Halloween
has never been my favorite holiday.
Sure, I have fond memories of wearing fun costumes, eating obscene
amounts of candy, and trick-or-treating with friends, but all of that was
usually shrouded by a sense of unrest.
The combination of startling and scary decorations, disguised strangers,
daunting shadows, and dark streets was very unsettling to me. I certainly could not comprehend the
fascination with haunted houses that was so common amongst my peers. While I enjoyed some of the lighter aspects
of the holiday, my mind could not fathom why people would want to intentionally
pursue and stir up fear. 
While
I still have no desire whatsoever to partake in the likes of haunted houses and
horror movies, I’ve found that I’m much more a friend of fear than I’d care to
admit. I let it seep into my life in
subtle ways until it becomes familiar and, strangely, safe. It’s almost as though clinging to fear gives
me a false sense of control. If I just
keep a death grip on it, then I can prevent the object of my fear from ever
getting close to me. For example, if I
fear snakes enough (if I refuse to go near any of their possible habitats and
constantly keep a vigilant and paranoid eye out for them), then I won’t ever
have to know the pain of a venomous snake bite.
If I refuse to let my husband indulge in his adrenaline junkie instincts
to the best of my ability, then I won’t ever have to know the devastation of
losing him. Fear taken to such extremes
is a prison masquerading as a fortress.
It whispers protection in our ear all while wrapping it’s coils around
our necks - binding us and gradually choking out the very life we were trying
to preserve.
God
has a lot to say about fear in His Word.
Specifically, He tells us not to fear...repeatedly. It’s been said before that there are 365
verses in the Bible that command us not to fear. I haven’t gone through and counted them
myself, but whatever the exact number is, God obviously cares about what we do
about fear. However, anyone who has ever
struggled with an addiction (or, to make it more palatable, a recurring sin)
knows that, in most cases, you can’t just stop when you are told to stop, even
if you see the necessity for it and have the desire to change. Your brain has to be rewired over time (Rom.
12:2) by replacing your old way of thinking with something else (Eph.
4:22-24). As we rely on the strength of
the Holy Spirit to put off our old self and put on the new self, He transforms
us from the inside out.
Lately,
God has been showing me His replacement for my unhealthy fear. In Psalm 112, verses 1 and 7 say, “Praise the
LORD! How blessed is the man who fears
the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments. He will not fear evil tidings; his heart is
steadfast, trusting in the LORD.” If I
take God seriously - obeying Him and trusting Him in every area of my life -
then I have no need to fear anything or anyone else. This is not because of any guarantee of a
life without trauma, disappointment, suffering, or loss, but because I know
that God loves me deeply (Ps. 139; Jn. 3:16; Rom. 5:8; 1 Jn. 3:1) and is able
to do immeasurably more than I can think or imagine (Eph. 4:17-21), including
working all things for my good and His glory in the end (Rom. 8:28). He can and will carry me through all that
life throws my way.
This
is not to say we should live recklessly or foolishly. The fear of the LORD is also the beginning of
wisdom (Prov. 9:10). However, it does
mean that we can do so much more than just survive in this life. We don’t have to walk around with our walls
up and our fists clenched, slowly dying within our hardened shells. There is a better way. We can find the freedom to experience joy and
security by letting God do the job of being our Defender and Shield. As we consistently put off our own fears and
put on the fear of the LORD, we will give the Holy Spirit room to break our
chains and transform us into people who are free, secure, giving,
compassionate, and alive.