When Fear Seems Overwhelming

When FWhen Fear Seemsear SeemsOverwhelmingOverwhelming

Finding Courage And Hopeby Tim Jackson

LLet me assert my firm belief that the only thing wehave to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning,

unjustified terror, which paralyzes needed effortsto convert retreat into advance.”

These powerful words were spoken on March 3,1933, to a nation in the throes of the Great Depression.While the harbingers of war with Germany and Japanwere barely on the horizon, newly elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt identified a powerful enemylurking within—an enemy that can strip away a people’svitality and vision, and replace them with the chill of self-doubt that leads to withdrawal and demoralizing defeat.How the people of the United States would respond tothis enemy from within would determine if they wouldhave the strength of heart required to rally Allied forcesto defeat the threats to freedom from without.

“

© RBC Ministries. All rights reserved.

What’s the internalenemy? Fear, which cancome in many forms—bothglobal and personal.

Global fears permeatealmost every corner of theworld. W. H. Auden’s 1947poem The Age Of Anxiety1

accurately anticipated thatfear would stalk society inthe last half of the 20thcentury. Since the inventionof the atomic bomb, theworld has lived under thethreat of global destruction.“The century of fear” wasAlbert Camus’ description ofthat era.2 What he identifiedthen is even more true today.

The end of the cold wardiminished the threat ofnuclear holocaust, but ithasn’t calmed our fears.At the dawn of the 21stcentury, the threat isn’t somuch annihilation as it isworldwide intimidation.

Now we live under the menace of globalterrorism—car bombs,suicide bombers, and

airplanes slamming intoskyscrapers. We fear letterslaced with anthrax, subwaysfilled with sickening gasses,and snipers outside ofshopping malls.

Most people wereshocked when terrorism hitthe United States homelandon September 11, 2001. Butother parts of the worldhave felt smothered under ablanket of terror for years.Rival drug cartels haveintimidated the Colombianpeople with violence fordecades. Spaniards havefaced almost daily bombingsfor the last 20 years.Palestinians and Israelis co-exist under a constantbarrage of attacks andreprisals from one another.More Christians weremartyred for their faithworldwide in the 20thcentury than in all theprevious centuries ofChristendom combined.

No place is safeanymore. And while fear

2© RBC Ministries. All rights reserved.

has global impact, it’s alsointensely personal.

Many people strugglewith debilitating fears.Anxiety disorders—fromgeneralized anxiety to panicattacks and full-blownphobias—are the numberone mental-health problemin the United States,affecting as many as 1 in 10people and costing tens ofbillions of dollars intreatment and lostproductivity.3

Not all fears are so severe. Everyoneexperiences fear in one formor another throughout life.One can hardly read orwatch anything in the mediawithout hearing about fearor something that triggersfear. Everything fromescalating crime to economicdownturn can conjure upfear. The sad news of anauto accident that claimsthe life of a teenager the ageof your son or daughterincites sadness, and then

fear. That fear then makesyou reluctant to let yourteenager have the keys tothe family car.

Fear wears many faces—being worried about whatothers may think of you, orbeing anxious about gettingaccepted at the collegeyou’ve dreamed ofattending, or being nervouswhile performing at a musicrecital, or refusing to speakin front of a crowd. Fear isthe knot in the pit of yourstomach that makes youwish you could justdisappear.

In a world filled withdanger and uncertainty, onething is certain—we cannotescape fear. So how are weto respond when we feelafraid?

Let’s take a look at whatthe Bible teaches about thesource of our fears, why wefear, how fear helps or harms us, and how we canovercome debilitating fearsthat hinder healthy living.


TheTerminologyOf Fear

AAvariety of terms areused to describe fear.The Bible uses

words like fear, afraid, terror,dread, anxious, tremble,shake, and quake over 850times to portray this corehuman emotion. Healthcareprofessionals use terms likefear, anxiety, panic attack,and phobia to illuminate thespectrum of our fears. Forour purposes, we will usefear and anxiety somewhatinterchangeably but withthe following distinctions.

Fear is an immediate and intense internal alarmsystem that alerts us to thepresence of danger. It revsup our whole being—body,mind, and emotions—andrivets our focus on oneprimary goal: protection. Itprepares us either to fleefrom or fight against theperceived danger.

Anxiety is the pervasivefeeling of apprehension thatlingers long after the dangerhas subsided. This naggingfeeling of dread uses a greatdeal of emotional energyworrying about futurenegative events that areboth unpredictable anduncontrollable.

We must remember thatboth short-term fear andlong-term anxiety arecomplex, multi-layeredresponses to danger—whether immediate oranticipated, real orimagined. Fear can empower us for action,or paralyze us and make us more susceptible to thedanger at hand. That’s whyit’s critical that weunderstand our fears.

To do this, we mustunpack the layers of ourresponse. Let’s start withour physical response tofear. Just what is the rolethat biology and geneticsplay in our fears?


The Biology Of Fear

TThe psalmist wrote:“You created myinmost being . . . . I

praise You because I amfearfully and wonderfullymade” (Ps. 139:13-14). Thoseare the words of a shepherdturned king, not a scientistdoing medical research. Buteven 1,000 years beforeChrist, King Davidrecognized God’s creativedesign of our inmost being,the “reins” or control centerof our emotions andaffections.4 And that designincludes how our brains andbodies are synchronized torespond when we are afraid.

