I have been doing a series of articles about what the Bible says on certain topics. This article will be talking about the topic of fear.
It’s important to know that there are actually three types of fear. The first type of fear is the Greek word Eulabeia. Eulabeia is the type of fear that shows an utmost respect for something. Eulabeia is the kind of fear we should have towards God.
The second type is the Greek word Phobeo. Phobeo is the type of fear that somebody has that shocks them or causes them to be struck with paralysis. This is also not a bad type of fear. In the Bible this is the type of fear someone is usually struck with when they see an angel.
The third kind of fear is the kind you should avoid. The last type is from the Greek word Deilia which simply means timidity or cowardice.
God has called us to do many things and one of those things is to trust Him in all circumstances. Two examples of this calling are seen in Isaiah 45:22 and Psalm 9:10.
Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
God wants us to trust Him with everything: your family, children, work, school, your entire life. We should give everything over to God and have faith that he will take care of it all.
In our lives many things can attack our faith though. When the storms come in our lives it is a common response to react with fear and fear can make you lose your faith. The storm that approaches could be a literal storm like in Mark 4:37-38 when Jesus and the disciples face a storm while on the sea. Jesus is calmly sleeping down below because he isn’t worried about the storm above, he’s not afraid. The disciples are scared about the storm and it causes them to lose their faith.
The storms could also be figurative storms in your life. Finances could cause someone to lose their faith because they are afraid of being broke. A parent can lose their faith when their child goes somewhere and they are afraid about the child leaving.
Many times in the Bible people lose their faith out of fear. In Genesis 20, Abraham lies to the king out of fear and in Matthew 26, Peter denies Christ three times out of fear.
So how do you over come this fear? It’s quite simple. Any time somebody has the Deilia type of fear it is because they either haven’t given it to God or they have given it to God but have lost faith. If you’ve truly given something over to God there is nothing to worry about. Go back to Jesus and the disciples on their boat in Mark 4. Jesus is calmly sleeping and the disciples are running around like chickens with their heads cut off.
Finally in verse 38 one of the disciples awakes Jesus and says to him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then in verse 39 it says “Then He arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.”
Like most things with God it seems too easy to be true. God is that powerful though. Ask God to take control of the things in your life and he can do it. God can control the ocean and the wind; surely he can handle your financial problems or your worries about your children. Don’t have fear, it will only cause you to lose your faith. When the storms of life come, ask God for help and he will still the waters.
