Fear, in essence, is the feeling that you or something you love is unsafe, in danger, or unprotected. Fear is NOT from God as God did not give us a spirit of fear but a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV). Yes, we are to fear the Lord, but this means that we have a special reverence and humble posture of surrender before the Almighty King. You honor Him and bow before Him because you love Him, and He is so worthy of it. His “perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18 NKJV), but we still have different positions—He is King and we are blessed servants; we are not above God.
At the root of all fears is a lie. Fear of being unprotected will tell you a lie that you are abandoned. Fear of not being good enough will tell you a lie that you are a nobody. Some may say that fears protect you from certain things: for example, coming in contact with fire. You are afraid to touch it because you know what will happen. However, that kind of “fear” is simply instinct. God created us to discern danger from safety, just like how we know right from wrong. His Word also enforces this.
So fear, at its core, is a liar. Where are lies from? John 8:44 proclaims, “for there is no truth in him [the devil]. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” Fear is an attack from the enemy to keep you away from God. If he can make you so afraid that you start believing his lies—that you are abandoned, insecure, worthless—you will then forget who God says you are, who He is, and what He promises to you. When you forget those truths, you will begin to live a false identity and fall farther and farther away from who He has created you to be.
Therefore, why would we want to partake in fear when we are called to fight it? Why would we watch a scary movie and then complain about having nightmares afterward? The feeling of horror glorifies the devil. God says, “Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked” (Psalm 97:10 NIV). If we truly love our Savior, shouldn’t we do everything that we can to stay away from the devil? It grieves the Lord when we partake in things that incite terror within us.
When you are born again, you receive the Holy Spirit who “does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather… brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, ‘Abba, Father'” (Romans 8:14-15 NIV). Once you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, He pulls you out of hopeless bondage and makes you a new creation. Galatians 5:1 (ESV) declares, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” God says, “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 NLT). Because God is with us and because He is ever more victorious than the enemy, we can, and should, lift our heads confidently and live fearlessly. We have a Holy Fortress surrounding us; every single moment we are protected by a God who fights for us.
Isn’t His presence more compelling than a culture that glorifies terror? Isn’t having a sound mind better than losing your peace? Matthew 10 (NIV) affirms, “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” God does not want us to search for fulfillment in the world, for only He is the Life. He desires us to focus our minds on things above, and “not conform to the pattern of this world” (Romans 12:2 NIV). In Him, we are complete; in Him, we are able to turn our fear into fearlessness because we know He is on the throne for all eternity.
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