Fear is oftenaccompanied by suchinvoluntary physicalsymptoms as muscletension, rapid breathing,tremors, heart palpitations,and increased pulse rate. Wedon’t choose these reactions.They automatically kick in

when we sense that dangeris close by.

So, is fear merely aninherited biochemical,stimulus-response process,or is it acquired through ourupbringing and personalexperiences? The answer is,“Yes. It’s both.”

Modern medical researchis unlocking the mysteries of the brain. We nowunderstand that brain cellscommunicate by shootingelectrical impulses betweenthe cells via brain chemicalscalled neurotransmitters.Scientists have discovered asmall almond-shaped clusterof cells called the amygdalathat functions as a controlcenter for our fear response.When alerted to danger, theamygdala instantaneouslyactivates almost everyneeded system within thebody to deal with the dangerat hand. But sometimes thesystem misfires and medicalintervention is needed torestore balance in the brain.


Physicians know that diminished levels of serotonin and otherneurotransmitters can lead to undue levels of fear, anxiety, panic, anddepression. That’s why the prescribed use ofmedications can be effectivein diminishing the cripplingsymptoms of some fears.5

So when is it wise toconsult a medical doctor toexplore the potential of abiological component to ourfears? When our fears aredisproportionately resistantto our consistent efforts totake responsible actions toquell them—such as prayer,personal reflection, Biblemeditation, journaling, andaccountability.

For some individuals,medication is a short-termsolution following a majorloss or traumatic event(Prov. 31:6). For others whoare just born more anxious,worrisome, or nervous,medication may be required

on a long-term basis tomaintain a healthy balance.

Sadly, there can be astigma attached to takingmedications, even whenthere’s a valid medicalreason for doing so. Whatwe must recognize, however,is that medications can be avalid tool to manage thebiological component of fear,freeing us to work throughthe other factors involved inour fears.

In spite of the amazingdiscoveries of how ourbrains function and theusefulness of medications,we must guard againstthinking that fear or anyother emotional response issimply a function of biology.Biology is undeniablyinvolved, but there isalways more going on.

So what are the otherfactors contributing to ourfears? Let’s look at wherefear comes from.


The Source Of Fear

FFear has been with usfrom the beginning,not as an infrequent

visitor but as a constantcompanion. H. P. Lovecraft,a writer of horror stories,called fear “the oldest and strongest emotion of mankind.”

Fear is the first humanemotion referred to afterAdam and Eve sinned in theGarden of Eden in Genesis3. After they disobeyed Godby eating the forbiddenfruit, God came looking forthe first couple to take theircustomary evening walktogether. Adam’s response to God’s inquiry about theirwhereabouts was: “I heardYou in the garden, and I wasafraid because I was naked;so I hid” (v.10).

For the first time in their lives, fear gripped thehearts of Adam and Evebecause of what they had

lost and the One they hadto face. The source of theirfear arose from disobediencethat brought about danger,disconnection, anddesperation.

Danger. Safety was lost outside of Eden. Onceevicted from the friendlyconfines of paradise, theman and woman wereforced to face a worldfraught with danger andincreasing hostility (Gen.3:14-19; 9:2-6).

The apostle Pauldescribed an internalstruggle with fear that was provoked by externaldangers threatening him:“We were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within” (2 Cor. 7:5).

The two primary sourcesof external threat that weface are a dangerous worldand an evil adversary. Boththreaten to cripple us withfear.

A Dangerous World can


overwhelm us with fear.On His last evening onearth, Jesus warned Hisfollowers about living in adangerous world: “I havetold you these things, sothat in Me you may havepeace. In this world you will have trouble. But takeheart! I have overcome theworld” (Jn. 16:33).

The word for trouble is aword denoting “tribulation,affliction, anguish, andburden.” This troublecreates an intense amountof pressure. So muchpressure, in fact, that asignificant part of Jesus’mission on earth was to“overcome the world.”He knew that the amountand extent of troubles thatlife in a fallen world canthrow at us can be sooverwhelming that we have a tendency to loseheart by succumbing to fearand discouragement.

The whole world has beenseverely distorted by the

impact of sin and the curse(Gen. 3:17-18). It groansunder the weight of sin(Rom. 8:19-22). The troubleswe face or fear to face—whether a debilitatingdisease, a financial reversal,a natural disaster, a humanatrocity, a vicious crime, anunavoidable accident, aseductive temptation, adevastating betrayal, the lossof a job, the death of a child,the struggle to survive—canall be traced back to that onepivotal moment when oneman made a foolish choicethat plunged the world intoturmoil and overwhelmingtrouble.

At times, it almost feelsas though we’re living in awar zone—and for goodreason. There is a war goingon. There’s an enemy onanother front that must berecognized and understood.

An Evil Adversaryuses fear to intimidate andthreaten. From the verybeginning, Satan has been


the archenemy of God andall who serve Him. He wasthe seductive serpent whoenticed the first woman intoeating the forbidden fruit(Gen. 3:1-6). God’s curse onhim for this sinister deeddrew the battle linesbetween the Messiah (seedof the woman) and Hisfollowers, and Satan and hisminions (Gen. 3:14-15).

The apostle Peter warned us to be alert toSatan’s intimidating tacticof prowling around like aroaring lion, terrifying us by his threats to devour us(1 Pet. 5:8). How does he do that?

