Fear Inhibits Service

(This is my last post in my series on fear)

Fear and Death
The Focus of Fear
Love Vs. Fear
The Language of the Bible
What is Fear?
New Post Series on Fear


As I wrap up this series, I just want to comment on and express my deepest concern with the problem of fear. And that is simply this: that if we are afraid of man and what he can do to us, we will be inhibited in our service of the Lord.


Just think about it. We are called to share the Gospel, to take the Good News of Jesus' salvation to all the world (Mark 16:15). We aren't just going to go where it's safe and comfortable. We are called to go everywhere, at risk of our lives and comfort.

1 Peter 4:12 says "Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you," and similarly Jesus said:

"They will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. . . . You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives. (Luke 21:12-19)"

You see, Jesus promised that as Christians we will suffer, at one point or another, in our service of Him. But we are told this, not so we will be afraid, but so that we will be prepared. In fact, to counter the fear that might arise, Jesus said "But not a hair of your head will perish." This is to assure us and to embolden us in the face of fear as we seek to serve Christ even in the most hostile of situations.

Remember, "no servant is greater than his master (John 15:20)." If Christ was hated and abused, than we should not expect better for ourselves. But also remember, this is not reason to fear, for we are also told:

"Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10)".

So, this is my challenge to you: Go forth and serve the Lord with gladness and fear Him alone (Deuteronomy 10:20; Psalm 100:2). Never let your fear inhibit you in your service to the Lord. Focus on Jesus and His promises that can defeat the fear within your heart, for nothing is more damaging in our service to the Lord tahn to be afraid. I hope that you are emboldened and set on fire to serve the Lord this day.

Fear and Death

(This is my sixth post on fear)

The Focus of Fear
Love Vs. Fear
The Language of the Bible
What is Fear?
New Post Series on Fear



Yesterday, I attended the funeral of a man that my mom called her "second dad". It was a sad time, but a good chance to remember this man who was a Marine to the core and who loved his family and friends. The memories that were shared and the service in its entirety was a good chance for everyone to grieve their loss. All in all, I think it was good experience.

But what got me thinking was that in the service Psalm 23 was read. In it, David says, "Though I walk through the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."

Though there are different interpretations of this, I think what David is saying is that he will not fear death or any evil in it. This is monumental because, as humans, the fear of death has to be one of the biggest fears in our lives. And yet David, speaking of going through death, says that he will not fear evil. Why?

The answer is that death is what David calls a shadow. But what does that mean? You see, for those whose trust is in the Lord, death is nothing more than a shadow. It might be dark and scary and might make you shiver when it passes over you, but it is absolutely harmless. Shadows never hurt anyone.

And that is what death is to us. It might look scary and painful, but it can't hurt us. Not ultimately, and not if our hope is in the Lord. Death is simply a passage into life. And not just life, a life that is infinite joy and bliss without any pain, sickness, sorrow, or death ever again. It is through death that we attain this life. Just as once the shadow passes over us the sun will shine again.

The Focus of Fear

(This is my fifth post in my series on fear)



Love Vs. Fear
The Language of the Bible
What is Fear?
New Post Series on Fear



I think that the problem of fear mainly arises from a wrong focus of our minds and attentions. When we give ourselves over to concentrating on possible mishaps or what might happen, then we begin to fear. Consistent thoughts about possibilities often lead to worry and the longer we worry the greater our fear grows.

Conversely, if we fix our focus on God and how might and awesome He is; and we trust in the promises of His Word, then our minds will be filled with the majesty an power of God and our worries will look too small to bother us. God is bigger than all our fears and as long we trust in Him, we will have no reason to be anxious. Consider the case of Peter:

Matthew 14:22-36 tells us that the disciples had gone ahead of Jesus in their boat so that Jesus could pray alone. By the time He was finished, the boat was a ways off and Jesus, being God, decided to walk out to them on the water.

The disciples see Jesus walking toward them and they immediately think He is a ghost and become afraid. Jesus, seeing that they are afraid, calls out "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid"(Matthew 14:27).

