I came across a list of America’s Top Ten Fears from 2021. It is a sobering list that begins with issues related to the pandemic and then quickly moves to the economy and government corruption. The 2,083 people who filled out the questionnaire had a very real sense of the dangers that exist in this world. The results of the survey included 41 different fears, with “Love ones dying” at the top of the list and “Being abducted by aliens” at the very bottom. The top fear was shared by 65 percent of the respondents, while the last fear was held by 10 percent of the group.
I found it interesting that the survey had been commissioned by a company that is set to profit handsomely from the fears of its customers. Government think-tanks and private companies capitalize on human fear. It is well-documented that our society has been a breeding ground for fear mongering, to the point that many in our society are debilitated by fears and phobias, some of which are not rational at all.
One of the problems for Christians living in a fear mongering society is that we are called to reject fear and live with confidence, knowing that God is in control of the future. This is easier said than done because we are continually bombarded by both real and imaginary fears. We have to be careful to follow the Bible’s command to “Take every thought captive to obey Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5) We have to ask if the fear is real or fake? We have to ask “How does God want me to think about this issue in a way that is pleasing to Him?”
The Bible is very helpful when addressing the issue of fear because it teaches that there is one foundational fear that should govern all others. It is this, the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” The fear of the Lord is related to eternity. Those who fear the Lord recognize a day of judgment is coming and everything they have done on the earth will be brought to account. If someone has a healthy fear of God, they will be ready to accept everything God says as true and they will not be judged because their sin will be paid by the work of Jesus Christ when he died on the cross. Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved.”
Those who do not fear God will continue to struggle with the fears of this world because the fear of eternity will always be hanging over their heads. Anything that could potentially lead to death would register as a legitimate fear because death is the ultimate unknown, the ultimate “Game Over” and those who reject God must try to avoid death at whatever cost.
The Bible teaches that death is not something that the Christian needs to fear. The apostle Paul wrote, ““O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57) The victory that Paul described comes to those who submit their life to God. Those who submit their life to God will be truly loved by God. They will know God wants to spend eternity with them and that is better than anything this life has to offer.
The apostle John understood this and that is why he wrote the following, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” (1 John 4:18) If someone lives with the knowledge that they are loved by God, then that person has no need to let their life be consumed with fear. The fear of death has been dealt with. They are free to live life with a soul that is at peace.
This type of peace can have a dramatic effect on any fear that might arise in a Christian’s life. We hear that the economy is struggling, instead of being afraid we know that God loves his children and promises to provide for all their needs. (Matthew 6:25-33) We hear people say that global warming is going to ruin the earth, instead of being afraid of man-made catastrophes the Christian has a healthy fear of God and believes He will destroy and remake the world on his time-table. Genesis 8:22 says, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” God is in control. His word tells us “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) The question we have to ask is this, “Is our fear of God strong enough to weaken the fears of this world?” If a fear of this world is clouding our vision, then the Christian only needs to cry out to God to see Him clearly and then his perspective on the world will be clear as well.
