Q:
I'm probably more fearful than most people, but why shouldn't I be? After all, the world is a scary place and a lot can go wrong. My husband says I shouldn't be so worried about things, but I can't help it. I guess it's just my personality.
A:
Our personalities are all different, and perhaps you do tend to be more fearful than most people. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do anything about it — and in fact you should, because God doesn’t want us to be prisoners of our fears. The Bible says, “Do what is right and do not give way to fear” (1 Peter 3:6).
Some fears are legitimate, of course; we should fear a poisonous snake or a drunk driver, and take steps to avoid them. We also should fear sins that have a grip on our lives, because we know they’ll destroy us. The Bible says to “flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11). But some fears aren’t legitimate — that is, they have no basis in fact.
The key is to learn to trust God, no matter what our fears are. And we can trust Him, because He loves us, and He is greater than anything we’ll ever face. Furthermore, when we know Christ, we know He is with us every moment of the day, and that should give us comfort.
Commit your life to Christ, and then when fears come, turn them over to God. Focus on Christ instead of your fears, and your fears will begin to fade. Remember the Psalmist’s words: “The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).
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