What frightens you the most? Following the recent presidential election, some would say they fear political change. Parents often say that they harbor fears of dangers their children might face. Children may identify a fear of the dark.
The internet is filled with “Top 10 Lists” of common life-altering fears, including acrophobia — the fear of heights, aerophobia — the fear of flying, and arachnophobia — a fear of spiders, to name just a few. Until you experience a situation related to common phobias whose outcome impacted you in some way, all of man’s fears are based on “what if’s” rather than reality.
God created mankind in His image (Genesis 1:26-31), including the mental capacity to love, dream, and imagine. However, Satan delights in and does not hesitate to twist the beauty and goodness of God’s holy work to suit his own purposes.
Fear can be good when it leads to cautious behavior. Without intuition or a sense of unease, many choose to make foolish decisions. Often, despite our vigilance, the dangerous choices of fellow human beings can impact us forever.
The Bible reminds us to, “Fear not,” including Isaiah 41:10, Proverbs 29:25, and 1 Timothy 1:7, which states that God has given us a spirit of power, love, and self-control. God will always be with us. During their time of persecution, the early church did not pray to have the circumstances that brought fear removed. Instead, they prayed for boldness to combat their dread of what could happen (Acts 4).
God’s wisdom is always available to His children (James 1:5-8), and when His Word speaks, we can go forth confidently despite our fear.
“Do it scared. God hasn’t just called us to hard things. He’s called us to do impossible things. People can get the credit for hard things. Only God can get credit for impossible things. Miracles are often on the other side of the things that we are scared to do, say or ask God for. Do it scared. Live a life only God could get the credit for.” ~ Noah Herrin, Way Church, Nashville.
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