While writing an article about my struggle with paralyzing fears, I came up with some hard questions. I want your perspective.
Is fear a sin?
Is it a stronghold?
Is it a weakness or frailty?
Is it a lack of faith or trust?
I’d appreciate any insight you have.
I’m the type of person who tends to want everything figured out in nice little boxes. So don’t feel like you have to answer me in a boxed way. Please don’t. I’m learning life isn’t that way. I’m learning to be okay with who I am today. A work in progress. As a perfectionist, I want everything perfect. I want no struggles. I want peace. And I want success in all my relationships and endeavors. It’s hard to overcome my natural tendencies, but it’s so freeing to know I can be okay with who I am: An imperfect person who loves God and others.
Tiffany–I should probably qualify that I was brought up a devout roman catholic woman who went to an all womans catholic college 2 X’s. I am NOT A PRACTICING CHRISTIAN anymore.
I wanted to try and answer some of your ?’s.
Is fear a sin? I have always believed that Sin is a choice. Fear is something you feel. I am not sure you can always control that.
Is it a stronghold? I think that it will eventually come down to your perspective and life experiences.
Is it a weakness or frailty? I again think it starts with your perspective and the strength of your faith. Sometimes it is hard to see the forest through the trees. Sometimes it is to hard to ALWAYS BELIEVE that GOD is going through this with you. Just knowing that he is…?!
Is it a lack of faith or trust? Probably. Sometimes knowing that God is and always will be there can be hard. I always think of the World Trade Center. He mmust have had a long day. He went through that experience with EVERYONE in those buildings and on the plane. How forgiving he must be.
Be the change you want to see, look for the good and praise it and remember that the words you think by are the words you live by.
Have a very happy Friday 🙂
Tiffany, here is my unboxed answer for you.
Sometimes, fear is a sin. But not always.
Fear can be a stronghold if we let it.
Fear is sometimes a weakness if we refuse to face it and deal with it.
Fear is sometimes a lack of faith, but not always.
The way I see it, fear is a normal human emotion that can immensely helpful. It can also become a tool for the Enemy. Those two facts make it basically like many human emotions. You could say the exact same thing about anger. Grief. Love. Jealousy.
Sorry. I’m all out of boxes today.
I posted on this last month:
Does Worry Show a Lack of Faith?
Tiffany,
These are questions we’ve all ask
I like Rachelle’s answers –
Yes and No
Sometimes but not always
Choice or is it always a choice?
Human yet filled with the Holy Spirit
Weakness, but in Him we are strong
Spiritual warfare or a test?
Faith and lack of faith
Controlled and uncontrolled
We can’t put God in a box nor can we live in a box. Mercy and grace and forgiveness abound and those don’t fit in boxes. So in all that fear maybe just looking to Him to reveal to us whether it is sin or not and obeying in what He shows us is what it’s all about –
relationship with Jesus.
Jesus felt fear in the Garden before the cross. Was that sin? He was honest with His feelings and He wasn’t required to repent of it. He was fulfilling God’s purpose which we all know can be the hardest thing we ever do.
We have a God who gave us all these emotions and His Word and most of all Himself. We can trust Him to show us whether it’s sin or not.
And fear, did He not know we would continually fear – It says in the Word about 397 times
“Do not fear”, “Do not be dismayed”, for He is with us and He knows we are going to fear and be afraid.
So trust Him and be content where He has you. And when you are afraid, cry out to Him just like David did. Life is hard and God knows that but He is sovereign and since you are His – rest in Him even in the midst of fear!
You are precious to Him and to me!
I love you dearly!
My perspective:
1. No, fear is not a sin.
2. I would say yes it is a stronghold that we need to be free of.
3. Sure it is a weakness, we are human.
4. Well, I believe it is a lack of faith and a lack of trusting God.
I also believe that everybody has experienced fear and I also believe that the enemy wants to keep us in fear and paralyze us to not be the free person God has called us to be in Christ. Now with that said, I believe there is freedom from all fears we go through but we have to make the decision to read His word, feed on His word and instead of thinking of what fears us we must decide to think on the good things of God’s word, think on His promises He has for us, thing on what is right. I believe to break free from our fears we must must must embrace His words for our life. Does that mean it is as simple as that. No, I believe it is war. It is a spiritual war. I struggle with fears but I am not about to let satan win in my life because I know that my God is bigger than my fears. Acts 7:49 Heaven is His throne and earth is but His footstool. That is the God I serve.
My perspective.
THANK YOU ALL for sharing your answers with me. It means the world.
Tiffany, you’ll be tagged on the “7 Things About Me” meme tomorrow morning, so get ready!
A good book to address this somewhat: When People are Big and God is Small by Edward T. Welch.
Helps us understand WHY we react or behave the way we do… matters of the heart.
(I’m a new visitor to your site… I like what I see and read. Thanks.)