As the scheming fatherof lies (Jn. 8:44; Eph. 6:11)and the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4), Satan attacksbelievers with all kinds offalse accusations (Job 1:9-11; Zech. 3:1; Rev. 12:10).These “flaming arrows” aredesigned to wound ourhearts and maim our faith.His goal is to undermine

our confidence in God’sgoodness and in His abilityto help us when we arestruggling with our share of troubles (Heb. 11:6).

It’s in our relationshipsthat we tend to struggle themost with doubts and fears.So Satan takes everyopportunity to ruin ourrelationships by incitingfear, doubt, and insecuritybetween us. He exploits ourtendency to depend onothers more than God forour sense of security andsignificance. And by preyingon our natural fear ofgetting hurt, he devours ourjoy of loving and servingothers, keeping us fromentering into deep andmeaningful relationships.

The assaults from thesetwo external enemies, theworld and the devil, caninflame a firestorm of fearwithin us. Why? Because allfear involves not only theperil of danger but also thepain of loss. In fact, danger


often translates into loss.We fear losing anythingthat we believe is vital toour survival. Lossesintensify our fears becausewe know that it is only amatter of time before welose everything andeveryone we love. And thatleads to disconnection.

Disconnection. Adamfelt vulnerable because hebecame separated from hisProvider God. The deaththat he experiencedimmediately after he sinnedwas the loss of his vitalconnection with God. Heknew he was at risk. Hewas naked, but it was muchdeeper than that. He wasemotionally, relationally,

and spiritually cut off fromhis life-giving God.

Whenever our sense of well-being is threatened,we experience the sameshudder of fear that Adam felt. We feel aloneand vulnerable. Ourdisconnection from Godfuels our fearful strugglewith insecurity, inadequacy,and self-doubt.

Desperation. Adamlost control of his world.He was banished from theGarden, estranged from hiswife, alienated from hisGod, and desperate to figureout how to survive in ahostile environment.

We all hate to feel out of control. Dan Allenderwrote, “Different people fear different things withdifferent levels of intensity,but all of us fear what wecannot control. . . . Fear isprovoked when the threat ofdanger exposes our inabilityto preserve what we mostdeeply cherish.” 6

10

mAll fear involvesnot only the

peril of dangerbut also the

pain of loss.n


Fear invades our mostcherished relationshipsbecause we have no realcontrol over another person.People are free to maketheir own choices. Andwhere there is freedom,there is fear. Some spousesfear betrayal; others fearbeing ignored or unloved.Parents fear that theirchildren won’t turn outokay. Employees fear thatthe company will downsize.

But all is not lost. Fearcan play a healthy role inour lives. So, what is thefunction of fear? When is ithelpful? When is it harmful?Let’s take a closer look atwhat fear does for us.

The FunctionOf Fear

BBecause life is full ofdangerous situations,fear is not only

unavoidable but oftennecessary. In the realm of emotions, fear is like

friction. Too much frictionheats things up, wears themout prematurely, andhinders movement. With toolittle friction, things canquickly get out of controland dangerous. That’s trueabout fear as well. We needfear to keep things fromspinning dangerously out ofcontrol. But too much fearcan suffocate creativity andreduce life to mere survival.

As A Friend, a certainamount of fear and anxietyis good for us. Healthy fearcan serve us well by:

Warning us of danger.I grew up with a fear ofsnakes. It began when I was 6 years old. I foolishlydisobeyed my father andventured along the rocks ofa creek that he had warnedme to stay away from. Likemany kids, I thought I knewbetter. I didn’t want to beleft out of helping him andmy older brother catchminnows to take on ourafternoon fishing trip.


Unfortunately, the bite of acopperhead ended the daywith a trip to the doctor’soffice and the scare of alifetime. I still rememberhow frightened I was as Itore off my shoe and sock to discover those two tinypuncture wounds on myankle. I’ve had a healthyfear of snakes ever since.

The primary function ofhealthy fear is to warn us ofdanger. It alerts us to ourvulnerability and urges usto take precautions. It’sfoolish not to be afraid whenyour car careens across thehighway on black ice, orwhen the shrillness of ablaring smoke alarm piercesthe stillness of a restfulnight’s sleep. You would beignoring a warning signalthat danger lurks nearbyand you are at risk.

The fear alarm functionsas a warning when dangeris near, pushing us to backoff and keeping us fromharm. Its role is to protect

us. In much the same waythat pain functions in thebody to alert us that we’vebeen injured and are inneed of medical assistance,fear grabs our attention andprepares us for dealing withdanger by either getting outof harm’s way or byconfronting the dangerhead-on.

The Bible illustrates the healthiness of self-preserving fear in thepresence of danger. Onseveral occasions, David fled for fear of his life fromthe presence of a jealouslymurderous King Saul,who threatened, schemed,and attempted to kill him (1 Sam. 19:10-12; 20:1,42;21:10). David was “verymuch afraid” of King Achishof Gath and acted like amadman so he wouldn’t bekilled (1 Sam. 21:12).

Joseph and Mary, inobedience to an angel thatspoke to him in a dream,fled from Bethlehem and


escaped to Egypt becausethey feared the wicked KingHerod would attempt to killJesus (Mt. 2:13).

In all these cases, fearwas appropriate because the danger was real. It isn’tcowardly or wrong to beafraid of life-threateningdanger. To be afraid on thebattlefield is normal. Whenrecognized and heeded, thewarning alarm of fear canhelp us to live wisely andmore safely in a dangerousworld.

