You may already know this, but in the NIV version of the Bible, because each translation works out a little differently, there are 541 references to the word fear or afraid. That’s only a little over 100 less than the number of times the word love appears.
Why?
Because humans are scared.
I am chief scaredy-cat.
This has nothing to do with your willingness to bungee jump or ride motorcycles or take on towering rollercoasters. I’ve done all of those and loved every moment.
This is fear of sickness or war or loneliness or mayhem or need or the unknown. Scaredy-cat actually minimizes what’s really going on in our hearts and heads here. In certain moments, the fear is more akin to terror and can paralyze us.
In this fall’s study, Breaking Fear, we’re going to tackle those kinds of fears and understand what the Bible says about them. But before we dive into what those fears are, let’s look at all the places the Bible counteracts fear without a single reference to the word.
First, my foundation for this entire study is I John 4:18: God is love so… There is no fear in love. Guess what? Love is referenced 686 times in the NIV version of the Bible. See, even in the Scripture, love beats fear.
Second, there are many other Biblical antidotes to fear: Peace (mentioned 249 times in the NIV), Comfort (mentioned 75 times in the NIV), Deliver(er) (mentioned 252 times in the NIV), Rest (mentioned 508 times in the NIV), and on and on the list goes with the ways in which God delivers a balm to our fear.
If we go into this study knowing God offers peace and comfort and deliverance and rest from the fears which threaten to throw us off course, then we can tackle our individual fears confidently. We can rest assured He has the perfect antidote.
What is one of the most powerful responses to fear? Besides love, I believe it is TRUTH.
If you have a relationship with Jesus, then you have the truth IN YOU. It’s already there. See this promise in John 15:26: But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
The Spirit of truth has already been sent to you. And just a few verses up in this same chapter of John, God tells us what else is living in us as a part of a mad-powerful concoction against fear: As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love…These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
So we’re starting out with this: Truth! Love! Joy!
Take that Fear!
What else do we need? Well, I can still shake in my boots when fear assails me. Paul, who should know after everything he went through, offers this guarantee in Romans 8:
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?… Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?…in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
There is nothing, nothing, nothing, which can separate you or me from the Love of God. Once we know, from our foundational verse, there is no fear in love, then we must acknowledge nothing can separate us from the safe place where fear cannot exist.
Not only that, look at all those things in the list of things Paul says can’t separate us from God’s love: death, life, distress, peril, famine, powers, things happening now, things happening in the future, any created thing, etc. What does that list look like? I don’t know about you, but that list looks a lot like a list of my fears.
Sit with that for a minute.
Nothing you are afraid of today can separate you from God and His love. {===>Click to Tweet} And in His love, those fears are not allowed to live.
You just annihilated your fears with His love.
Imagine a video game and the death blaster is His love and all you need to do is point it at each one of your fears. Game over. Love wins.
As someone who has sat in deep fear and anxiety on a regular basis, I recognize it doesn’t work out quite so simply in real life. But I wonder if I’m not complicating it all.
If we stand on this TRUTH, then our fear must die.
Homework:
Memorize I John 4:18. Have it at the ready when your fear comes calling.
Study and mediate on John 15 and Romans 8. These are such foundational scripture passages. They contain so much goodness beyond their link to love and fear. Particularly focus on Romans 8:31-39 and John 15:9-17 and 26-27.
Make a list of your fears. Let’s tackle each one of them this fall.
Share what God is teaching you either in the comments here on the Facebook link.
I’m so grateful to share this journey with you.
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