"For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again,
but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!""
Romans 8:15

Last Update 01/08/08

As I walked around the shop, I studied the contents of each showcase. I wasn't totally unfamiliar with guns; after all I was the Arizona State Junior Rifle Champion in 1961. Of course, that championship was won with an M-1 Rifle, not a handgun. I can still remember the good times at the National Rifle Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio. My team won First Place medals for the open-sight, 1,000-yard competition. But this was not a time for fond memories. I was afraid. I was convinced that I needed a gun to protect myself.

The owner of the gun shop came over and asked if he could help me. I told him, "I am looking for a gun for home protection." He opened the showcase and handed me a 9mm Taurus handgun. He explained, "This hand gun uses a clip that contains 12 rounds when fully loaded." He showed me a box of ammunition that contained 308mm hollow-point cartridges. He warned, "If someone invades your home, empty the gun on 'um. Make sure that person can't hurt your family or you." I thanked him for his advice, paid him the required $300, took the gun, and left the store. Immediately, I went to the Police Department at the City of Bellevue in Washington State and completed the "concealed weapons permit" paperwork. So for the next few years, I lived in fear and carried a gun for personal protection.

911 brought the Fear of Terror to the forefront of our thinking. This shocking event made our more common everyday fears even worse. Is FEAR a typical state of mind for the Christian? Should fear rule our lives?

Types of Fears

Fear of 13, The Number Triskadekaphobia;

Fear of 8, The Number Octophobia;

Fear of Abuse, Sexual Contreltophobia;

Fear of Accidents, Dystychiphobia;

Fear of Air, Anemophobia;

Fear of Air Swallowing, Aerophobia;

Fear of Airborne Noxious Substances, Aerophobia;

Fear of Airsickness, Aeronausiphobia; Fear of Alcohol, Methyphobia or Potophobia;

Fear of Alone, Autophobia or Monophobia;

Fear of Alone Being/Solitude, Isolophobia;

Fear of Amnesia, Amnesiphobia;

Fear of Anger, Angrophobia or Cholerophobia;

Fear of Angina, Anginophobia;

Fear of Animals, Wild, Agrizoophobia;

Fear of Animals, Zoophobia;

Fear of Animals Skins/Fur, Doraphobia;

Fear of Ants, Myrmecophobia;

Fear of Anything New, Neophobia;

Fear of Asymmetrical Things, Asymmetriphobia;

Fear of Atomic Explosions, Atomosophobia;

Fear of Automobile Inside/Moving, Ochophobia;

and Fear of Automobiles, Motorphobia.

There are 25 more categories of fears listed at: http://typesofphobias.com/Types_of_Fears/Phobia_Fears_A.html.

The fear thinking-pattern may be our response to "bad" past experiences such as people mistreating us or abusing us. We might think things like, I'm going to be hurt. My children are going to be hurt. Evil people or spirits are going to hurt my family or me. Someone is going to break into our home and harm us. If I drive into that part of town, I'm going to get "car-jacked." The person I offended today is going to come here and kill me. These kinds of thoughts are components of the fear thinking-pattern.

In the New Testament, the Greek word (fob' os) has been translated fear, terror; reverence (for God); respect (for persons). It is a feeling thinking-pattern. It is a combination of thoughts about impending pain, evil, danger, etc., whether real or imagined; the anticipation of adversity. Notice that the "condition of being afraid" is actually a state of mind. The fear thinking-pattern is one kind of a six-step mental process.

Sometimes, we use the fear thinking-pattern in our relationships with God. In this case, the fear thinking-pattern comes from a deep distrust in God. We may see God as a threat to our safety or the cause of some injustice in our lives or in the lives of others. Perhaps we don't trust God as much as we used to because we believe that He should have intervened to prevent us from being hurt or to stop a natural disaster that resulted in an untimely, tragic death of a loved one. When we fear (distrust) God, we might fear (distrust) other people, institutions, agencies, groups, and circumstances. If God allowed all these things to happen, He may let them happen again.

Some Christians fear that God will permit them to suffer as Job suffered at the hands of Satan. No one knows whether or not we will suffer like Job. However, Peter encourages us to embrace the sufferings that are the same as those that Christ suffered:

Do Not Fear Suffering. For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, (1 Peter 2:21). (emphasis added)

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation (1 Peter 4:12,13). (emphasis added)

When the fear thinking-pattern is allowed to continue in our minds, we will use it to respond to a real or perceived impending danger or disaster. We may respond to a danger or disaster by using the fear thinking-pattern we learned from the "old self" or the "flesh."

