We live in a society greatly affected and controlled by fear. There was a time when we weren’t afraid to leave our doors unlocked. Strangers could knock on our door, and we’d be more likely to greet them with a hearty hello rather than the suspicious eye we cast today. Has society changed that much over the years? Are we getting worse, or are we just more aware of the evil in the world? News reporting is big business, and I, like many, have my favorite news broadcasters. But in our desire to have all the news, are we being fed more and more sensationalism? Now I’m not here to debate these issues, but I am concerned about the amount of fear in people’s lives that affects their everyday lives. Fear cripples and controls. Those who are gripped by fear know what that means. Fear controls their every movement, their thoughts, actions, and relationships. Fear is closely related to anxiety, for fear produces anxiety. I admit that there are some things that need to be feared, but that’s not true of all things. 

I once heard that fear is False Evidence Appearing Real. Did you catch that? False evidence, not real, but false. When we start responding and reacting to false evidence, our emotions will be the same as if it were real evidence. Fear is often related to projection. That is, we project outcomes onto scenarios and develop emotional responses based on those projections. For example, when the boss sets up a meeting with us, we project what the meeting will be about, and, assuming the worst, we react with fear and anxiety. Is there a solution or relief for our fear?

Depending on which concordance you use, there are about 365 references to fear in the Bible. One of my favorites appears in Joshua, where Joshua is encouraged to “Fear not, for the Lord your God is with you.” You see, part of the problem with fear is that it speaks to our level of trust. If God is who He says He is, then isn’t it reasonable to believe He can accomplish all that He said He would? Perhaps the problem isn’t fear but rather who or what I’ve placed my trust in. Think about it.