Entries written by Glenn Hascall, Josh Cooley, Lee Warren, Tom Troyer, and Tracy Sumner. Editorial assistance by Jessie Fioritto.
ISBN 979-8-89151-196-5
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Scripture quotations marked kjv are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
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INTRODUCTION
But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
Genesis 3:9–10 niv
Here is fear’s Bible debut.
In just the third chapter of Genesis, a mere sixty-six verses into scripture’s 31,102, Adam confesses to fear. Having disobeyed God’s command to avoid the fruit of the forbidden tree in Eden, Adam recognizes his nakedness. That’s why he says he’s afraid. To this point Adam and his wife, Eve, had lived in perfect communion with their Lord. Fear hadn’t existed since they’d never been guilty before.
But the first couple’s sin messed up everything—for them and for us. The destruction they unleashed snaked its way through time to our modern day. It strikes in us the same kind of fear that Adam felt. . .the shame of nakedness before a holy God, the feeling that our once-pleasant world has changed in negative ways, the feeling that we might not be able to rise above ourselves and find happiness again.
But from the beginning God had a plan to rescue us from the consequences of sin. He has always been working in human lives, seeking to redeem us for our benefit and His glory. That is His goal for you—to transform your life
by the blood of His Son.
The fears you feel are not unique. The stress they bring can be overcome. Instead of hiding from Him and fixating on our shortcomings, let’s open His Word together and discover His deep love for each and every one of us. The God we serve wants only our best.
In the pages that follow, you’ll read thoughtful entries from writers who’ve experienced fear themselves— contemporary, “average guys” as well as the famed nineteenth-century preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon. You’ll share in their experiences, learning from their journey with God through fear, toward peace.
We pray this book will be an encouragement to your soul.
The Publishers
CHANGE YOUR FOCUS
I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
Psalm 9:1 niv
Anxiety envelops us through racing hearts, sweaty palms, and the certainty our world is about to collapse. Its waves knock us down so often we begin to wonder if we should just stay there. We find ourselves praying for God to stop the spiral in our heads—to stop the voice inside telling us we don’t measure up. We need real answers to vanquish the worry. “It’s going to be all right” seems shallow at best.
One way of reversing anxiety’s persistent grip begins with developing a mindset of gratitude, a shift in focus from negative first to positive foremost. Gratitude focuses on what we have rather than what is lost. It changes our outlook on life even when circumstances aren’t changing. Gratitude doesn’t cover up reality by glossing over it; it changes our minds as we praise God for the many good things we have. Gratitude focuses on Him rather than us.
Despite his persistent fears, King David thanked God for protection, provision, and deliverance as an act of worship. He pushed through the anxious thoughts by intentionally looking back on God’s past faithfulness. He stopped focusing on what could happen in the future and chose to focus on
the many things God had already done. Could David have slayed Goliath by staying inwardly focused? No. His gratitude for God’s past provisions created inward peace in advance of what God would do next.
CONSIDER:
• Over the next seven days, write down one thing you’re grateful for each day. Take a few minutes to thank God for it.
• How might an outward focus on God and others reduce your fear?
GOD OF ALL COMFORT
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
2 Corinthians 1:3–4 niv
The apostle Paul led a hard life.
From the moment Paul was converted, Jesus made clear what Paul’s life would look like: “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name” (Acts 9:16). That foreboding prediction came true in many painful ways—floggings, beatings, imprisonments, shipwrecks, a stoning, hunger, thirst, rejection, abandonment, abuse, his continuing concern for local churches, and ultimately martyrdom.
Once, after delivering a painfully direct letter to the immature Corinthian church, Paul’s heart was restless as he faced consistent persecution—“conflicts on the outside, fears within,” as he put it (2 Corinthians 7:5). But when Titus joined Paul in Macedonia, Paul’s heart was refreshed. Titus, one of Paul’s most trusted companions, comforted Paul with uplifting words and brought an encouraging report from Corinth “so that [Paul’s] joy was greater than ever” (2 Corinthians 7:7).