Motivating us to excel.All of us deal with deadlines

of one sort or another. Itmay be the final project at the end of the schoolsemester, a productionquota on a job, or justpaying our taxes on time.And you know why they arecalled “deadlines,” don’tyou? If you don’t meet them,you’re dead! Or at least youwish you were. Properlyharnessed, the fear offailure can be a powerfulmotivation to do your best.

There’s a special form offear experienced by thosewho write for a living.Personally, I feel anxiousevery time I sit down at mycomputer to write. (In fact, Ifeel it now as I write thesewords.) Speaking in front of a large group has neverbeen a big problem for me.Counseling with a marriedcouple doesn’t feel especiallythreatening after havinglogged thousands of hoursin my office over the past 15 years. But sitting downand putting my thoughts on

13

mThe warningalarm of fear can

help us to livewisely and more

safely in adangerousworld.n


paper for all the world toread, to critique, or worseyet, to ignore, has beenparalyzing at times. But it’sthe fear of the deadline thatmotivates me to get it donein spite of my anxiety.

The apostle Paul spoke of the fear of God’s finaljudgment as a powerfulmotivation in his ministryto persuade others of thehope of the gospel (2 Cor.5:11). Not only did he wantothers to escape the wrathof God as their judge, but healso wanted the approval ofGod as he stood before Himfor his reward.

Entertaining us.Hollywood knows how touse fear to entertain us. Thriller, horror, andsuspense movies aredesigned to capitalize onspiking the fear and anxietylevels of audiences withoutexposing them to the realityof the danger they areviewing. This vicariousexperience of fear keeps

audiences on the edge oftheir seats and fills theatersaround the world.

The popularity ofextreme sports attests tothe free spirit of those whotaunt fear by attemptingdangerous stunts just forthe “thrill of it.” Theybungee jump, cliff dive,ride mountain bikes andskateboards overtreacherous terrain, andjump out of airplanes withsnowboards attached totheir feet. They wearclothing with the “No Fear”label to indicate that theyare among the few, the wild,and the crazy.

The longing foradventure is what turns alife-threatening situationthat would normallyprovoke intense anxiety into“the thrill of a lifetime.”This thrill of “beating theodds” requires taking risksand facing fear.

But fear is not always afriend. It can go awry—and


often does. When it does,it becomes a foe to bereckoned with.

As A Foe, fear worksagainst us internally tosabotage healthy living.

When we’re assailed bythreats from the outside, wesometimes disable ourselveswith fears from within thatcan turn obsessive.

This sabotaging feardistorts our perception ofourselves and the reality ofthe dangers we face. Iterodes confidence that wecan handle a particularthreatening relationship orsituation and come out of itintact. This form of anxietyundermines even the best of plans with insecurity,inadequacy, and self-doubt,which leads to a loss ofheart that is crippling, andincreases our vulnerability to danger.

Insecurity is tied to our core longing for love and acceptance. We weremade for perfect, loving

relationships. But becausewe don’t have any flawlessrelationships, we fear thatwe’ll be abandoned if we’reseen for who we really are.We desire to love others, butthe frightening reality isthat there is no guaranteethat anyone will love us inreturn. We become terrifiedof giving our heart toanyone who might not treatus tenderly. Ultimately,insecurity leads to a fear of intimacy and results inwithdrawal.

Inadequacy taps intoour desire to make asignificant difference inlife—to know that wematter. We want to knowthat our life has meaningand purpose. We long tomake our mark in theworld. But past failures in our performanceundermine our confidencethat we will ever make thekind of difference in lifethat we dream of.

Self-doubt grows


out of our feelings ofinsecurity and inadequacy.Upbringing, especially theimpact of parents, goes along way to shape our self-confidence. Doubters areparalyzed by “what if ’s.”

This is especially true in a home where love andapproval were based onperformance. The demandfor perfection is often theresult. Often, underneath a perfectionist’s flurry ofactivity is fear—the fear offailure (“I’ll never be able tomeasure up and be enough”)and the fear of success (“If Ido succeed, I’ll never be able to keep it going”).Doubters fear trying,so they quit.

Author Gary Thomasaccurately describes thesepeople:

Many people choose safe lives in whichfailure (and therefore,real success) is highlyunlikely. They never takerisks, and they never fail;

but they also die withoutany real service. Theymay never make amistake, but they’ll alsonever make a difference.7

Fear that strips us ofvitality and zeal to live wellmust be dismantled. But wemust be careful not tohandle fear in a way thataggravates instead ofreduces the problem.

Faulty Ways Of DealingWith Fear

SSince fear is basic tohuman existence, wemust learn to deal

with it. But dealing withfear in the wrong way onlymakes matters worse. Wecan mishandle our fears by:

Numbing ourselves to our fears and ignoringthem. “One of the thingswhich danger does to youafter a time is, well, to killemotion. I don’t think Ishall ever feel anything


again except fear. None ofus can hate anymore—orlove” (Graham Greene, TheConfidential Agent, 1982).

Trauma victims areespecially vulnerable to thistactic. They often battle witha “loss of heart” because thepain of the trauma createssuch an emotional overloadthat their internal circuit-breakers shut down and the whole system goes dead.Unfortunately, if theiremotions are not broughtback on line, they will beextremely vulnerable tobeing victimized by thosewho would exploit theiremotional numbness andfailure to set appropriateboundaries.

