I'm Afraid: Fear vs Faith

I've never been the bravest person. I've run away, I've hidden, and I've avoided the scary parts of life as often as the rest of us. I admire superheroes, in real life and in the comic books, because they run towards what scares them.

It isn't easy running towards fear. Scientifically speaking, we are genetically programmed to run from things that scare us. The amygdala is a tiny, almond sized part of our brain that controls our fight or flight reflexes. It creates that heart pounding, gut wrenching sensation we associate with fear. Back in the day, that amygdala kept humans alive and running from the lions, tigers, and bears of the primitive world--it was key to surviving. Nowadays surviving in the primal sense isn't so much the issue. Yet fear remains a primal instinct that creeps in on our everyday lives. You feel fear in the dark, you feel it when your worried about losing your job... Right now I feel fear because medical test after medical test has yet to figure out what's wrong with me. I can't always sleep well, my mind is constantly whirring with worry and my stomach is a constant knot. Yeah, sure, modern medicine can do great things...but not until they know what's going on.

So here I am, afraid. It's hard to override a genetic impulse to flee when things get bad.

And so today while I waited for my doctor to stick a camera into my throat, I realized I had made a big mistake when trying to shoulder my fear alone. After all, I am not alone. I had merely ignored the aid who was standing beside me all along.


I had neglected to place my fear into the hands of the Lord.

Never Alone

The Bible has a lot to say about fear.

Look at the challenges and fears overcome in the Bible through the Lord. Even the great doers of God's will have faced fear.

Noah braved a flood of forty years, placing faith in the Lord. Moses returned to Egypt. David faced Goliath. Insurmountable odds were faced and broken down by the Lord. His hand has healed, it has created, and it has overcome.

So what does the Bible say about fear?

Look to Joshua 1:9, a verse which consoles me now in this time of fear.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Perhaps the worst fear is the sort faced alone. But we are not alone. The Lord who has created us, the Lord who has created this Earth, walks beside us. What greater comfort, what greater reason to move forward and stand strong do we need than to know we are not alone?

Afraid to Trust?

Yes. I've been afraid to place trust in the Lord. I sometimes still am afraid to trust in the Lord. Why would He want to help me? Why would He extend His hand to aid me? Am I worthy of His aid?

These thoughts and more come to mind whenever I am afraid and turn to the Lord. Keeping faith can be exhausting. Fear and the damage the world does to you can leave you jaded. It can make you think that the Lord is like the world, and will not aid you. We fear He has left us behind or believe that He had given us a life of misery.

But that is not the Lord's doing. The world is full of sin, disease, and hate because of Satan, not because of the Lord. It is Satan's desire to make us question the Lord, to make us fear that He has left us. Satan revels in our misery.

Remember that the Lord has eternity waiting for us. The Lord has said:

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. "- John 14:27

The Lord is not of the world. He is above it. He is above petty hate and malicious intent. Though it is easy to falter and fear abandonment, remember that He is above such human and sinful things.

Facing Fear

How then do we face our fears?

We cannot merely ignore them. They do not simply disappear. No, we must face them with the Lord. Think of the Lord and know that He has you in His hands. Fear is a tool of Satan. It creates distrust and hate, anger and disillusionment. Fear can turn us from the Lord and make us believe life is miserable because the entire world is against us. This is not true. The "world" as we know it, the world of humanity, is not against you. It is Satan, who desires the children of God to fall to the wayside and become party to the sin in the world.

When fear strikes at you, take a moment to breathe and pray. Prayer is not reserved for just before bed time. Prayer is our tool, the weapon given to us by the Lord to face fear and sin. Pray to the Lord for guidance, for strength, and open your heart to His. He knows your fears, He is strong enough to face them. Let Him give you the strength you need to stand tall.

King David, the ruler of Israel and the man who faced Goliath, did not do great things alone. He accomplished his deeds through the Lord. It is to the Lord he turned when fear overtook him.

"I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears." - Psalm 34:4

Yes, even the great King David needed the Lord's aid. It's okay if you need His help to face your fears too. I know I do. Open your heart to Him, pour out your fears, and watch as He guides you through them. Find the peace the Lord has given us, and take the deep breath you've needed for so long.

The Righteous Path

Who here has ever fallen off a bike?  Or maybe tripped on a tree branch? Twisted an ankle?

...if you haven't, you've lived an extraordinarily lucky life. I've had more more bumps and bruises from falling than I can count. This is true for the physical, emotional, and more importantly, spiritual parts of my life.

I've fallen off the straight and narrow path of Faith a million times. Some days it could be a mean thought or jealousy, other days it could be worldly temptation. I am, after all, human. And so are you (unless Superman is reading my blog?) 

Yes, we are human. We are imperfect creatures who sin and fall off the Good Path. But we are Blessed, for the Lord forgives us for our faults. He knows we are not perfect, and for that reason He sent his son to Earth to save us from our imperfect selves.

That does not, however, mean we can follow the sinful path knowing God will forgive us at a moments notice. Faith and a relationship with God don't work like quick fix diets. You can't pop a pill when you make a mistake too many, stop sinning for a week, and call it good.

What is a Righteous Path?

I used to make a list of every sin I did a day and pray God would forgive me for each one, every single night before bed. Yeah, it was exhausting and depressing. And it did nothing. I didn't consciously try to change how I acted or thought, I just went about my day knowing I would fall of the wagon and then did the "quick fix" prayer every night.

That isn't how the Christian Faith Walk works. 

We as Christians are to seek righteousness and a devout life, we are to try and emulate the Lord's lessons and strive to be His emissaries on this Earth. It isn't easy, but God did not promise easy. He promised us eternal life through Him.

Righteousness is a conscious choice. We are not born righteous, we are born flawed. A righteous life takes work and yes, it can be exhausting. But its rewards are far greater.

Why Follow the Righteous Path?

"But the Path of the Righteous is like the light of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until the full light of day." - Proverbs 4:18

Shining, bright light. How many times have you felt surrounded by darkness and the harshness of this world? How many times have you felt alone and under a perpetual cloud of bad luck? And how often did you appeal to the Lord for resolution, in earnest faith and devotion, during this time? I can tell you I've been pretty bad about turning to God when there is darkness in my life. I worry and fret, instead of following His Path and turning my life over to His direction. I try to fix my problems the worldly way, not through the Righteous Path and through the Lord. And then when I do finally see I need Him, I've prayed for a quick fix instead of praying for His Will to be done in His Time.

Prayer and Study

Tonight I am going to think on Proverbs 4:18. I am currently struggling with medical issues that I appeal to the Lord about, and it is comforting to know that there is more waiting for me than the struggles of this life. I have been blessed many a time over and seen the great works of God in my life. But tonight I want to focus on how the Righteous Path is the way towards a life shining and bright with the Lord's presence. I want to count my blessings and know His Strength, and seek the path of His healing and direction.

I hope you will take the time to immerse yourself in this verse and seek the Righteous Path as well.  Do not worry if you can't focus or if you falter. I trip on a daily basis. What matters is returning to the Path.