This is often how God works in the midst of our fears and concerns. As “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3), He regularly ministers His abiding peace to us through the presence of other believers.
Have you been refreshed recently by another brother or sister in Christ? Thank them. Do you know someone who needs encouragement? Take steps to be a comfort to them “with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:4).
CONSIDER:
• How has God comforted you recently?
• Who do you know that could use comfort today?
PLANTED BY THE WATER
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.”
Jeremiah 17:7–8 niv
Did you know that the direction plant roots grow can be influenced by things such as gravity, light, nutrients, and water? Positive hydrotropism occurs when roots go in search of water. So a tree that is planted by a river or lake has no need to go deep into the earth in search of water. It simply spreads out its roots toward the water to sufficiently supply the tree with moisture.
When fear arises, it can feel like we are in a dry, barren land, searching for solutions and strength. But just as a tree by the water doesn’t need to strain to find life-giving moisture, we too can find peace and calm by staying connected to God. He becomes the source that nourishes our faith, so we no longer have to strive or fear running dry, nor do we need to go in search of solutions. Instead, we can live confidently in His provision.
Plant your roots near to Christ. Fear loses its power when we place our confidence in God’s consistent presence. Spending time in God’s Word and prayer will help you stay spiritually hydrated, ready to stand strong and overcome any fear that tries to shake your faith.
CONSIDER:
• Will you resolve today to spread your roots toward the living water—to spend time with God in His Word and prayer?
• How confident are you in God’s provision for your life?
LEAST LIKELY TO SUCCEED
If thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host: And thou shalt hear what they say.
Judges 7:10–11 kjv
Gideon was God’s uneasy warrior. He started his military journey defending his status as the person least likely to succeed. He essentially said that following God didn’t seem advisable. When God was ready to send this champion to battle, that familiar hesitation returned. Thousands of soldiers showed up, but God sent all but three hundred home. This did nothing to boost Gideon’s confidence.
God had seen Gideon’s fear before. It was nothing new. To help Gideon get back on track, the Lord told him to take his servant, Phurah, down to eavesdrop on the enemy. What they learned should restore confidence in this trembling doubter. They overheard two Midianite soldiers talking about a dream they believed meant that Gideon would defeat them.
Gideon felt certain that God had the wrong guy, but God used him in spite of his fears. Gideon never needed to initiate a fight. The battle opened with a bellow of trumpets and the clamor of smashing clay pots while torches flared in the darkness. Terrified, the Midianites began fighting themselves, and then they fled. Only then did the men of Israel pursue them. This shouldn’t have worked, but it did.
God knew exactly how His strategy would play out.
If you’ve ever followed a personal disqualification program like Gideon did, don’t be surprised when He uses the most unlikely scenario to bring victory to the most fearful.
CONSIDER:
• Why do the biggest challenges often have the most unusual answers?
• In what ways does God show Himself capable of caring for you during your greatest times of testing?
ADVENTURE
NEARLY DISMISSED
“But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”
Judges 6:15 nlt
When you read the first two words of Judges 6:15, does it seem as if Gideon is whining? He certainly continued with excuses that were likely the result of fear. Maybe God would change His mind about this timid farmer if He was reminded that the man’s family was weak—and that people saw Gideon as the least important member of a minor clan. Gideon believed he was a nobody. Certainly God could accomplish more with a somebody, couldn’t He?
Gideon had excuses that God could have tried to talk him out of. God could have responded to the farmer’s claim about being a nobody. He could have touched off a lightning storm as a convincer, but instead God simply said, “I will be with you” (Judges 6:16). This verse should have ended the argument. The Lord knew Gideon’s fear was no reason for disobedience. The King of heaven understood that this fragile farmer just needed to realize he wouldn’t have to do God’s task alone.
The process took time. But once Gideon set fear aside
and followed God, his entire life trajectory shifted.
Fear keeps us from opportunity. Disobedience keeps us from God’s plan. And too often our faulty personal assessments dismiss adventure.
CONSIDER:
• How can fear make you wonder what might have been?
• Why is trusting God more important than dismissing your lack of personal skills by failing to do what He asks?
