“For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound mind (sound judgment).” ~ 2 Timothy 1:7 (HCSB)Like many around the world, I have have a front row seat in Oprah’s Life Class for the past few weeks. Today’s lesson was on Fear or more specifically the importance of responding to the gut feeling we get when danger is imminent. Oprah and her guests shared some great safety tips on the show and the book titled, “The Gift of Fear” by Gavin De Becker was referenced throughout. I am a huge fan of Oprah’s and truly enjoy her teaching, but out of curiosity and a desire for further understanding on this topic I decided to explore what the Bible says about fear. Here are some of the scriptures I found:
“Don’t be afraid or terrified. The Lord God, my God will be with you.” ~ 1 Chronicles 28:20 (GW)
“….This is my command- be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” ~ Joshua 1:9 (NLT)
“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” ~ Deuteronomy 31:6 (NLT)
“Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will give you strength, and for sure I will help you.” ~ Isaiah 41:10 (NLV)
“…The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear.” ~ Hebrews 13:6 (NLT)
I believe that our innate abilities, our instinct or gut feeling are gifts from God. I do not believe that God has given us the spirit of fear. I also believe that the Holy Spirit is a gift from God. Some might refer to this gift as the sixth sense; an internal “feeling” that triggers us to make a choice or take action by exercising wisdom, discernment, and wise decision making.
Fear in and of itself has such a negative connotation that I would prefer not to give energy to the emotion. It can get complicated when we try to decipher good fear from bad fear. Fear can cause us to take action or it can paralyze us from doing something we need to do. Fear can become a way of life if we are not careful, not just something used when danger is imminent. So instead of trying to put fear in its proper place, I try to recognize when I am responding to something or someone in fear and replace that negative energy with faith.
Don't get me wrong, as an official Oprah-ite, I enjoyed the show and learned some great safety tips. I just believe that the notion that fear is a gift is counterintuitive to what the Word of God teaches about fear. The Bible teaches believers to overcome fear with faith. It is our faith in God that activates the Holy Spirit within us and gives us the wisdom, strength, and courage to respond during life’s most challenging moments. I believe that instinct or gut feeling described on the show is actually God speaking to us and providing us with instruction that is divinely designed to keep us safe or lead us to where He wants us to be.
Be confident, be courageous, be fearless and attack life's challenges (and dangers) with the powerful ammunition of faith.
Remember you are not alone.
Embrace and enjoy the journey...
God Bless!
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