Masking our fears bycovering them up. Angerand aggression are some ofthe most common masks forfear. An angry bully is notusually mistaken forsomeone who is afraid thatno one will respect himunless he demands it. But

intimidating others so that they would never darequestion him is a commontactic of someone hauntedby insecurity. Those whofear a loss of control oftenbecome the kind of take-charge people whothemselves become guilty of being controllers. Achronic fear of failure can be covered by a mask ofmeticulous perfectionism.The entertainer can use hishumor to mask his fear ofloneliness.

The problem withwearing masks is that aperson loses his trueidentity and cannot relatesincerely with others.

Minimizing our fears bypretending that they are notimportant. “It’s no big deal,that’s just the way thingswere in my family” was theresponse of a man who hadjust told me a painful storyof being totally ignored byhis father when he was 8years old. When I asked him


how he felt about picking his father up at the airportearlier that week, he replied,“There was no way I wasgoing to be late for that man,even if it meant gettingthere 5 hours early.” When Iasked how his father mightrespond if he were late, hesnapped, “It’s not what hewould say. It would be thelook in his eyes.”

This man had totallyminimized the fear—andrage—he felt toward hisfather. Not only did hispretending stifle hisrelationship with his father,but it was robbing him ofintimacy with his ownfamily, whose pain he alsominimized.

Rationalizing our fears by explaining themaway. Some try to justifytheir fears superficially byexcusing them as emotionalreactions and nothing more.They fail to see any deepermotivation or beliefsinvolved in their fears. They

see their fear as nothingmore than a primitivedefensive response to aneurochemical reactionbetween specific neurons of the brain.

The result is a mind-over-feelings mentality thatcloses off any healthy dialogabout how our feelings aretied to deeper issues of theheart.

Exaggerating our fears by making dangersbigger than they really are.Phobias, paranoia, andpanic attacks are examplesof exaggerated anddisabling fears. Phobias, forexample, are fears focusedon specific situations orobjects that are somewhatrisky but pose no real threatof danger. Common phobiasinclude getting on anelevator or airplane, drivingin traffic, crossing a bridge,attending a party, or evenshopping. Phobias divertattention from the realissues that a person is


avoiding by clouding themwith a larger-than-lifedistraction.

Sadly, these faultystrategies for dealing withfear will only intensify ourfears. A better way isneeded.

OvercomingFear

WWhen destructivefear is entrenched

in our lives, wemust remember that God is greater than all our fears.He desires to empower us to dismantle and demolishfear’s strongholds in ourlives (2 Cor. 10:4). Fearmust be uprooted and thetruth implanted so that weare freed not merely tosurvive but to thrive in adangerous world (Jn. 8:32).Life is never risk free. Butfreedom from overwhelmingfear empowers us to enjoyall that God offers us in afallen world.

Some steps to overcomingcrippling fears are:

1. Face Your Fears.Don’t run from your fears.Standing up to them andfacing them head-on is halfthe battle. Feel your fears.Don’t try to silence them bygetting busy in distractingactivities. Give yourselfpermission to feel thetrembling, the anguish, theterror. By doing so, you willbe able to begin identifyingyour fears and what’sunderneath them. Puttingdescriptive words to boththe feelings and beliefsunderlying your fears willequip you to talk morehonestly and openly aboutyour fears with someonewho cares, whether aprofessional or a friend.

Keeping a journal will help you focus yourthoughts as you face yourfears. Once your thoughts,feelings, and beliefs arewritten out in front of you,it will allow you to be more


objective with what is goingon inside.

David was a man whohonestly wrestled with hisfears. He even wrote itdown as an example for usto read in Psalm 55:4-8.

My heart is in anguishwithin me; the terrors ofdeath assail me. Fear andtrembling have beset me;horror has overwhelmedme. I said, “Oh, that Ihad the wings of a dove!I would fly away and beat rest—I would flee faraway and stay in thedesert; I would hurry tomy place of shelter, farfrom the tempest andstorm.”When you journal, it is

helpful to ask yourselfquestions that make youwrite out detailed answers.Don’t ask questions that canbe answered with one word.Here are some questions toget you started.

• What am I afraid ofright now?

• What am I trying to avoid facing?

• If I wasn’t afraid rightnow, what would I dodifferently?

• What would have tochange for me not to be afraid?

• What am I afraid will happen in thissituation?

• What do I fear theother person will think of me?

• What am I afraid willhappen if my anxiousthoughts are true?What’s the worst thatcould happen? And ifthat happens, thenwhat? And if thathappens, then what?

This last example iscalled chaining—linkingquestions together like linksin a chain so you can beginto track a pattern to thefear that emerges from thethings you have written.

As you follow thisprocess of honestly facing


your fears, you will bebetter prepared to examineyour findings and learnfrom your fears instead ofrunning from them.

2. Learn From YourFears. Does your fear driveyou to rely on God as yourProtector or on yourself? Theanswer to that question iscrucial to understanding thepassion that drives our fears.

We must be careful,however, not to make theassumption that all fear is a spiritual problem ofmisplaced dependency.While there are manyoccasions when a lack oftrust is the problem,sometimes our fear isnothing more than physicalexhaustion speaking. Whenwe are not taking care ofourselves physically byeating well, exercising, orgetting sufficient sleep, ourfears can be amplified andblown out of proportion.When we recognize that weare “running on empty,” both

physically and emotionally,we need to slow down andtake time to nurtureourselves. Usually, thingslook much brighter and lessfearful after a good night’ssleep, some nutritious food,or a vigorous walk outdoors.

If we have ruled outexhaustion as a factor, thenquite often the core issueunderneath our fears is notwhether we fear but whatwe fear. Our fears exposeour heart and whom wereally serve—man or God.