From Charles Haddon Spurgeon
HOPEFUL PROMISES
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Isaiah 26:3 kjv
Believe in a universal providence: The Lord cares for ants and angels, for worms and for worlds. He cares for cherubim and for sparrows, for seraphim and for insects. Cast your care on Him, He that calleth the stars by their names and leadeth them out by numbers, by their hosts.
“Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and thinkest O Israel, my way is passed over from God and He has utterly forgotten me?” Let His universal providence cheer you. Think next of His particular providence over all the saints. “Precious shall their blood be in his sight.” “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to his purpose.” Let the fact that while He is the Savior of all men, He is specially the Savior of them that believe. Let that cheer and comfort you, that special providence which watches over the chosen: “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him.” And then thirdly, let the thought of His special love to you be the very essence of your comfort. “I will never leave
thee, nor forsake thee.” God says that as much to you as He said it to any saint of old. “Fear not, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.”
Oh! I would, beloved, that the Holy Ghost would make you feel the promise as being spoken to you. Out of this vast assembly forget the rest and only think of yourself, for the promises are unto you, meant for you. Oh! Grasp them. It is ill to get into a way of reading scripture for the whole church—read it for yourselves and specially hear the Master say to you this morning, “Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in God, believe also in me.” Think that you hear Him say, “I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not.” Think you see Him walking on the waters of your trouble, for He is there and He is saying, “Fear not, it is I, be not afraid.”
“A Cure for Care,” Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, No. 428 (1862)
REWIRE YOUR THOUGHTS
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5 niv
Negativity seems hardwired into our DNA. Worry and anxiety are persistent shadows that follow us everywhere. We expect bad things to happen, we expect to feel terrible, we expect to constantly fail at work, at home, in life.
Days soon become weeks, months, and years plagued with depressive thoughts and constant fear. A season of pessimism turns into a lifestyle of automatic negative thoughts, and life morphs into an existence to be endured rather than a gift from God. The only perceived treatment seems to be finding an off-ramp into escapism until fear and doubt finally leave. It doesn’t have to be this way. The apostle Paul shares the remedy, but it takes hard work consistently performed over a lifetime. It isn’t a magic pill. Deconstructing negative thoughts means actively replacing them with truth from God’s Word. Paul calls it taking thoughts captive to Christ. It’s demolition day with God at the center. Lies believed must be challenged by what God says is true. Every negative thought, impulse, and notion overruled by God’s promises. A mind armed with truth stands ready to replace
perpetual negativity with hope and positive expectations for the road ahead.
God doesn’t want a life endured but one lived with purpose and excitement for His glory. Satan loves when we are worried, fearful, and focused on his lies. The good news is every day we get to choose where to look.
CONSIDER:
• What might happen if you listed all your fears and looked to God’s Word to specifically address each one?
• How might it feel if your first thought about something is positive instead of negative?
FRESH BREAD, PLEASE
Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son.”
1 Kings 17:13 nlt
Nothing but blue skies for the future. Sounds pretty inviting, right? Except these extended sunny days included no rain, not so much as a dewdrop, for the coming years. The prophet Elijah had given a grim forecast, indeed. Certainly some people doubted his accuracy as a weatherman, but others may have felt the press of dread.
Elijah had a place to stay, but when the brook dried up, God sent him to meet a widow in the village of Zarephath. Things were desperate. The widow was gathering sticks to use in making one last meal. She told Elijah she planned to eat it with her son and wait for death. But the prophet had a strange response to her fatalism. “Don’t be afraid. I know you’re making a final meal for yourself,” he said, “but make me some food first.”
His words probably seemed shamelessly tone deaf to her. Of course she was afraid. She had no husband to help her, no food, and no way of getting more. But Elijah knew something she didn’t. He told the widow that the Lord God of Israel said that her remaining oil and flour would
last until the rains returned. This wouldn’t be her last meal. She and her son would survive.
Sometimes God orchestrates the impossible when you’ve all but abandoned hope. He may ask you to do something that seems bound to fail—perhaps even insensitive. But He always knows what you don’t. God asks you to push your fear aside long enough to trust Him.
