What Are You Afraid Of?

Then the officers shall add, “Is anyone afraidor fainthearted? Let him go home so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too.” Deuteronomy 20:8


I was searching the bible for a verse to use on fear when I came across the one above. At first glance, you probably wonder why I chose this one. There are so many other uplifting verses that deal with fear, but this one would not let me leave it alone. God wanted me to use it to speak to someone today (myself included).

We are all afraid of something. Some of our fears are healthy (things that would cause us harm), but most are not. Take my fear of flying, for instance. What about this fear glorifies God? Nothing. It actually shows my distrust that He can keep me safe in an airplane. It can also be a hindrance to me from doing His will for my life, especially if His will is for me to do some kind of mission work that involves traveling. My fear can also be a hindrance to someone else (my hubby, for example) if it impedes them from acting on God's will for their life.

Hence, the reason for choosing this verse. If I have an unrational fear that I am unwilling to surrender to God, then I should not let it get in the way of my fellow soldier's Christian walk. In turn, if someone else has a fear, then they shouldn't bring down the entire group. They should go to a quiet place, confess their fears to God, and be willing to work with Him to resolve the fear. I know how hard this can be, but I also know I don't want to be the one that causes my fellow workers to be disheartened.