Caleb is a good exampleof someone who had theright perspective. He was a reconnaissancesoldier, a man of valor whounderstood that cowardiceis fueled by a lack of faith inGod and His goodness tothose who follow Him (Heb.11:6). He had a differentspirit than the other spiesin his platoon (Num. 14:24).While they cowered at thethought of going up againstthe “giants” in a full-scale


invasion of Canaan (13:31-33), he was gung-ho andready to move (v.30). Itwasn’t that the Canaaniteswere not a formidableenemy deserving of ahealthy level of fear. But he understood that theIsraelites’ fear of theCanaanites was not theirreal problem. It was Calebwho, along with Joshua,identified their problem asrebellion and unbelief. Theirfear distorted the dangerposed by the enemy anddiminished their trust inthe power of God to protectand bring victory (14:9-11).

In the final analysis,what we often learn fromour fears is that we have atendency to allow our fear of others and the dangerswe face to eclipse our awe of the omnipotent God weserve, who promised to fight for us (Ps. 56:3-4;Rom. 8:31-32).

3. RelinquishUnhealthy Fears.

Larry Crabb wrote, “We livein sheer dread of giving upcontrol and abandoningourselves to God. Only whenwe discover a desire for Himthat is stronger than ourdesire for relief from painwill we pay the pricenecessary to find Him.” 8

As hard as it may be toadmit, demoralizing fearthat encourages cowardlyretreat is rebellion. Whenthe Israelites’ fear wasunmasked—exposing theirrebellion and contempt forGod—their hearts wererevealed. Their refusal tobelieve God and to repent oftheir preoccupation with thedanger ahead and theirstubborn demand for safetycost them the PromisedLand (Num. 14:21-23).

Speaking of theIsraelites, the prophetIsaiah observed:

In repentance and rest is your salvation,in quietness and trust isyour strength, but you


would have none of it(Isa. 30:15).What’s the first thing

on our minds or out of ourmouths when facing danger?Is it David’s words, “When Iam afraid, I will trust inYou”? (Ps. 56:3). If not, weneed to confess it to theLord. We need to turn fromour tendency to groan andcomplain and seek help fromsources other than God (Isa.31:1). Fearing people morethan God always hasdisastrous results.

Once we are releasedfrom the enslaving fear of worrying how others may or may not respond to us, which is often thecontrolling factor in ourrelationships, we will thenbe free to serve God andothers in newness of life(Rom. 6:4).

4. Cultivate HealthyFears. There are somesituations and some peoplewe must simply learn toavoid because they are

dangerous. To allow abusive,violent, or deeply addictedpeople unrestricted access toour lives and relationshipsis foolish. Prudence, notparanoia, requires that weestablish strong and clearboundaries with people who refuse to recognize ortake responsibility for thedamage they have causedothers.

The military trains menand women to deal with life-threatening situations theymay encounter in battle. Inessence, they are trainednot only to survive but toadvance in the face of whatthey fear (the loss of theirlives) so they can neutralizethe enemy and accomplishtheir objectives. Oneveteran of the Gulf Warstated, “When I got into myfirst nighttime fire-fight, Ifelt fear riddle my wholebody. Then the trainingkicked in.” Because of histhorough training, he wasable to do his job and carry


out his mission even whilehe was under fire.

In much the same way,God calls us to obey andfollow Him into battleagainst the forces of evil inthe midst of our fears. As westrap on our spiritual armorand prepare for war (Eph.6:10-18), we must notpretend that fear of theenemy doesn’t exist. But we must move forward withconviction and resolve inspite of the genuine threatposed by the flaming arrowsof the evil one or theopposition we face from theadversaries in this world.What must preoccupy ourthoughts are the reassuringwords of Paul: “The one whocalls you is faithful and Hewill do it” (1 Th. 5:24). And“The Lord is faithful, andHe will strengthen andprotect you from the evilone” (2 Th. 3:3).

David’s words mustbecome the expression ofour hearts when cultivating

healthy fear: “When I amafraid, I will trust in You. InGod, whose word I praise, inGod I trust; I will not beafraid. What can mortalman do to me?” (Ps. 56:3-4).

5. Move In Spite OfYour Fears. “Remember,there’s nothing vital at staketomorrow.” Those were thewords I shared with awoman prior to one of themost important businessmeetings of her life. She washalf a continent away in SanFrancisco and had called forreassurance. She asked meto repeat the phrase severaltimes.

The fact was, importantthings were at stake. Majorupheaval was tearing thecompany apart. Newmanagement was squeezingher out. Her job, herfinancial future, and herself-esteem as a singlewoman in her late fortieswere all at stake. Butnothing vital was at stake!


What is vital? What isthe one thing we cannotpossibly live without? It’sknowing that the securitywe long for and thesignificance we crave arefound only in a personalrelationship with Christ (Ps.73:25; Jn. 6:35,68-69). It’sour Father’s tender wordsreassuring us that nothingcan divert His attentionfrom us nor dilute Hisundying love for us (Rom.8:31-39). The Lord remindsus that when all else failsand others desert us, Heforever remains faithful andtrue to His children, whomHe loves (Mt. 28:20; 2 Tim.4:16-18). That’s vital!

When we really dobelieve that nothing vital is at stake, we will be ableto live courageously andtake risks—not foolish butfaithful and reasonablerisks—that are based on theknowledge that “the Lord iswith us. Do not be afraid”(Num. 14:9).

