Have you ever had the opportunity to fear – such as when a car pulls out from a side street or intersection almost hitting you?  That just happened to us the other day!  Our immediate reaction was a “gasp and holding our breath” because we thought we were going to be broad-sided.  Our next reaction, when that car suddenly “turned” into its own lane, was a response of thanksgiving, “Thank You Lord for our guardian angels that kept us safe”.  Yes, this actually happened in that manner.

I’m sure you have testimonies of your own of how an incident could have been more of a disaster but you were blessed with a good outcome.  Many times we don’t even give much thought to these times: when we stumble our foot stepping upon the curb in a parking lot, but don’t actually fall and hit our head; or when reaching for the skillet on the stove and almost burn our fingers; or how about when you dropped that sharp knife and it stuck into the floor right next to your foot!  You may be thinking that these examples are not very serious compared to a report from a medical test that a person just received.  That may or may not be, but if that knife had stuck in your foot or there was a severe burn from that hot skillet, or you actually knocked yourself out when you fell, those outcomes would certainly be more serious too.  The point I’m making is that fear has a way of getting a hold of us no matter what a situation or how severe or mild – if we allow it to.

The dictionary lists the word fear twice.  The first meaning is to have a reverent awe of God, and the second meaning is an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by expectation or awareness of danger; anxious concern, and here again is listed a profound reverence especially toward God.  In my opinion this proves again that there is a dark side and a light side to everything!  The dark side of fear is the spirit of fear that seeks to control us in order to destroy us. The light side of fear or awe is our submitting to a loving Heavenly Father who seeks to bless us.  We need to learn to recognize the source of the fear coming against us so we can stand strong in the face of adversity and on the Promises of God.

There is a natural fear that we experience in situations similar to those mentioned above but that is different from a spirit of fear that comes from the devil.  The Bible tells us in 2 Timothy 1:7 that God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.  People who are actually afraid of God will not endeavor to draw near to Him.  This is exactly what the devil wants a person to do – stay aloof from God.

We find in the Bible where God is telling us to “fear not”.  These words – “fear not” – are spoken to Joseph when the angel told him to not be afraid to take Mary as his wife; to Mary when the angel told her that she had found favor with God and would have His Son; to Zacharias when the angel told him that Elizabeth would have a child; and Jesus also said to Jairus to “fear not, only believe” when they were on their way for Jesus to heal Jairus’ daughter.   There are many other references of God telling us to fear not or to not be afraid, and are too many to mention here.

James 4:18 teaches that when we draw close to God, He will come close to us.  Technically He is with us all the time, it’s just that when we are not drawing close to Him we can’t sense His presence; the closer we draw to Him the more aware we are of Him.  We also learn from First John 4:18 that fear has torment but perfect love casts out fear.  God is perfect love and we need not fear Him.  We don’t have to be afraid to come to Him because He will not turn us away.  Why would He, when the reason He sent Jesus to save us was to make a way for us to come to Him.

Proverbs 111:10 teaches us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endures forever.  

Then in Proverbs 1:7 we learn that the fear/awe/reverence of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but the fools despise wisdom and instruction.  Can you see the two sides of fear in this verse?  To fear God because of distrust will lead us into condemnation and to despise His wisdom and instruction, but reverential awe of God will draw us to Him for comfort, strength, love and forgiveness.   Our Heavenly Father enjoys his children who worship him and trust in his faithful love (Psalm 147:11).

Heavenly Father, I pray that if anyone is dealing with fear in their life they will draw close to you and know that You have not given them the torment of fear; but you have given them your power to overcome, your love that accepts them, and a sound mind to think clearly and to make good wise decisions.  Thank you Lord for giving us wisdom and understanding of Your Word so we can live boldly and holy and bring glory to You.

For further study on what the Bible says about fear do a search of the words fear and fear not on www.biblegateway.com