Fears: A Reflection

While at the church here, a missionary friend of ours was sharing about her time in South America working in Bible Translation. The response of the people in the church was, “Why would you leave the comforts of Romania to go to a place like South America where it’s so dangerous?!” The reason it was significant is that was the exact same question that we received before we left (except about leaving America).

I would like to talk about fear and the way it limits us. When I was little I had a huge fear of fire. We had many lessons on fire safety and what to do in case of a fire. But in my young mind, that meant we WOULD have a fire and I needed to be prepared for WHEN that would happen. So for that reason I constantly lived on edge around anything that was hot. I remember panicking one time when my mom dropped a dried spaghetti noodle on the burner on the stove and it caught fire. She assured me it was fine, and now I know that was hardly a danger, but the moment I saw that, I immediately thought the house was going up in flames. Partly, this was because of my lack of understanding, another part was that I had dwelt on that fear for so long I was easily triggered by the sight of smoke or flame.
We have justified fears and unjustified fears. For example, if there’s a dog who is known to be aggressive around strangers, it’s justifiable to use caution in that dog’s presence. However, it would be unjustified to, for the sake of that one aggressive dog, be fearful in the presence of all dogs. But this kind of catastrophic thinking is clearly what we do all the time.

It’s very easy for us to be fearful of the unknown. For example, I always grew up in the country and that’s where I feel the most peaceful. But when I go into the city it’s crowded and noisy and I always feel on edge. So, if I were driving and my car were to get a flat tire, I would rather have that happen way out in the country next to a field, than in the city on a busy street. However, I’ve talked to people who grew up in the city all their lives, and they have the exact opposite feeling. They tell me that breaking down in the middle of the country would be the most terrifying thing in the world to them, because if someone were to attack them out there in the open no one would be around to help. Is one of those actually more dangerous than the other? Either one has potential for a good or bad outcome, and when we’re full of fear it’s a lot easier for us to anticipate the bad outcome.

But the thing is, the Bible has a LOT to say on fear and it constantly commands us not to be afraid. If you struggle with fear, I’d like to encourage you to focus on studying what the Bible says about fear. 2 Timothy 1:9 says “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” Kris Vallotton in his book Spirit Wars said, “Fear is the most socially accepted sin in the Church. Fear is a serial killer, the prime suspect in the death of more people on the planet than all other diseases combined. Fear in every form has been linked to heart disease, cancer, autoimmune disorders, mental illness and many other sicknesses. Fear is the welcome mat to demonic activity in our lives.”

Dan and I are in a totally new environment, and it’s very easy to be fearful of the unknown. It’s totally new to us, but it isn’t new at all to God. Many people expressed fear for us as we travel to a new country, but truly, we have no reason to be afraid. At times in our weakness there can be times that we feel anxious or fearful. For example, a reminder of something from the past could offer fear, a people group that we don’t understand could also pose fear. But as soon as we feel even the slightest twinge of fear, we know immediately that is not from the Holy Spirit. He’ll direct us, and give us warnings if there’s truly danger nearby, but living in fear is not from the Lord. Isaiah 41:10, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

So don’t fear for us! Pray for us! Pray against fear, and against the attacks of the Enemy; much of the way he attacks is in sneaky, subtle ways as to go undetected. Pray for boldness and joy! Yes, pray for protection! But don’t pray because you're afraid, pray in confidence that he is protecting us just as he is protecting you! Pray that we will clearly hear from the Lord and be obedient to whatever he directs. We praise God that perfect love casts out fear. (1 John 4:18)