Fear Not
For many years I was a Water Safety Instructor. It was my job to teach people how to be a lifeguard and save the lives of those who are distressed in the water. It has been said that the fear of drowning and public speaking are two of the greatest fears in life. What I never told my students is that I have this unnatural fear of sharks. I grew up in the Los Angeles area and spent many days at Zuma Beach swimming and rafting the waves of the Pacific Ocean. As a youngster my dad would take his little boat about a half mile off the coast of Malibu, and he would scuba dive while I swam around in my wetsuit near the surface. Maybe this is where I began to have this fear of sharks, which is not really a good thing for a lifeguard instructor to have. I have never seen a shark in the ocean, either from a boat or while I was swimming. Yet, I am afraid of sharks. I would rather face a grizzly bear than a shark in the ocean. Maybe this is because I can see the grizzly coming (I was followed by a grizzly bear once) but the shark will just bite you. No warning. Then the movie Jaws came out. It was not a helpful movie for a water safety instructor.
How often are we sidelined from life by our irrational fears? Recently I learned “The most frequent command in the Bible is: ‘Don’t be afraid.’ Don’t be afraid. Fear not. Don’t be afraid.”[1] With just some minimal research I found the Bible is full of advice and encouragement for those living in fear. “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isa. 41:10 [NKJV]). Anxiety, our emotional response to a possible future threat, is one of the most diagnosed mental disorders in the world. “Everyone knows what it is like to feel anxious—that uncomfortable, apprehensive feeling that comes over us when we are stressed.”[2] This is what swimming in the ocean was like for me, it was uncomfortable and I felt apprehensive. Fear is an immediate threat where we respond with our fight or flight mentality.
Since fear is such an abundant normal human feeling and the most frequent command in the Bible is to fear not, we will look at our daily lives, our fears, anxieties and how to overcome them. Remember this: When Adam and Eve were created perfect, in the image of God they had NO fear. It was after sin entered the world that fear and anxiety entered mankind. Consequently, the closer we get to God, the more faithful we are in Him, the less anxiety we will have. Anxieties and fear are normal responses to daily living, however “with anxiety disorders, the anxiety is not mild and brief, but severe and chronic.”[3] This overwhelming “consuming wave of fear and dread, are a common characteristic of the anxiety disorders.”[4]
Clinically, fear and anxiety can lead to any one of seven different types of anxiety disorders. These disorders are Separation anxiety disorder, Selective mutism, Specific phobia (Me and sharks), Social Anxiety disorder, Panic disorder, Agoraphobia and Generalized Anxiety disorder (GAD).[5] “Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States”[6] and the most common of the seven being panic attacks. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27). Isaiah the prophet spoke on this too. “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.” (Isa. 26:3). One of the cures for our anxieties is more faith in God.
It is God’s intention for us to have peace of mind, just like Adam and Eve had before sin entered the Garden of Eden. In the United Sates about one in five people will have some form of mental condition in any given year.[7] ?When it comes to anxiety “women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder as men.”[8] What causes anxiety in people? Is it situational, the way we were raised or a chemical imbalance in the brain? Understanding this, fear is not a sin. In fact, anxiety disorders are often a result of a complex interaction of psychosocial, biological, and developmental factors. I hate to say it, but it is in our head. The human body (including the brain) has degraded since Adam and Eve first sinned. We have gone from perfection to death and over the last 6,000 years we have gone from people living 900 plus years to three score and ten. Our bodies are not what humanity used to be.
Mankind can overcome our anxious thoughts and unfounded fears. It is now known that there are abnormalities in specific brain areas for those who have been diagnosed with anxiety disorders.[9] These brain abnormalities are not sinful, they are chemical and can be treated. It is suggested that one refrain from caffeine, nicotine and alcohol when suffering from anxiety. Anxiety would only become sinful if one allowed it to consume their life and then reject God and His promise to heal us. “Anxiety disorders result from a neurobiological dysfunction. They are brain disorders!”[10] This should bring comfort to our torn souls.
The Bible is full of what God has to say about our fears.
- Deut. 31:6 “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
- Josh. 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” This is an extraordinarily comfortable verse.
- I John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”
- Matt. 6:26 “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”
- I Cor. 16:13 “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.” Faith and belief in God and His mercy and healing is a factor in our healing from anxiety.
- Phil. 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;”
- I Pet. 5:7 “…casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” [ESV].
Fear and anxiety are a part of our life. It is only when we allow ourselves to be overcome by anxiety that we run into deep physical and spiritual trouble. If our fears are causing us to miss out on life, stay home, hide, hibernate or not do even the simplest of things than one needs to ask God for help and intervention. If we find ourselves constantly swelling up with stress and pressure inside our body, then we need to consider taking some action to calm our nerves. Anxiety and fear are not sins and are expected to be a normal part of our lives. “The great truth the Bible does teach us about anxiety is that when we struggle, God is present, taking care of our needs and providing the sustaining grace needed to persevere in a fallen world.”[11]
Many people have fears inside of them longing to take them over. Many people have fears, but we don’t have to be afraid because Jesus is always with us. When the 12 spies went into Canaan to spy out the land, two of them had no Fear. The ten who feared were the ones who eventually died. Daniel’s three friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were put into the fiery furnace. Jesus walked with them. Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den, so he petted the lions. In God, our perfect faith casts out all fear. When Israel came out of Egypt those who feared eventually rebelled and died in the wilderness.
Over the years I have mostly overcome my fear of sharks but then I live 500 miles from any ocean. Overcoming is a process and we can always ask God to help us to recognize our needs and to help us conquer them with His help. He is on our side, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31 [NKJV]). We cannot lose with God on our side, and we can overcome our fears.
Mike Wallace
[1] N.T. Wright, Following Jesus: Biblical Reflections on Discipleship. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdman’s Publishing Company, 1994),68.
[2] Matthew S. Stanford, Grace for the Afflicted: A Clinical and Biblical Perspective on Mental Illness. (Downer Grove: IVP Boos: An imprint of InterVarsity Press, 2nd ed., 2017),115.
[3] Stanford, 115.
[4] Stanford, 115.
[5] Stanford, 116.
[6] Stanford, 118.
[7] Stanford, 4.
[8] Stanford, 118.
[9] Stanford, 120.
[10] Stanford, 125.
[11] Stanford, 126.
