Living in Fear

Mark 6:50 (NLT) They were all terrified when they saw him. But Jesus spoke to them at once, “It’s all right,” he said. “I am here! Don’t be afraid.”

Sixty three times in the KJV of the Bible we read the words “fear not”.  The word fear appears 385 times. The word afraid appears an additional 190 times. These facts may cause you to ask why does the Bible speak so often concerning fear?

Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend put it this way in their book, “God Will Make a Way”.

Fear can keep us bound so that we live less and less of life. The cost is the life that we did not live because of fear.

Jeff Walling in his book “Until I Return” puts it this way…

When fear takes control over our faith, it renders us ineffective in doing the very tasks to which our Lord has called us.

So how does God help us to overcome our fears?

1 John 4:18 (NKJV)

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear.

This is indeed one of my favorite verses in the Bible. Perfect love cast out all fear. Why would that be true? Well first of all the only perfect love humanity has ever known came from the only perfect person to ever live, Jesus our Lord. I like the way the LB paraphrases this passage…

1 John 4:18 (LB)

We need have no fear of someone who loves us perfectly; his perfect love for us eliminates all dread…If we are afraid it…shows that we are not fully convinced that he really loves us.

Lord when I am afraid speak to me and calm my fears. Amen