Peter decides to test His claim and asks Jesus to tell Peter to walk to Him on the water. Jesus does so and Peter steps out of the boat. Looking at Jesus, he puts one foot, then another on to the water. Then he takes a few steps. Peter is walking on water! And all the while his eyes on Jesus.

But then the initial excitement wears off and Peter realizes what he's doing. The Bible says that he saw the wind and became frightened (Matthew 14:30). Maybe he started to think, "What am I doing? People don't walk on water. That's impossible. What if I fall through?" But one thing is sure, as soon as this fear took him, he began to sink. He had taken his eyes and focus of off Jesus and began to worry.

So it is with us. As long as our eyes are on Jesus, our fears won't be as big in or minds. We will be able to accomplish great things in the power of the Holy Spirit because our fear will not hold us back. But when we take our focus off of Jesus, then we are prone to fall. I pray that we would learn to focus on Jesus and trust in His strength.

Love Vs. Fear

(This is my fourth post in my series on fear.)
The Language of the Bible
What is Fear?
New Post Series on Fear

My basketball coach in elementary school, Dan Wentworth who was also a pastor once said "Hate is not the opposite of love. Fear is." Though I am not certain that I agree that fear and love are complete opposites, there is a definite correlation. In fact, 1 John 4:18:

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love."

But to examine the idea further, I want to look to the Bible's definition of love which is most clearly stated in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and look at it's relation to fear.

Love is patient. Fear is anxious. It worries about what is going to happen, what might go wrong and what others might think. It focuses on its own inadequacy and not the other person.

Love is kind. Fear can be hurtful and is too focused on itself and the problems that it faces to consider others.

Love is not jealous. Jealousy is wanting what someone else has, often as a result of a fear of not being as good as someone else. And, in relationships, jealousy for the other person's attention may be out of a fear of losing them.

Love does not brag. Fear will boast of itself lest others think little of them.

Love is not arrogant. Fear, and especially worry, is self-centered and only concerned with its own welfare.

Love does not act unbecomingly. Fear can cause people to do wild and strange things. And, if one fears looking "uncool", they may do many things to change that.

Love does not seek its own. Fear seeks its own safety and welfare.

Love is not provoked. Those who fear others' opinions may get defensive and angry easily.

Love does not take into account wrong suffered. Fear worries that if they do not deal with the wrong done them, it will not be dealt with.

Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness. Fear does not rejoice in anything, lest it be caught off guard.

Love rejoices with the truth. Fear contradicts the truth or distorts it.

Love bears all things. Fear worries that the weight will crush it.

Love hopes all things. Fear has no hope.

Love believes all things. Fear can't believe that which might cause it to look foolish or cause it lose control of itself.

Love endures all things. Fear worries that over time it might buckle under the pressure.

Love never fails. Fear always succeeds.

Love is an attribute of God (1 John 4:7). Fear is not.

The Language of the Bible

(This is my third post in my series on fear)
What is Fear?
New Post Series on Fear

When I try to think about fear from a Biblical perspective, I'm constantly brought back to how the Bible speaks about the confidence, the courage, and the surety that comes with faith. For instance, though the Bible talks about our need to fear God in a sense of reverence, Hebrews 4:16 says:

Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

We can draw near with confidence. Where is the fear in that? And to where? To the throne of grace. We need not fear that when we come to God with our transgressions and shortcomings that we will not be good enough, because God has lavished His grace upon us. And, even though God cannot stand to look upon sin, when we come before Him through the blood of Christ, we need not fear that He will cast us aside. And if we need not fear God, who should we fear?

Also, 2 Corinthians 5:8 says:

we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.

Here, in talking about death, one of the greatest fears that all humans have at some point, Paul says that Christians are of good courage. Why? Because death has no hold on us and it has been defeated through Christ's resurrection.

