Fear not for I am with you (Isaiah 41:10).
The year was 1973. I was in my early twenties and married to my college sweetheart. Sharon and I excitedly moved into our “new” place—an old, one-room garage apartment renting for $65 a month (bills and bugs included). It was all our college budget would allow. We had each other and we were in love. Life couldn’t have been better.
The country was still at war in Vietnam at that time, and news commentators and government leaders began talking about the economic crash coming to the United States. Even the ministers were preaching about it, warning us to get prepared. About this time I came across a book about the coming economic crash. Page after page affirmed that America was headed for a financial disaster.
Even though Sharon and I had heard and memorized a few Scriptures about God taking care of us, I became focused on what the authorities and this author had to say about the economy. The author warned there would be a rush on the grocery stores and the shelves would be emptied, leaving Americans without food for who knew how long. Even ministers were trying to guide the people by telling us about the different types of dried foods that could be stored for long periods of time.
The more I thought about this dreaded situation, the more worried I became. The financial forecasters painted a grim picture. Fear of not being able to take care of my new bride and myself started to grip me.
All I remember thinking was, We’ve got to somehow survive this thing that’s coming to America! I imagined that money was going to be scarce and food was going to be even harder to come by. Where does a young husband go to get survival basics for what we were obviously going to face?
As the head of this household, I needed a plan. We began to add two bags of dried beans to our already meager $13.63 average weekly grocery bill. To supplement our dried bean stash, I began to wonder, What kind of food is available that is cheap or even free? Ah-hah. I had an idea.
The public park always had nuts littering the ground. I knew nuts were nutritious, full of protein. They probably stored well without refrigeration, which was a good thing in case electricity was also endangered by whatever was headed our way. I mean, who knew how bad this could get?
I can admit now that I didn’t know much about the different kinds of nuts that grew on trees, especially the ones that are abundant at the public parks. I thought most nuts were basically the same. But I can tell you from experience, that’s not true.
I told Sharon, “Come on,” and we headed to the park. We each filled two grocery sacks of the nuts. It seemed like there was more than enough for anyone to pick up. What a deal. When we brought them home, Sharon toasted some in the oven. When they cooled off, she and I each took a bite and got the surprise of our lives. These were okay for the squirrels, but acorns would never do for us! They tasted terrible!
With the taste of roasted acorn still in my mouth, it was at that point that I came to myself. I said to Sharon, “God has got to have a better way to keep us alive through whatever is coming.” And I can assure you, He did. As I began focusing on God’s promises from His Word that He would meet our needs, peace settled in me once again. No matter what would come our way, we were going to make it. And make it we did. God always provided for us. By the way, the crash we feared did not come.
The following summer in 1974 we began to hear ministers who spoke about living by faith in the promises of God. Our worldview and our way of thinking were transformed as a result of hearing the message of faith and living by the Word of God.
Fear, if not conquered, will continue to repeat its vicious cycle. Moving the clock forward a few years, many may remember in 1999 during the time of Y2K that people became fearful about what would happen at the turn of this century. There were some who wrote books that fueled the spirit of fear in people. Today we can see that we made that turn into the 21st century, and our society did not go under as predicted. This does not mean there couldn’t be difficult economic times in the future, but those who live by faith in God’s Word will see God’s provision no matter what happens around them.
The Way Fear Works
Fear begins with an imagination. Someone can get all worked up over a thought that travels through the mind. The body can even begin to feel the effects of that fear–heart racing, sweaty palms, or irrational thoughts. When I feared the impending economic crash back in the ’70s, I could imagine us going to the grocery store and finding no food on the shelves, and I eventually began voicing and acting upon that fear.
Fear, once it enters the mind, then gets people to start talking about it. When people fear flying in airplanes, they will many times feed that fear by telling others, “Oh, flying always scares me.” They don’t realize that by voicing their fears that they’re digging a deeper pit from which they will have to climb. When you imagine something and then start talking about it, you will begin to believe it. There are people who firmly believe their fears. They’ll look you straight in the eye and tell you how scared they are, and they believe it with all their heart.
Our beliefs then lead to actions. Someone who fears flying and has voiced that over and over eventually may find a need to travel by airplane. At that point fear has become stronger in this individual than the reality of a safe plane ride. With tightly clenched fists and labored breathing, they may endure that trip, but it’s definitely not enjoyable for them.
The Way Faith Works
Now let’s take a look on the brighter side. I want to introduce a better way to walk through life above fear and terror. That’s to walk by faith. Fear attracts the works of the enemy, but faith draws the power of God. Faith is a trust, an assurance in God’s ability to take you through whatever He sends your way. Faith works exactly opposite of fear. Whereas fear is negative, faith is positive. Sharon’s mom has a plaque on her wall that reads, “Fear knocked at the door, faith answered, and no one was there.”
Fear opens the door to lying imaginations of the enemy. Jonah 2:8 says, “They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy” (KJV). Faith has imaginations, too. It believes the Word of God with the heart. It draws on what God said instead of fearful thoughts and anxieties. How do you build faith in God’s ability to keep you safe from all harm? It begins by listening to and reading the written words of God (see Romans 10:17). Jesus Himself is the Word of God that was made flesh (see John 1:14).
As you listen to the Word of God, you are listening to Him speak to you personally. When you begin to speak God’s Word (His promises), that’s where you give voice to your faith. The Bible is full of encouragement, direction, and protection for your life.
You and I must make up our minds that we are not going to let fear get inside of us, no matter what happens in the earth. We are going to counter the attacks of the enemy with God’s Word and live above the fear. To make it through whatever comes our way, we must walk by faith all the way. The Bible says in Galatians 3:11, “The just shall live by faith.” Faith requires us not to live by our feelings, because feelings can change regularly. We choose to live by God’s Word (His Scriptures) because His Word is stable and established. God’s Word has the answer for every fear or torment that you face.