Casting Out Fear

God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of . . . a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7

Missionary Isobel Kuhn found herself imperiled when the Communists overran China. Taking her young son, she escaped on foot across the snow-covered Pienma Pass, arriving in Burma. There she was stranded at world’s end with no money and no way to get home. “I cannot tell you the dismay and alarm that filled me,” she later wrote.

But she made two decisions. “The first thing is to cast out fear,” she said. “The only fear a Christian should entertain is the fear of sin. All other fears are from Satan sent to confuse and weaken us. How often the Lord reiterated to His disciples, ‘Be not afraid!’ ” So Isobel prayerfully trusted God and rejected panic. Second, she sought light for the next step, and she eventually arrived home safely.

Anxiety disorders are at an all-time high in America. How prone we are to panic in a crisis! Fear comes so powerfully and naturally.

Yet the Bible tells us, as God’s children, to fret not (Psalm 37:1), faint not (Deuteronomy 20:3), and fear not (Isaiah 41:10). With God’s strength, we can learn to handle crises with sound counsel and calm faith.

Perhaps you’re in a difficult spot today. By His grace, cast out fear and seek light for the next step.