CONSIDER:
• When have you felt that what God was asking you to do seemed impossible? What did you do?
• How have you learned to trust God’s outcome?
THE HEADWINDS OF FEAR
Immediately [Jesus] talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.
Mark 6:50 kjv
When you find yourself struggling against the headwinds of life, remember that Jesus sees and cares—and that He’ll never leave you alone to live in fear and futility.
Jesus’ disciples were in for rough waters. While crossing the Sea of Galilee, a powerful headwind began pushing relentlessly at their boat, making for slow going toward the far shore. But Jesus knew of His followers’ struggles, and He arrived on the scene—walking on the water! Jesus boarded the boat, and immediately the wind died down.
Sometimes we too encounter headwinds in our lives—the difficult opposing forces that push back against our plans or desires and threaten to throw us off course. Maybe your life has been steered down unexpected channels by the driving winds of hardship. Whether it be an unexpected illness or injury, job loss, relationship strife, mental health, or the struggle of addiction, these challenges can usher in waves of anxiety and fear over what our future holds.
God will never leave you. He cares about the things that keep you up at night and He is powerful enough to help you through. But our anxiety is often inwardly focused, our
thoughts swirling in worries that accomplish little. Scripture shows us that we can redirect our anxiety by serving others in need and sharing God’s good news. Jesus sent His disciples out to preach and heal because He wanted more from them than just trusting Him. He wanted them to help others to trust Him as well.
Who needs your help today?
CONSIDER:
• How do you think it affected the disciples when Jesus showed them that He had absolute power over the forces of nature?
• In what ways could helping another person reduce your worry and anxiety?
NOT SLAVES, BUT SONS
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
Romans 8:15 niv
A small metal disc discovered in Rome and currently housed in the British Museum in London bears a troubling inscription:
Tene me ne fugia(m) et revoca me ad dom(i) num Viventium in ar(e)a Callisti
In English, it reads: “Hold me, lest I flee, and return me to my master Viventius on the estate of Callistus.” This relic of the Roman Empire (around the fourth century AD) was likely a tag riveted to the collar of a troublesome slave. Slavery was a terrible reality within the ancient Roman Empire. So the apostle Paul used it as a metaphor quite extensively in his letter to the Romans, often using the phrase “slaves to sin” to describe our pre-Christ condition (Romans 6:6).
But the beauty of the gospel is that when we turn to Christ, we are radically transformed from slaves into sons. We go from fearful, enslaved servants to liberated kingdom
heirs. This life-changing promotion is accomplished by God, our heavenly “Abba Father” who adopts us through Christ into His eternal family.
Slaves on earth live in suffering and fear. Heirs of heaven can live in joy and hope. Today, if you’re a believer, rejoice in your promotion to heavenly sonship. And when your old fears and anxiety attack, consciously remind yourself of who you and whose you are. Invite your infinitely loving Father into the process of overcoming your fear.
CONSIDER:
• In Romans 6 and 7, what are some specific characteristics of our former slavery to sin pre-Christ that Paul refers to?
• How does God’s Spirit act as a deposit or guarantee of our spiritual adoption in Jesus?
UNIVERSAL DISTRACTION
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Deuteronomy 31:8 niv
Has God wanted you to do something outside your comfort zone or not in your wheelhouse—something you’d never do if He hadn’t asked? That can be frightening. The people of Israel had left slavery behind and wandered in the wilderness for four decades only to be informed that their leader, Moses, wouldn’t be around much longer. They questioned whether things had been better before they came to this place of tough choices. Fear was rampant, and the nagging feeling of abandonment persisted. Discouragement set in like a particularly nasty summer cold.
The people of Israel believed they’d endured decades of struggle only to be left defenseless and without direction. Wasn’t God asking more of them than they could handle? Yes! And no. God never said they should try to handle it themselves. He would direct them. He would be their companion. He wasn’t abandoning them. Instead, they were called to courageously go where God led.
Faith was essential, but fear was the universal distraction. The simple ending to the story is God led, the people found
