I really don't remember confronting my fears, at least not in childhood or in my teens. And though I've experienced my share of pain and loss throughout my life, I don't remember being consumed by fear and dread. Until a fateful night when I was in my early twenties, while hiking alone in Moab, Utah. There was no external catalyst to provoke a feeling of fear but I was suddenly overcome nonetheless. I remember wildly looking around, even stumbling to the point of falling the in cold red dirt, but I couldn't locate the cause of my intense fear. This consuming feeling stayed with me for a few days and then left as suddenly as it had arrived. I couldn't explain it to my friends and there was no reason I could ever give for this experience. To this day I still can't recall any particular trigger for that unusual outburst but I can still vividly remember the emotion that racked my body, mind and soul for what seemed like days. All-consuming fear.
Fear is one of those emotions that likes to setup camp in the outskirts of our minds, accomplishing its goals in the shadows, hatching it's plans in secret while weaving a web of uncertainty for the future you. We've all heard the quick-fix remedies, sometimes even repeated by those in Christian circles. such as, "Fear is faith in the negative", "Fear is a mindset we choose, it's not who we are," "Fear is me laying the groundwork for my own failure," and many, many more. I've even tried chanting some of these mantras, with no lasting success.
But I did find something that finally turned the tide of fear dominating my thoughts and life. The promises of the Bible. Did you know that the Bible admonishes us 365 times, "Do not fear."? Let me give you just three of my favorite scripture verses that have helped me over the years.
Full disclosure: I have not fully conquered the emotion of fear in my mind, heart and soul. My flesh is warring with my spirit and will until God returns or takes me home. But I have experienced the peace and faith that are the result of obeying God's commandments for me in this area of my life and can see steady improvement in who my faith resides.
1) Deuteronomy 31:8 "He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." This is a highly personal promise that I use to mentally paint a picture of God standing beside me, no matter who else bails on me, He will always be by my side. Forever. This verse has grown to be a favorite of mine, even though I'm still fighting this battle.
2) Isaiah 43:1, "Don't fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine." In the Bible God is not asking us to not fear, He is commanding us to replace fear with fact. The fact is God, Creator God, knows my name, and is intimately aware of all my struggles, weaknesses and yes, my fears. But the fact is that Jesus died for me, He loves me, He knows my name, I am His child and there is no safer place to be than in the will of All-Powerful God.
3) 1 John 4:18, "Perfect Love casts out all fear." This verse can be difficult to understand. We know that God is love. (1 John 4:8) And it is no coincidence that God placed that verse, that definition of His character, just ten verses before his promise that 'perfect love casts out all fear'. Who is love? God. Who is perfect? God. Who has the power to cast out every fear that invades my mind, heart and soul? God. He is the perfect parent who is always with us, His strength will always be enough, His comfort will never leave us, and His guidance will never fail us. I can't deal with my fears, but He can.
So how does this work in real life? How do we take these promises of God and apply them to the uncertainties of our everyday life?
Here are a couple of things I've learned, One, I have to abide in the only One who gives me the strength I need. If I'm not spending time in His word, not having conversations with Him on a regular basis, not meditating on the deep truths that He has revealed through scripture, then I'm not abiding with the only person who can cast out my fears. Second, Is Gratitude. The first thing that disappears from my character when I'm ignoring my relationship with God is gratefulness. (This vacuum is filled with envy and greed in quick succession.)
Without a true understanding of my dependence on Jesus and the sacrifices that He made to claim me as His child, my love for Him will diminish and my obedience to Him will fail. When I find my thoughts more focused on myself, rather than on others, it is a clear indicator that I've wandered off the path set by God and gone my own way. God will not protect us when we step outside His protection and will. You have probably heard it said that the safest place to be is right in the middle of the will of God for your life. This does not mean you will necessarily be safe from the enemy but it means that any attack by the enemy has to go through God Himself. And furthermore, God will always be with us if we choose to abide in Him. (James 4:8) The choice is clear, fear or faith.
