Fear Not

So many actions are performed out of fear, or not performed because of it. I have heard fear described as False Evidence Appearing Real, and sometimes that is the case, but not always. Sometimes there is evidence, meant to provide warning, safety, and protection.

I think about instances in the Bible when people are told to “fear not,” not because the evidence or what they are experiencing is unreal, but because it is not going to have the outcome that human thought and imagination would naturally indicate.

Then there is the spirit of fear, which, in part, is the mechanism used to foment fear. We see it in some media and throughout society.

Every era has its zeitgeist that includes fears based on the events and happenings of that time. We all certainly have our individual fears, and each of us decides which fears we will take on from the societal pathos.

Other than the fear that comes to warn us for safety and protection, I have learned to control fear. Now, like a lot of you, I am in awe of what some people do for recreation—climbing the side of a mountain or skiing down one at high speeds while risking harm. But we all have those “in spite of fear” moments, the things we do while afraid, asking ourselves, If I do this, what may happen? The answers range from they may think I am off to I may die.

I can identify with doing something afraid, even though when I did it, it was more in defiance. I wonder if that is what the cliff climbers feel.

It was an experience I had with my sister Yvette and two of her friends in West Virginia about thirty years ago that I know has impacted how I move through the world. We were whitewater rafting. It was my first time, and I was excited—not afraid, because I didn’t yet know to be.

Let’s Do the Math

Over 90 percent of the fears people imagine never come to pass. If you look at that on a micro level, the number is even higher. Even among the rare instances when imagined fears became reality, the mental energy spent worrying did nothing to stop it.

Jesus said, “Who by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” In other words, fear and worry do not contribute to preventing something from happening.

Among my sister Yvette and me and her two friends, I don’t think any of us had been whitewater rafting before, but because of the scheduling at the rafting company, only the Class 4 rapids, intended for experienced rafters, were available. Again, not knowing enough to be afraid, we signed up. We would have two days of Class 4 rapids.

Class 4 rapids are for advanced rafters, or at the very least not for first-timers or novices. So we put on the wetsuits and life jackets, and off we went with an experienced guide and rower.

The river was fast-moving with rocks and, in one part, a massive boulder. I would later learn that the rocks were undercut by the current. I found that out firsthand as the current pushed our raft into a large boulder on the side where I was sitting. The raft began to be pulled under the boulder.

Everyone was able to jump from the raft onto the boulder except me and Michelle, who was sitting next to me. We were both sucked under the boulder.

That was the first time I truly understood what the phrase my life flashed before my eyes meant. As I was trapped under the boulder and could not see a way out, it did just that. I could feel Michelle next to me. Then, suddenly, I was pushed out and popped up to the surface. The current was about to pull me back under when those standing on the boulder grabbed me out.

I did not see them pull Michelle out, but she was pulled out on the other side.

It shook all of us up. Later, I found a large circular bruise on my arm, though I do not remember hitting anything.

Well, it was only day one, and we still had another day to go. Word travelled through the camp about our incident and we were not expected to return to the rapids the next day. But all of us did, except for Michelle. I totally understand her decision. My sister Yvette had a badly sprained ankle but decided to return as well.

Everyone expected me to sit the next day out. Somehow I knew that if I did, it would build or grow fear, or at least mean yielding to it. So I went back and rode the same river again, including the spot that had tried to take us out the previous day.

I believe that returning to that rapid again was a way to defeat fear, or at least keep it from taking a seat in my life. The second time was uneventful and wonderful.

Not all fear is false, and not all fear is harmful. There are legitimate fears and illegitimate ones, true warnings and imagined barriers. Wisdom is knowing the difference.

Fear is a response of the soul. The fear of the Lord is of the Spirit of God.

When angels of God tell us not to fear, they are addressing the response of the soul, not the Spirit. The fear of the Lord is the only fear we are to have.

The belief that evil is overcoming good causes some people to revere it, and even the source of it. Yet in Matthew 10, before Jesus sent His disciples out, He told them not to fear those who could kill the body but not the soul. Instead, they were to fear the One who could destroy both body and soul in hell.

If you fear God, you do not have to fear anything else.

When we fail to separate legitimate caution from destructive fear, fear can become a prison. It can keep us from the experiences we need in order to fully become who we are meant to be. There are the seen and the imagined, the natural and the spiritual components of fear.

The Bible says that God has not given us the spirit of fear, meaning it is contrary to what He wants for us. Instead, we are given power, love, and a sound mind. Those are the answers to fear. These are released in the soul where the mind, will, and emotions exist. Power influences the will, love the emotions, and a sound mind the conscious and subconscious mind. Those are God’s answer to fear. (See 2 Timothy 1:7.)

At the same time, the Bible also says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This, of course, is not the kind of fear that must be overcome. Not all fear is damaging or hindering.

In fact, I do not believe that caution, discernment, or preservation belong in the same category as fear at all. Safety and the sense that one should exercise caution are not fear. They are protection and wisdom.

I have found that periodically assessing myself to identify any place where fear may be operating—influencing my decisions, plans, or actions—is a healthy practice. There is so much in society designed to support and encourage fear that we can find ourselves cooperating with it without even realizing it.

Take Actions

Assess your thoughts daily.

Yes, daily. Not a day goes by that we do not have thoughts, and not all of them are right, good, or true. The longer fear-inducing thoughts linger, the more deeply they settle in. Be aware of the things you see and hear that trigger those feelings or feed narratives of fear that you may have to continually shut down.

Arrest the thoughts.

Once you identify the thoughts, take them captive. Do not allow them to wander unchecked or assume they will simply pass through harmlessly. Unrested thoughts travel into the future and work to keep you in cycles. Do not allow them to take hold.

Alter the thoughts.

Actively change the thought and the narrative. Rewrite the narrative by replacing it with truth. Thoughts come, but it is our acceptance of them—and the actions that follow—that give them power.

Again, fear the Lord and you don’t have to fear anything else.

Author: Delphia Simmons

Delphia Simmons, Founder of Thrive Detroit, dedicated to amplifying voices and fostering community through storytelling.