Fear Robs Us
Fear robs us. Like its milder form, worry, or its more severe form, panic, it is something from which we need to be set free. Thus, the psalmist said, “I sought the Lord and He heard me, and delivered me from all me fears” (Ps 34:4). When we try to reason about or act in a situation which we are seeing through the lenses of fear, we will not think clearly or act well.
So how do we stand up to fear? In the short-term, we deal with a specific fear by freely acknowledging, as the psalmist did, that we are afraid. Then, we seek the Lord and ask Him to free us from that fear enough so we can do what is right and glorify Him. We express faith through quoting Scripture, praising Him, praying with thanksgiving (Phil 4:6), and being around people who will support our courageous faith. In the long-term, we do what we can to strengthen our spirit by becoming more mature. Additionally, we learn who we are in Christ: we have been fully accepted, are free from condemnation (Rom 8:1), stand before Him as blameless, can do all that He calls us to do (Phil 4:13), have the power of the Holy Spirit in us, have been given all spiritual blessings (so there is nothing we need which we lack), and have God Almighty both with us and for us. This understanding deepens faith and, thus, further banishes fear.
No Christian has perfect faith in this life, so no believer is ever completely free from fear. Yet, we can and ought to decrease our fears as we look to Him Who is Creator, Sustainer, and Governor of all that ever was, is, or shall be. Amen.
Unending pleasure in the next life; training for godly pleasure in this one.