King David repeatedlyrebuked his fear andreinforced his resolve tomove courageously becauseof his uncompromisingconfidence in God as hisfaithful fortress: “The Lordis my light and mysalvation—whom shall Ifear? The Lord is thestronghold of my life—ofwhom shall I be afraid?”(Ps. 27:1). And “The Lord iswith me; I will not be afraid.What can man do to me?”(Ps. 118:6).

Living courageously inthe midst of hostility anddiscouragement requires anunflinching trust in God’ssustaining love (1 Jn. 4:18).His “perfect love drives outfear,” freeing us to willinglyrisk losing our lives so wecan live in the freedom ofresurrection life (Mt. 16:25;Acts 20:24; Phil. 3:10-12).That has been God’s call toHis people throughouthistory.

God called the prophet


Ezekiel to fearlessly facepeople and situations thatare much like those we facein our daily battle againstevil. God said to him, “Donot be afraid of them ortheir words. Do not beafraid, though briers andthorns are all around youand you live amongscorpions. Do not be afraidof what they say or terrifiedby them, though they are arebellious house. You mustspeak My words to them,whether they listen or failto listen, for they arerebellious” (Ezek. 2:6-7).

Everyone wants to beliked. No one wants to fail.But God encouraged Ezekielto resist being derailed byfierce opposition to thetruth. Instead, he was toserve God faithfully withJob-like resolve, “Though He slay me, yet will I hopein Him” (Job 13:15).

We sometimes forget that serving God is risky.Failure is a real possibility.

Gary Thomas gives us a sober reminder that “there are no guarantees we will not fail—but theunwillingness to risk maybe our greatest failure ofall.” 9

Jesus’ command to “takeheart” (Jn. 16:33) is a call tobe courageous when facingdanger that threatens tooverwhelm us with fear. Heknows that our tendency isto cower and flee ratherthan to courageously standand fight. Our confidencemust not be in our ownability to shoulder the loadand figure it all out. Rather,it must be rooted in ourCommander and Chief, whohas overcome the worldwith an overpowering lovethat neutralizes paralyzingfear.

Courageous livingrequires courageous loving.And this is only possiblewhen we’re not motivatedby fear but by God’s love—the love that conquers all.


Wise PeopleStill Fear God

MMuch has beenwritten about thelove of God. Yet

the fear of God is a conceptthat cannot be ignored byanyone who reads the Bibleseriously. Some see the fearof God as an Old Testamentconcept that has outlived itsusefulness. But Jesus didn’t think so. In fact, Heconsidered it importantenough to teach it to Hisdisciples in two uniquesettings.

In Luke 12:4-5, Jesusdirectly addressed the issueof fear with His disciples:

I tell you, My friends, donot be afraid of those whokill the body and afterthat can do no more. ButI will show you whomyou should fear: FearHim who, after the killingof the body, has power tothrow you into hell. Yes,I tell you, fear Him.

This opportunity to teach followed on the heelsof the fierce opposition Heexperienced after He hadinsulted the Pharisees andexperts in the law with Hispronouncement of six woesagainst them (Lk. 11:37-53).Jesus must have recognizedthat the hostility beingdirected against Him wasfrightening His disciples. Itwas in this setting that Hetaught them about the fearof God in the way the OldTestament spoke of it. Thebottom line was that theyshould fear God more thanother men—even powerfulmen—because God has theultimate power of finaljudgment.

A previous opportunityJesus had to teach Hisdisciples about the fear ofGod occurred during anevening boat excursion onthe Sea of Galilee (Mk. 4:35-36). It was at the end of amarathon day of ministryand Jesus was exhausted.


As they climbed into theboat for the ride to the otherside, Jesus collapsed onto acushion in the stern and fellinto a deep sleep.

The disciples becamedreadfully afraid when afurious squall beganswamping their boat, anddrowning was a realpossibility (vv.37-40). Intheir fear, they shook Jesusawake and screamed, “Don’tYou care if we drown?”After He had hushed thewind and the waves withtwo words, He addressedthe disciples’ fears.

“Why are you so afraid?”He asked. “Do you still have no faith?” At thatmoment, the disciples’ fearwas elevated to terror asthey began to catch aglimpse of who was in theboat with them. Their new awareness that theAlmighty Creator of heavenand earth was with them inthe boat totally eclipsedtheir fear of the wind, the

waves, and the possibility of drowning. Because theyrealized that God Himselfwas in the boat, their wholeperspective changed.

The question each of us must ask ourselves isthis: “Who is in my boat?”Whenever we fear anythingor anyone more than wefear God, we are ondangerously thin ice. Onlythe warm breath of God—the God who says, “Do notfear, for I am with you” (Isa.41:10)—can thaw our fear ofwhat man can do to us (Ps.56:11; 118:6; Heb. 13:6).

The wisdom literature of the Old Testament is full of commands to fear the Lord. Below are a few key verses that willhelp you in times ofoverwhelming fear toanswer the question:“Who is in my boat?”

• The fear of the Lord is the beginning ofknowledge, but foolsdespise wisdom and


discipline (Prov. 1:7).• The Lord delights in

those who fear Him,who put their hope inHis unfailing love (Ps. 147:11).

• The fear of the Lord is the beginning ofwisdom, andknowledge of the HolyOne is understanding(Prov. 9:10).

• The fear of the Lordleads to life: then one rests content,untouched by trouble(Prov. 19:23).

