of sin. Those enjoying “so great a salvation” (Heb. 2:3) can live a life free of fear and proclaim joyfully with David, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Ps. 27:1).