Jesus and Your Greatest Fear
Fear. Man, fear means business. I’m familiar with Franklin D. Roosevelt’s quote: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” which I have previously interpreted as intending to downplay the power of fear, but as I think about it now, it really underscores how much of an enemy fear truly is. I believe fear, along with pride and shame, are Satan’s three greatest tools to wreak havoc in our lives and world.
Fear can do some major damage in preventing us from contributing well and enjoying our lives. Over the span of time, I've learned some powerful things about Jesus and dealing with our fears, that I believe can help all of us live in greater freedom and fullness.
Fear and Its Impact
The tough news is that likely the first predominant emotion felt after the fall is fear. “I was afraid because I was naked,” says Adam, in Genesis 3:10. Boom, there it is. Fear, that feeling of being afraid, of knowing that you are not safe, with the threat of loss, deception, pain, suffering, humiliation and even death, is now lurking around any corner. It instantly became a pervasive reality that we all know, much much more than we would like. That is brutal.
Personally, one of my primary connotations to fear takes me back to my college days. College was great in a lot of ways. It was time of real growth for me, and a lot of good came out of that time. The kicker was, that for the bulk of those four years, I walked around with a lump in my throat, because I was so afraid of being exposed as a poser, as someone who was trying to be smart but really wasn’t. Someone who thought he mattered, but really didn’t. Those fears, that were rooted in lies from the evil one, prevented me in many ways from really enjoying college, and from being able to see my gifts and abilities more clearly.
It is easy to understand why Don Quixote would say that “the first enemy is fear.” Chip Conley, in his book “Emotional Equations” captures the impact of fear well by stating: “Fear is a straitjacket. It incapacitates and isolates you.” Lastly, songwriter Jason Gray aptly says: “There’s no thief like fear.”
Abraham Maslow, famous for his theories on self-actualization, points out that our fear of knowing ourselves, including our “emotions, impulses, memories, capacities, and potentialities” is one of the greatest causes of psychological illness. The fear of what we might discover as we slow down and look inside, can be daunting to all of us at times.
All of the above is meant to make the point that anxiety, as most of us know, clearly hinders our ability to be creative, perform well, lead well, or engage well. When we are feeling self-conscious, afraid of a poor performance, or of something terrible happening, our brains and bodies are compromised, and don’t function nearly as effectively as they can when we are feeling secure and safe.
Your Greatest Fear
What does this all boil down to? As I have reflected of late on fear and different kinds of fears, they all boil down to the greatest fear which I believe is: being alone with evil. I know that may sound preposterous, but think about the essence of evil, which biblically is entirely embodied in Satan. By definition, evil cannot be trusted. Evil always looks for the worst and loves to accuse and terrify. Evil loves for me to believe that if I make a certain decision, or that if something terrible happens, I will be completely powerless and helpless, tortured and punished forever with shame, judgment and condemnation.
I realize this is pretty heavy, but if we are going to live lives of substance, and have a real shot at flourishing and living well, we must find ways to face and overcome heavy things, right?
Jesus and Your Greatest Fear
Well, if our greatest fear is being alone with evil, then we need something or someone, who is not afraid of it, who has not succumbed to it, but rather overcame it. We need someone like that to have a fighting chance at removing the devastating power of fear. And, yes, as believers, we know and believe that man is Jesus. I know that it is easy to see this as a Sunday school answer; to flippantly say, “Okay, Jesus can help with this. But please reflect on this on a deeper level. Jesus was constantly in the ring with Satan. It officially started with his temptation in the desert, and I’m sure Satan was always lurking around throughout his ministry, trying to have Jesus cave to the pressure in any way possible so that he would fail in his epic mission: literally to save the world…to give everyone a chance at eternal life through the forgiveness of our sins.
Amazingly, the truth is Jesus made it through every fear we have. Every one. Fear of being rejected and nearly thrown off a cliff when you’re speaking in public. Been there, done that. (See Luke 4). Fear of being overwhelmed by deep grief through the loss of a loved one. Check (See John 11). Fear of being called a poser, or even worse, demon possesed. Yep. (John 9). These fears are real at some level for all of us, and there are many more that I could cite. But I believe the biggest fear that he faced, that is totally breathtaking, is the following: To be totally maligned and betrayed by your own people as Satan whips them into a frenzy, be found guilty in a rigged trial, be nailed naked to a cross, and go through what nearly everyone would see as a completely humiliating, excruciating death in public. That is really serious isn’t it. Serious. And seriously terrifying.
Talk about wanting to bail on a terrifying mission. Talk about wanting to question the wisdom and necessity of the mission as the moment creeps closer.
Praise the Lord, Jesus did not bail. He did not cave to fear. Praise the Lord, Jesus trusted his Daddy to the end, and yes, he somehow even scorned shame, humiliation, fear, and all that went with it. He would have nothing to do with it. That is absolutely stunning. The fear of death, the fear of pain, the fear of being humiliated and shamed, were not too big for him in the most amazing rescue mission.
So, is totally fair to say that whatever your fear is, Jesus is not afraid of it.
Gratefully, whatever that fear is, it’s not too big for him. He has some serious street cred when he says in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” That is some stunning peace.
What to do Next
This is where while it can seem really simple, the best advice I know of still, is to invite Jesus into your fear. The challenge of course is actually doing it. Like Maslow points out, it can be embarrassing and yes, even terrifying to acknowledge our fear to ourselves and then go a step further and ask Jesus to come into it. I have truly found though, that as I take the risk and tell Jesus the truth about what I’m afraid of, and then invite him into it, gradually, slowly, fear loses its power. As I invite him into my fear of criticism, or my fear of being shamed, he does faithfully come alongside me and say something like, “I’m with you. We got this. I’m pleased with your desire to learn and grow and serve. Thank you for inviting me in and being honest with me. I can help.” Over time, and this can be a long time, but the truth is, I believe him more and more, and fear is thus losing its power!
Your Steps
I encourage you to slow down and prayerfully ask the question: What am I most afraid of? Especially as it relates to your core relationships and your vocation. Chances are it won’t take long for you to have your answers. Then, I ask you to consider facing that fear, feeling the fear, and then asking Jesus to come into it. I encourage you to do that over and over and over, and gradually the fear will diminish.
For some of you though, that might simply be overwhelming, or just too scary. This is where friendships, especially in the Body of Christ can be so so important. If you have a friend you feel you can trust, one initial step that is on the safer side is to simply ask them to pray for you. A step further would be telling them about your fear in general. Next would be going into greater detail about the fear and your “history” with that fear.
If that starts to feel a bit too much, then this is where a skillful, godly therapist can be a true gift. There have been times in my life where a therapist has been a true extension of the grace of God to me. Where, because of their training, wisdom and compassion, they were able to enter my world, and enter into my fears and shame in particular, and graciously usher God’s goodness and kindness and truth into my heart and my story. As they demonstrated trustworthiness, I was able to be more vulnerable and let them into my heart, which gave God more and more room to bring healing and restoration to my heart, mind and soul.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention that gratefully we have stellar therapists on our team that are highly equipped to walk with people as an example with fear, depression, loss, and a host of other struggles. Please reach out if you sense God prompting you in that direction.
Wrapping Up
Fear does not have to dominate our lives. It can be overcome…often though the battle is longer and harder than we have imagined. Jesus came to help us have life to the full (John 10:10) and by definition overcome our fears. To help us serve and give and engage with life and others in ways bring more life to the world and greater freedom to our souls. I encourage you to pray for the grace to invite Jesus into your fears and then to take the next steps necessary to truly grow in freedom and fullness in the limited time you have on the planet.
Blessings.