• Fear of man will prove to be a snare,but whoever trusts inthe Lord is kept safe(Prov. 29:25).

• The man who fearsGod will avoid allextremes (Eccl. 7:18).

The wise writer ofEcclesiastes summed it up best when he wrote:

Now all has been heard;here is the conclusion ofthe matter: Fear God and

keep His commandments,for this is the whole dutyof man (Eccl. 12:13).In one form or another,

all fears point to that oneultimate fear—the fear ofdeath.

The Sum Of All Fears

SSir Francis Baconconcluded, “Men fear death, as

children fear to go in thedark.” William Shakespearewrote, “Cowards die manytimes before their deaths;the valiant never tastedeath but once.” Andaccording to the writer ofHebrews, “Man is destinedto die once, and after that toface judgment” (9:27).

We all fear death—notonly the loss of life itself,but the loss of anything oranyone so precious to usthat losing it would feel likedeath.

The sum of all fears is


the fear of death—the finalloss of control. While wemay be able to avoid someof the lesser losses in life, inthe end we must all come togrips with the fact that noone cheats death—eventhough it will one day bedestroyed (1 Cor. 15:26;Rev. 21:4).

When Adam died thatday in the Garden of Eden,he didn’t die physically.But something within himdied, and he struggled withthat loss until the day hephysically died. Deathinvolves more than thecessation of physical life.Death is separation.It is an inner emptiness,isolation, and lonelinessthat results from thesevered bond betweenCreator and creature. It wasthe coming separation fromthe Father that JesusHimself dreaded as Heprayed in the Garden ofGethsemane (Mt. 26:38).

One of the great realities

of the gospel is the freedomfrom the paralyzing fear ofdeath that Christ’ssacrificial death on ourbehalf provided:

He too shared in theirhumanity so that by His death He mightdestroy him who holdsthe power of death—thatis, the devil—and freethose who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear ofdeath (Heb. 2:14-15).Throughout life

the impact of death cantake many forms. Lesserdeaths—like the loss of ourhealth, our dreams, ourlivelihood, our profession,our reputation, or ourfinancial security—are all harbingers of the lastdeath. Some of the morepainful losses come in ourrelationships—losing thosewho are precious to us, likeparents, spouse, children,and friends.

David described these


scrapes with death when hewrote of “the valley of theshadow of death” in Psalm23:4. He didn’t seem to be speaking primarily ofphysical death. Instead, hewas referring more to thosetreacherous chasms in ourlives that are so dark andlonely that they frighten us. It is during those times that we need thereassurance of the only goodand trustworthy Shepherdwho is qualified to lead usthrough the valley.

Isaiah spoke of thisfaithful Shepherd when hewrote:

Who among you fears the Lord and obeys theword of His servant? Let him who walks in thedark, who has no light,trust in the name of theLord and rely on his God (Isa. 50:10).Our future hope resides

in these wonderful words of celebration:

Where, O death, is your

victory? Where, O death,is your sting? . . . Butthanks be to God! Hegives us the victorythrough our Lord JesusChrist (1 Cor. 15:55,57).Do you have this

confidence? If not, trustChrist today as yourpersonal Savior to free you from the power of sinand the fear of death.

REFERENCES1. W. H. Auden, The Age Of Anxiety(New York, 1947); 2. AlbertCamus, quoted in The New YorkTimes, Dec. 12, 1947, Sec. 7, p.2;3. “The Sum Of All Fears,”Discover, April 2002, p.22;4. kilyah in Theological WorkbookOf The Old Testament, 983a;5. For more information onmedications, see ADAA Web site at www.adaa.org; 6. Dan Allenderand Tremper Longman, Cry Of TheSoul, p.81; 7. “Finding Fortitude,”Discipleship Journal, July-August,2002, p.36; 8. Larry Crabb,Shattered Dreams, p.100;9. “Finding Fortitude,” p.39.


ADDITIONALRESOURCES

Cry Of The Soul by Dan Allender and TremperLongman (NavPress, 1999).

The Glorious Pursuitby Gary Thomas(NavPress, 1998).

Shattered Dreams byLarry Crabb (WaterbrookPress, 2002).

Ruthless Trust byBrennan Manning andRichard Foster (Harper San Francisco, 2002).

Wild At Heart by John Eldredge (ThomasNelson, 2001).

The Emotional Brainby Joseph LeDoux (Simon& Schuster, 1998).

Emotional Intelligenceby Daniel Goleman(Bantam Books, 1997).

The Shyness & SocialAnxiety Workbook byMartin M. Anthony andRichard P. Swinson (NewHarbinger Publications,2000).

OTHER RBCBOOKLETS ONRELATED TOPICS

When We Don’tMeasure Up—escaping the grip of guilt (CB971).

How Can I Live WithMy Loss?—dealing withgrief and loss (CB921).

When Hope Is Lost—dealing with depression(CB973).

When Anger Burns—dealing with angryemotions (CB942).

The complete text of all theRBC booklets is available atwww.discoveryseries.org

32

Author Tim Jackson is alicensed counselor in Michiganand works in the RBC biblicalcorrespondence department.Managing Editor: David Sper

Cover Design: Terry Bidgood

Scripture quotations are from the NewInternational Version, ©1973, 1978, 1984,by the International Bible Society. Usedby permission of Zondervan Publishers.

© 2003 RBC Ministries,Grand Rapids, MI. Printed in USA.


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When Fear Seems Overwhelming

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