Fear Not: Introduction

Fear Not: Introduction.

“When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. I praise God for what He has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?” (Psalm 56:3-4).

Fear: dread or alarm in facing danger; to be afraid or apprehensive; anxiety caused by belief in approaching danger or by a perceived threat; feeling frightened concerning one’s safety or a loved one’s well-being; unpleasant emotions due to the likelihood of something unwelcome or undesirable; trepidation over unexpected crisis.  

We are living in the 21st century, 2022, and fear is in the air we breathe. We nonetheless try our best to survive in this firmly established climate of fear. Consider the many causes of fear this day: the covid pandemic; terrorism; climate change; a seeming moral breakdown in society; old age; extreme weather; tragic violence; educational chaos; the diminishing of parental influence; international conflict; nuclear weapons; racial unrest. For Christians, we can add the fear of spiritual warfare on our loved ones and on our culture. Many of us have more private fears, such as crime, hunger, unemployment, and subsistence survival.

All these fears have a cumulative effect. At one level we seek to live with stability and peace. But at a deeper level we fight all these fears in our spirit. What is the antidote to fear, before it overwhelms us? Scripture spells it out, both in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. Overcoming fear is a major theme all through the Bible. For students of Scripture, there were countless times the reader sees a story or reads an encouragement telling us, Do not be afraid, Fear not, Have no fear. The Bible is full of wisdom on how to conquer our fears.

This “Fear Not” series will highlight those biblical stories that provide a meaningful context regarding fearfulness and the elimination of fear in our life. The brief Bible teachings are intended to encourage and strengthen us in this era of fear, and bring our hearts and minds to a place of peace and fearlessness. Even though the news media seems intent on stoking these primal fears, and our social media reflects an inordinate amount of fear and hostility, let us return to square one, to a foundation that will withstand any fear that the world throws at us.

“Who could ever separate us from the endless love of God’s Anointed One? No one! For nothing in the universe has the power to diminish His love toward us. Troubles, pressures and problems are unable to come between us and heaven’s love. What about persecution, hunger, nakedness, dangers and death threats? No, for they are all impotent to hinder omnipresent love. Yet even in the midst of all these things, we triumph over them all, for God has made us to be more than conquerors, and His demonstrated love is our glorious victory over everything!”  (Romans 8:35-37, Passion Translation).