Along with these, the Bible says several times, "Do Not Fear" (Isa. 41:10; Isa. 43:1; 1 Chron. 28:20) You see, the logic behind all of this, is that once we know Christ and our sins have been forgiven, we have no need to fear because God is on our side and nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (Rom. 8:31-35). It doesn't matter if we get cancer or we go blind or we lose our house or even if we die, we have nothing to fear because God is for us. No matter what happens, we will live with Him for eternity and all our fears will be washed away.

What is Fear?

(This is my second post in a series I am doing on fear. I apologize that it has taken me so long to get this post written, but the topic ended up being more complex than I first imagined.)
New Post Series on Fear


This may seem like a ridiculous question to ask on the surface, but I feel that as I enter any discussion it is good to first have the terms clearly laid out.

Now, some people, if asked what fear is, might say something like, "that feeling in my stomach when I see someone walking across a tightrope," or "the tightness in my chest when I wake up from a nightmare." The truth is, none of us really wonder what fear is. It's a common emotion that everyone feels at one time or another.

However, this leads us to think little about fear and, therefore, I think it would be helpful to analyze exactly what fear is first as laid out in the Bible, and secondly, as we perceive it in our culture today. So first, what is fear in general as laid out in the Bible?

Fear in the Bible

When the word fear is used in the Bible, it generally is used having one of two meanings. The first use of fear we see in the Bible is positive and denotes reverence or deep respect for someone, usually God. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Psalm 111:10;Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 9:10) This is a fear that every Christian should have and is a direct result of understanding the holiness and majesty and utmost awesomeness of God.

The second form of fear that is in the Bible is, in a sense, the opposite of the first kind. This is the fear that I will mainly be focusing on, the emotion that results from worry or is invoked by something that is perceived as alarming or unnerving. It is the opposite of the former in that we are commanded not to have this kind of fear (Isaiah 41:10; Isaiah 43:1-3) and to have the other. In fact when we fear God in the right way we will not have this fear (Matthew 10:28).

This fear is expressed in different levels throughout the Bible (worry, anxiety, dismay), but it is always expressed in a negative sense.

Fear in Society

Though the definition for the fear we see in society is not different than that of the Bible, it manifests itself in unique ways in this present age. For instance, some people enjoy being scared by movies, books or things such as haunted houses. We see fear as something that entertains or serves us, a feeling that is even necessary or something with which to control. It is simply assumed. Worry is something that we work through and expect in many instances and anxiety is a given. In fact, even in scientific communities, fear is seen as something that protects us as in the "fight or flight" options (I intend to blog further on this more in the future).

But what it all comes down to is that in our society and in the world today, fear is not seen as a problem, and as I said before, something that is not even considered by most. This is what I want to address with this series. I want to look at what fear is and how to deal with it from a Biblical framework. I hope these forthcoming posts will spark thought and hopefully encourage other Christians to think about fear and handle it in their lives.

New Post Series on Fear

(This is the first in a series I will be doing on fear.)

If there is one thing that is crippling to the Christian life and hindering to our service of the Lord, it is fear. Fear manifests itself in different ways, from petty anxiety to life-threatening terror. My goal with this series is to examine fear theologically, experientially and practically. I hope these posts will be helpful with dealing with fear in the Christian life and putting it in its proper place.

Please look forward for these upcoming posts.

Whose Battle?

I attended church with my cousin this past Sunday at Valley View Church in Louisville. In Sunday school, we went over a passage in 2 Chronicles. Verse 20:15 really stuck out to me:

"Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God's."

It was exactly what I needed to hear because, lately, fear has been a great enemy of mine. I have been fretting over what I cannot control- the future, other people, events in the world. And really it's all irrational because God's in control and He works all things together for my good (Romans 8:28). My hope is in Him, not in the world, or the stockmarket, or my lucky stars. And that's where I'm trying to rest from now on- knowing the battle is not mine, but the Lord's.

Are you struggling with any irrational fear? If so, I recommend you take the course of Philippians 4:6-7:

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Let God take care of your worries. He is a big God and He can handle all your fears.