We use the fear thinking-pattern when we respond negatively to perceived impending dangers. We use the fear thinking-pattern when we respond negatively to the belief that a person or circumstance will harm us. We use the fear thinking-pattern as a response to "what a bad person or circumstance is going to do to us" and our beliefs that

(1) our personal safety is in danger,

(2) our security is in jeopardy, or

(3) our bodies may suffer pain due to a disease.

We are using the fear thinking-pattern when we respond negatively to the belief that we will be injured during a personal conflict. We use the fear thinking-pattern when we respond negatively to the belief that Satan and/or demons are going to harm us. We use the fear thinking-pattern when we respond negatively to the belief that Russia, China, or Iraq might use weapons of mass destruction on us. We use the fear thinking- pattern when we respond negatively to the belief that because of our faith in God, our neighbors, law enforcement officers, or government officials are going to persecute us.

Study the Six-step Mental Process below...it is an example of the fear thinking-pattern that a wife might use in response to her abusive husband.

Analyze: My husband will be home soon and I think he is going to yell at me, hit me, and hit the kids.

Research: Fear has controlled my life for years. My husband has hurt me for years. God seems distant and uncaring.

Hypothesize: I should "walk on egg-shells." I should do whatever he demands. I am going to be physically hurt. My children are going to be physically hurt. I have good reason to fear him.

Propose: Should I "walk on egg-shells?" Should I do whatever he demands?

Decide: Yes! Maybe by "walking on egg-shells" I can avoid being hurt and protect my kids.

Initiate: I will "walk on egg-shells." I will do whatever he demands. I believe that I am going to be physically hurt. My children are going to be physically hurt. I have good reason to fear him.

When the Six-step Mental Process is completed, you will put your thoughts into action by modifying your Belief System or acting on them or both. Notice that signals sent to the brain, which in turn initiate Observable Behaviors and Body-emotions, can originate from either the Belief System or from the thoughts about how you will carry out your conclusions (Initiate).

Notice, that for each step you complete in the Six-step Mental Process, your existing belief system impacts how you use that step.

The word translated trust, confident, convinced, comes from the Greek word (pa' tho).

Courage during difficult times. Paul's situation in prison actually resulted in greater progress of the gospel. In those difficult times, he shared his faith in God and shared God's love for others. He was able to demonstrate his courage to speak the word of God without fear, because he trusted in the Lord (see Phil. 1:12-14).

God Delivers Us. From time to time, God delivers us from the circumstances that threaten our lives. However, we may lose our lives through illness, accident, natural disasters, or in the service of God. If we die, God will raise us from the dead to live forever with Him. Therefore, we can set our hope in God (see 2 Cor. 1:8-10).

Trusting God. Christians, those people who have a relationship with God, who are in the body of Christ, are safe and secure. "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38,39).

When we use the trust thinking-pattern, we are no longer controlled by fear.

The New Testament teaches you how to prevent or replace fear thinking-patterns. You can exercise your free will. You have a choice. You can prevent the fear thinking-pattern by choosing to respond to the attack or threat or abuse with the trust thinking-pattern. You can get a feel for the trust thinking-pattern by looking at the diagram (see figure 9.3). The diagram can be found on page 199 in the book Natures of Mankind Psychology.

It is important to discard the fear thinking-pattern and replace it with the trust thinking-pattern by renewing your mind. In the trust thinking-pattern, we are no longer focusing on selfishness. When you discard lies, myths, deceptions, and misconceptions and replace them with the truth, you are renewing your mind. You renew your mind by changing what you believe. When you change your belief system, you can be transformed (see Romans 12:1,2).

Discarding Lies and Embracing Truths. You can change the anxiety in your personal world by changing what you believe. You can also begin the process of overlapping your personal world with God's real world. The world and the flesh will tell you lies through your experiences. The devil will plant lies and deceptions directly into your mind and they will always seem to be your thoughts. To renew your mind, begin by stating the belief, "I can reject each lie or deception and choose to replace it with the truth. Each time I do this, I will be renewing my mind." Then, compare each lie or deception in the left column with the truth in the right column.

Use the following prayer to help you change each lie or deception that you currently believe to the truth.

Read the following prayer aloud:

God, my Father, I discard the deception that (read the item in the left column) and choose to accept that (read the item in the right column) as the truth. I choose to make this part of my belief system and act on it in my daily life. In Jesus name. Amen.

The contents of this web site page are excerpted from Chapter 9, Replacing Fear with Trust, in the book Natures of Mankind Psychology.

© 2007 by Jerold L. Reed All Rights Reserved

Contact the New testament Psychology Institute for special permission to copy and distribute this information.