A newborn baby reacts to a sudden sound or movement with fear.  It’s present at birth and indicates a normal, healthy nervous system.  It’s called the “Moro reflex”. 

“The baby throws both arms out wide with fingers spread, then quickly pulls them back in toward their chest, sometimes with a little cry. Their legs might extend too….”

“What triggers it: A sudden loud noise, a sudden movement, or the feeling of falling (like when a baby’s head isn’t supported for a second).” (Meta AI)

From where does this fear come?

“He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It seems that the very first reaction of Adam towards God when he sinned was fear. Why was Adam afraid? Afraid of what? 

Let’s unpack this thought. 

Adam and Eve became aware of their nakedness. Their eyes were opened. They saw themselves as they really were…uncovered and vulnerable. They had lost the covering of God’s glory…the full weight of who God is…because their sin had stripped them of His Spirit in them. 

Adam and Eve knew that they were accountable to God. They knew that they were guilty of disobedience. They knew that they would be punished. They foolishly thought that they could hide from God. They tried to cover their nakedness with fig leaves but…their efforts didn’t work. 

His love, His joy, and His peace, which has encased and protected them, gave way to fear. They were exposed to all the influences of their new master, themselves without restriction, slaves of sin and Satan…and they had no idea where this would lead.

Fear, then, not only for the first pair, but also for everyone who came after them, is rooted in the disconnect from God. Every person is born with fear already present inside them because they are dead…alienated from Him by sin. 

Fear is there but…we don’t like to show our fear. 

Our reactions to adverse circumstances are the ways we hide our fear.  Most of the time, fear doesn’t look like fear. It looks like a variety of emotions that mask the real issues. 

Take anger, for example. I was taught, in counselling classes, that anger is a secondary emotion. People are not angry by nature. Angry people hide deep-seated experiences of rejection. They cover up emotional pain by anger…keeping others away by building a wall of rage because they fear either the exposure or the repetition of their pain. 

People with deep hurt inside explode in a way that is far in excess of what triggered the anger…called “emotional overload”. They live inside the protective walls of their anger so that no one can see their vulnerability. 

Anger also protects insecurity. Insecure people cover their fear of losing control by controlling others. A controlling person dominates others, especially those nearest to them, through various forms of cruelty, threats, demands, and overbearing behaviour. Spouses, children, even learners at school are bullied into submission to pacify the fear of the controller. 

No matter what the emotion might be that people manifest when stuff happens, fear lies at the root of that reaction… and the underlying fear is the fear of punishment…in whatever form the punishment may take. 

Isn’t it a fact that, when things go wrong in our lives, we think that God is punishing us! An accident, illness, a loss, a catastrophe of one kind or another…” Why is God punishing me? What did I do wrong to deserve this?”

Everything that goes wrong in our lives increases our suspicion of God. This is one of Satan’s tactics to alienate us from Him.  The world’s favourite excuse for not believing in God is…”If God is a loving God, why does He allow evil?”

John gives us the answer. Fear is not the opposite of faith. We are afraid, not because we don’t trust God….We don’t trust God because we are unsure of His love.  Fear is the opposite of love. 

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What is perfect love? Whose love is John referring to…God’s love for is or our love for God?

The answer to that question lies in the meaning of the Greek word,  “ballo”, translated “drives out” or ”casts out”, which implies a violent action. Fear is an intruder. It has no place in a believer’s heart. How does one deal with an intruder?  Not politely or gently! One drives him out, purposefully, violently if necessary. 

Therefore, we must take the initiative to “drive out” fear. 

Whatever the reaction that hides fear, drive it out with the assurance of God’s love. Fear will not go of itself. Only God’s love, His promise of unconditional love has the power to replace fear. We take the initiative by forcefully replacing fear with love…our love for God responding to His love. John calls it “perfect” or “mature” love. 

…” Perfect love drives out fear…”

How can we love God with the love that does not give way to fear?

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭38‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God tells us not to be afraid, not to fear, in the Bible, at least between 70 and 100 times, depending on the translation. This instruction must cover every kind of situation that makes us afraid. The bottom line is…

“Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If humans can do nothing to us in any circumstance…and God will never punish us because He has already punished Jesus for us…

“Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭33‬-‭34‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Then it’s the confidence in God’s love that will send fear packing! Through our experience of God’s love…recognising and acknowledging His love, time and again, as we navigate life…we grow a confidence In Him that outweighs fear.  Our love for God matures over time through experience until we learn to “drive out” fear by dwelling in and on  His love. 

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me….I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.”

‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭4‬, ‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.”

‭‭Jude‬ ‭1‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Do you get the picture? Fear, in all its subtle forms and ways of operating in our lives, will be forcefully evicted by staying in the Word, acting on the Word, keeping contact with God through prayer and trust, and remaining in His love… leaving no room on our minds for fear to take hold. 

What will be left when fear has vacated our hearts?

“Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