Follow Hard – Fear Not

Every day people around the world face fears that may seem odd to you, but are absolutely real to them. Sometimes these fears are debilitating.

The fear of a catastrophic event might make it impossible to participate in almost all activities away from home - the one place they may feel safe.

There's a scientific name for the fear of everything (Panphobia). There are phobias related to the fear of sunlight, dirt, loud noises, darkness and almost any other thing you could name.

We know that angels often reminded humans to knock off that whole worrying thing. Someone has even said there are 365 times that we are told to “fear not” in the Bible – one for each day of the year. Actually, depending on the version of the Bible you use there are between 80-110 mentions of this phrase, but still, the reminders are important – every day.

Humans have always been pretty good at holding onto fear like a sword, but fear won't make us live longer lives, fear won't make us promotion worthy employees, fear is a contagious condition, and fear makes life seem like less of an adventure and more like a prison sentence.

We fear what we don't understand or that which makes us uncomfortable.

In certain situations fear induces a fight or flight reaction, which can be helpful in the short-term. This is true for soldiers in war, when we're confronted with real danger, or in protecting our families. But fear is a switch that needs to be shut off once the danger is over.

To remain in a place of high anxiety leads to stress related illness that will actually subtract days from your life. High blood pressure, heart disease, and stomach ulcers are all a byproduct of fear-based anxiety.

Fear attacks your health, but also your mind – and it's never attractive. When you become obsessed with fear you suddenly find yourself thinking of every relationship, activity, and dream in light of your fear. You refuse friendships because they might bring the thing you fear with them, or you're afraid they will be hurt because they might encounter your fear.

“Don’t panic. I’m with you. There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you. I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.” Isaiah 41:10 (MSG)

God knows there are so many things we don't understand, but He does. God sees that we get stressed out about what we can't control, but He's in control. God hears our cries for help, and He says, “Fear not.”

You see when we try to control every circumstance we are intentionally telling God we don't think He's able to take care of us. If God can keep all the elements of our world working together to sustain life He is big enough to take care of every fear you could ever entertain. When you refuse to fear you have more time to really live the life God created you to live.

Someone once said that God was a bit like a GPS. If God tells you where to go and how to get there, but you get sidetracked, He will recalculate your route to get you back on track. However, fear always takes you on detours. You will face road hazards God never intended for you to face and the detour means you will have less time to embrace the plan God has always had for you. Follow hard – fear not.

Recalculating.