“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
~John 1v4-5”
A few months ago I was really dealing with fear and anxiety, not something I've struggled with much in my life historically but there it was. I was losing sleep, getting frequent headaches, feeling squeezed inside and having reoccurring thoughts and dreams that exposed and exploited my fear of the future. We've all likely had things in our lives that caused fear and anxiety.
I read a list of 10 things human beings fear, maybe you'll find yourself in a couple of these...
Fear of losing freedom.
Fear of the unknown.
Fear of pain. (physical or emotional)
Fear of disappointment. (being a disappointment or suffering a disappointment)
Fear of being miserable. (the inability to cover our personal needs physically and emotionally)
Fear of loneliness.
Fear of ridicule.
Fear of rejection.
Fear of death.
Fear of failure.
These fears are dark things, we typically fear dark things but John tells us why thats crazy! The Light cannot be overcome by darkness... don't fear the dark side, fear the winning side, John said Light wins! Eugene Peterson translated John 1v5, "the Life Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out."
What we fear is one of the most revealing things about us...
Our fears reveal our values.
Our fears reveal what we trust.
Our fears reveal where we trust God the least.
Misplaced fear is bad theology.
If the bible says light wins and you live in fear of the darkness... your theology is bad!
Fear is not always wrong, misplaced fear is wrong. The bible calls us to a type of fear...
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge
~Proverbs 1v7 ”
““since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”
~Hebrews 12v28-29 ”
Sometimes fear is the most appropriate response, fear of the right being, in the right way... fear God, worship with reverence and awe for He is awesome! But do not fear the darkness, the darkness is not worthy of your fear. Thanks and Praise to Jesus our Light who overcomes the darkness in our lives!