Fear Not

 Fear Not

I have been pondering on the importance of casting out all fear. The scriptures tell us over and over to fear not. I think there is a lot of great work on overcoming fear in psychology, self help books, etc. A personal improvement book that helped me a lot in the early days of my career talked a lot about not letting fear stop us and has a ton of inspiring examples (Success Principles by Jack Canfield). But lately, I started to wonder why the scriptures teach us so often to fear not.

D&C 67:10 says “And again, verily I say unto you that it is your privilege, and a promise I give unto you … that inasmuch as you strip yourselves from jealousies and fears, and humble yourselves before me, for ye are not sufficiently humble, the veil shall be rent and you shall see me and know that I am.”

I used to think the scriptures that said to fear not were just calming words. But after reading D&C 67, I wonder why is removing fear important in developing our relationship with Christ and breaking down the boundaries that separate us from Him? 

Elder Neil L. Andersen said, “Challenges, difficulties, questions, doubts—these are part of our mortality. But we are not alone. As disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have enormous spiritual reservoirs of light and truth available to us. Fear and faith cannot coexist in our hearts at the same time.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2008/10/you-know-enough?lang=eng)

1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

I can look back on my life I can see times when I let fear slow me down. When I first got back from my mission and was starting to date again I realized I wasn’t my normal self around the girls I was most interested in. When I could relax and be myself, I was a much better and fun person. Fear/nervousness leads to instability. Perfect love and genuine relationships are where stability and beauty can be found. I believe the same applies to our relationship with God. And somehow I came out pretty darn lucky in my choice of spouse, beyond what I deserve. I likewise feel overwhelmed with gratitude to God for all He has done for me.

I think of the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as an example of fearing not. They were told to worship a false god/idol or be thrown in the fire. They responded, “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18). 

They said that God could deliver them, but they would still be faithful to Him if not. They had a perfect love for God. Many have commented on their phrase, “But if not.” I used to think it was neat that they said that. I realized they had faith enough to be saved and faith enough if not. I now believe that if they had had fear of death, their faith would have been insufficient to save them (from the fire at least). Why is this? God works by laws. “There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated— And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.” (D&C 131:20-21). Oftentimes we wonder why God wouldn’t just give us everything we ask for. Or we might wonder, “Why does God let anyone die in such a manner?” We ask such things from our mortal view. Through Jesus Christ, death is not the end. In fact, it is more of a homecoming. God can intervene on our behalf, but does not always. Normally he lets the laws that were instituted govern. However, if we have faith to fulfill the law corresponding to a blessing, God is obligated to bless us. “I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.” (D&C 82:10)

Now I think we should have caution, care and wisdom in life. But I think we should learn to trust that no matter what we go through, we need not fear: “Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28). Now members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints view hell very differently than most and we try not to teach with fear tactics. But I think the lesson here is that this life is short compared to eternity and not to stress so much. I know life is really hard for everyone. And some people have it really, really hard. But all of our pains, heartaches and imperfections WILL be wiped away. 

On the other hand, I heard a podcast that said the purpose of the gospel isn’t to just preach that all will be well in the next life. But the purpose is to make this life heaven on Earth now. I think as we learn to cast out fear and have a true relationship with God we can learn to overcome the world and find rest and beautiful peace and joy.

Going back to the concept of using fear to motivate others I found this great talk by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, 

First, let us address the problem with fear. After all, who among us has never been compelled by fear to eat better, wear a seat belt, exercise more, save money, or even repent of sin?

It is true that fear can have a powerful influence over our actions and behavior. But that influence tends to be temporary and shallow. Fear rarely has the power to change our hearts, and it will never transform us into people who love what is right and who want to obey Heavenly Father.

People who are fearful may say and do the right things, but they do not feel the right things. They often feel helpless and resentful, even angry. Over time these feelings lead to mistrust, defiance, even rebellion.

There may be moments when we are tempted to justify our actions by believing that the end justifies the means. We might even think that to be controlling, manipulative, and harsh will be for the good of others. Not so, for the Lord has made it clear that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, [and] temperance.”

(https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2017/04/perfect-love-casteth-out-fear?lang=eng)

I love that! He also continues,

Brothers and sisters, we are the Lord’s “little flock.” We are the Saints of the latter days. Inherent in our name is the commitment to look forward to the Savior’s return and prepare ourselves and the world to receive Him. Therefore, let us serve God and love our fellowmen. Let us do this with a natural confidence, with humility, never looking down on any other religion or group of people. Brothers and sisters, we are charged with studying the word of God and heeding the voice of the Spirit, that we may “know the signs of the times, and the signs of the coming of the Son of Man.”

We are, therefore, not ignorant of the challenges of the world, nor are we unaware of the difficulties of our times. But this does not mean that we should burden ourselves or others with constant fear. Rather than dwelling on the immensity of our challenges, would it not be better to focus on the infinite greatness, goodness, and absolute power of our God, trusting Him and preparing with a joyful heart for the return of Jesus the Christ?

I hope that we can all trust God to know that no matter what, He is here with us. He WILL heal us both body and soul. He WILL give us perfect bodies that no longer are susceptible to sickness and decay after this life. And God can give us peace in our trials today. Lastly, Christ the Messiah WILL come to wipe away our tears and establish TRUE peace on Earth. There is much we could fear, yet let us not look to the storm, but to He who walked on water and calmed the storm. Let us look to He who can calm the storms in our lives.