Fear Not! -- part 3

As we continue our discussion of FEAR NOT! let me first share one of my own firsthand experiences with fear and how it affected my life. For years I was uncomfortable putting my hand over the edge of my bed. This fear developed from an experience where my roommate in college hid under the bed one night, and when I dropped my hand, she grabbed it. I jumped out of the bed extremely scared and confused. She laughed, but I lived with the memory of that fearful experience for many years later.

Children can be bitten by a dog and become fearful of animals. Some teachers are so harsh that children can live with a fear of displeasing their leaders or a fear of making a mistake for years to come. So many opportunities come our way as we walk through life where fear attempts to grip our heart.

Psychologists label some fears as phobias. There is an endless list of phobias, all traced back to the fear of death. Some of these include:

Acrophobia – fear of high places

Agoraphobia –fear of marketplaces

Claustrophobia – fear of enclosed places

Gephyrophobia – fear of crossing bridges

Hematophobia – fear of blood

Monophobia – fear of being alone

Pathophobia – fear of disease

Toxiphobia – fear of being poisoned

Xenophobia – fear of strangers

Zoophobia – fear of animals

Drawing from my own life experience again, there was an incident in my childhood that caused me to develop fear of high places for many years. My family was riding in our car and my doll fell out the window. My mother refused to stop to get the doll so I jumped out of the car as it was moving to get it. Of course, I rolled over and over in the roadside dirt and sand, and ended up in the hospital emergency room to get my bruises and wounds treated.

Since that incident I have feelings of fear hit me when I am in high places such as tall hotel rooms, etc.  The feeling of wanting to jump comes, as well as the fear of falling. I have had prayer for this fear many times, and I continue to stand firm against my fear each time it arises. The feeling lasts for a moment and my knees get weak. I pray and soon I will feel fine again. Jesus gives me the strength to face my phobia. I would like to say this fear has left forever, but I would be lying. The truth is that the fear is just a phobia, and I can conquer it by Jesus’ blood shed for me. I have learned to face it and not give into it.

Have you had similar experiences of fear that seem to recur? How has the Lord helped you to stand firm against it?

The Bible mentions many types of fear. Let’s quickly look at a few of these.

Fear of death:

Hebrews 2: 14 - 15 says,  “¹⁴ Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵ and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”

This fear of death puts us in bondage. Do you remember what the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 1: 21?  “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”  Why fear death as Christians when for us, death brings a reward of eternal life?

Fear of evil tidings: 

This fear is mentioned in Psalm 112: 7.  “He will not be afraid of evil tidings. His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is established.” 

Evil tidings are evil reports. Do not listen to an evil report! The key to dealing with evil tidings is listening to the Lord’s voice more intently. Proverbs 1: 32 reminds us, “But whoever listens to Me will dwell safely and will be secure, without fear of evil.” 

Fear of man: 

Proverbs 29: 25 reminds us of this. “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord will be safe.”

Isaiah 51:12 says, “I even I am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die?” 

Also, the psalmist in Psalms 118: 5-6 called on the Lord in distress and the Lord answered him and set him in a broad place. He realized the Lord was on his side. He didn’t need to fear because what could man do to him? These are certainly great promises for us to remember!

Next week we will conclude this discussion on fear by looking at a couple more types of fear that the Bible mentions and then what actions we can take to stand against fear attacks.

Until next week Mothers of Nations, FEAR NOT!
Dr. Sharon Predovich