Don’t be afraid!

“Don’t be afraid” – that’s what it says 365 times in the Bible. Well, it’s not like God gives us emotions and then forbids them. No, fear is good because it is supposed to show us where we are not close enough or have drifted away from God.

Wait, how does that work? Let’s start at the beginning: Fear began when man first moved away (mentally) from God, and that was when Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The serpent, or Satan, managed to make people doubt God’s word and therefore do what God had forbidden them to do. Satan managed to distance them from God and thus brought fear into people’s minds. But it also works in the other direction: when we come closer to God, our fear becomes less!

In the areas where I do not trust God, I am afraid. That is, fear points out to me where and in which situations I do not believe God and his promises.

In my case, I am afraid of being rejected by the people around me. Fear of man. That’s learned and has been ingrained in my heart for a long time. What do people think of me? Again and again, when I express an opinion that not everyone shares; when I stand on stage and everyone sees me; when I talk to people and afterwards think: what strange thing did I say; again and again I am afraid and doubt whether I am accepted.

But what does God say about this? He tells me that I am his beloved child, that he will never leave me and that I am accepted by him forever. If he is for me, who can be against me? If I believe that he is for me, then people’s opinions will not threaten my safety.

The more I am near him, that is, praying, focusing on him in silence, and reading the Bible, the more I can believe God’s thoughts for me. And if I let myself be guided, he will gently lead me into (and through) such fearful situations; he will teach me that he is always with me and will thus show me that I am safe with him. With this, I can shed my fear situation by situation, which is usually a longer process. I have already become so much more courageous, dare much more to speak out even uncomfortable truths and become much more relaxed in dealing with people! But I am still far from being without fear!

There is no fear in love; perfect love drives out all fear. So then, love has not been made perfect in anyone who is afraid, because fear has to do with punishment. 1.John 4:18

True love casts out fear. If I am afraid of God, the goal has not yet been reached. The goal is to know oneself completely loved and safe with God. This also casts out the fear of people. The better we get to know God, the smaller our fear becomes! Because God is love! This love generates confidence and faith in us. And where can we feel more secure than in the perfect, faithful love of God? This is the safest place in the world! I may recognize how great God is in his love and how loved and accepted I am by him. In his presence I recognize more and more clearly who God is and who I am!

The truth about God and yourself drives out fear! God’s truth, which you recognize when you are close to him and which you can read about in the Bible, casts out fear!

Next time you realize that you are afraid, look at it. Come to rest and tell God that you don’t want the fear anymore; that you give it to him. Ask him what he wants to say to you about that fear and what he says about you. And then dare to take the next step together with God! Do not be afraid!