The Fear Factor

Mat_8:26 And He said to them, Why are you afraid, little-faiths? Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
Mat_25:25 And I was afraid and went and hid your talent in the earth. Lo, you have yours.
Mar_5:36 But hearing the word spoken, Jesus said to the synagogue ruler, Do not be afraid, only believe.
Mar_6:50 For they all saw Him and were troubled. And immediately He talked with them, and said, Be of good cheer. I AM! Do not be afraid.
Mar_16:8 And they went out quickly and fled from the tomb. For they trembled and were amazed. Neither did they say anything to anyone, for they were afraid.
Luk_8:25 And He said to them, Where is your faith? And being afraid, they marveled, saying to one another, Who then is this One? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!
Luk_12:4 And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
Joh_6:20 But He said to them, I AM! Do not be afraid.
Joh_14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Love versus hate makes for an easy choice for we know that we would rather feel good rather than agitated and angry. However, peace versus fear is a lot harder to control. Things sneak up on us that we do not expect. Things that Satan would have us fear for he knows that when we are in a fear mode we do not think clearly. We are much more likely to make mistakes that cause us even more trouble. Fear, in reality, is a lack of faith. Faith that we are able to overcome what we are facing. We want to be in control, but believe that extreme or unexpected circumstances are beyond our ability to cope, reason and solve whatever faces us. After all, we are only human with human faults.

God has a better solution. Trust Him and give Him the problem to deal with. A lot of people in the bible had fear about things they did not understand or could not overcome. But, Jesus continually told people to not worry and to have peace that He would provide, even though they could not understand how He would resolve their fear. Have faith in Him and He could work miracles. This was His encouragement:

Php 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, Rejoice! 
Php 4:5 Let your moderation be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 
Php 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 
Php 4:7 And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

Trust in three things about God:

1. God loves you unconditionally. You are His creation and He proved his love for you when He sent Jesus, His son, to create and provide all things that you need. He even died for your salvation. All you need do is believe in Him and accept His gift of grace.

2. God wants the best for you. He offers continual help for those that ask for help in prayer and are willing to follow God’s will for their lives. Those who can wait for Him to bring to completion His works for good for them. Be patient.

3. God is all powerful. He can use anyone for His purposes and even controls all that He created. There is nothing that God cannot do. Even, to overcome Satan’s will to kill, steal and destroy all that God has done.

Believe, ask for help, be patient, follow God’s will and receive that which you need and what is best for you.

Rejoice that God cares and be at peace so you might think clearly to plan, react and seek help in the best possible ways.