A Quick Look At Fear

As we come up on this Halloween season we are riddled with decorations, costumes, and movies that are designed to bring about fear. I personally hate this time of year because of the focus on fear but others seem to revel in it. I have heard it said many times from different people, "I love being scared" but really do we think about those words? Fear can have a myriad of responses to it. An increase of adrenaline, which can be intoxicating for some, elevated heart rate and breathing, sweaty palms, a butterfly feeling or even nausea can be felt also. Fear is a response to the situations around us and at times our reactions to fear can dictate our lives in very powerful ways. One of my favorite movie series of all time has to be Star Wars. The story line between good and evil topped with lots of action and cool technology makes for a great storyline that's sure to have something for everyone. One aspect of the Star Wars movies is the battle between good and evil and the seduction that evil can pull on a person. The "Light Side" followers, also known as the Jedi, commit their lives to doing good and preserving life. The "Dark Side" followers, or the Sith, are known to go after only what their ambitions would want without a disregard for life when things or people get in their way. One of the more famous lines in the movies comes from Yoda who says, "Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. Fear is the path to the dark side." Now we don't have a little pointy-eared alien following us around all of the time warning us of the dangers of fear but there is some kernel of truth to the little green guy's words. If we are to be completely honest with ourselves then we know there is at least one thing in our lives that we are afraid of. I was surprised on Sunday night some of the answers that I got from the youth about what they were afraid of. The fear of messing up in front of peers was high but some answers were more complex like the fear of dying alone, and the fear of the unknown. Kids fears and adult fears are not all that different and our responses to those fear can even be similar. Scripture has a lot to say about fear and one scripture that sticks out to me is 2 Timothy 1:7 which says:

for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (ESV)

So right there we can see that the spirit that God has given us is not one of fear but of power. Well, what does that mean? Are we supposed to go into every situation with guns blazing knowing all the right answers, backing down from no one, and possibly picking a fight with our enemy? NO! This is just basically saying that God has given us a spirit of power, love, and self-control in order to combat those fears we might have. Fear was and is never supposed to be the dominant emotion in one's life. The fear that paralyzes, the fear that makes us timid and runs from any and all situations is destructive in its nature and has no place in our lives. There is such a thing as healthy fear which we all must have in order to survive and navigate life. You need a healthy fear of strangers as a child, you need a healthy fear of different things that can harm you or potentially harm others. The fear that is being conveyed in 2 Timothy 1:7 is the fear that would rule a person life and thereby keep them from living up to their God-given potential. So what can we do to combat fear? God's word lays out in Isaiah 41:9-10 what our response to fear should be and how to combat it.

you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (ESV)

You are not alone and never will be. God has promised that you are not ever cast off or forgotten and that you have been called to Him and He is with us at all times. In those times where fear might bring us to our knees and zap all of our strength, He has promised to uphold us by His own strength and uphold us by His might. What an amazing promise! In your family time, this week go over the different fears that you have together. Really make it a time that you all open up together and discuss your fears and worries. This will help open the doors of communication with the entire family. Go over the scriptures and really think and talk about what they mean. How can we make sure that God is a center of our lives and how we can hand our fears over to Him when they come creeping up? Follow up your family bible/discussion time with a time of prayer asking for God to remind us that fear doesn't need to rule us, that God can overcome our fear and he is the giver of strength to endure all things.