very day and all over the world Christians face fears ranging from minor daily concerns to the ultimate fear of death. How they deal with those fears depends entirely on where they place their faith.

For 21 years I served as a city police officer and, as such, was often required to face many fearful situations. I know what it is like to be stuck in the chest with a knife, attacked from behind with a ball bat and “Sunday punched” with fists and objects of nearly every type. A violent drunk stuck a loaded shotgun in my chest, I was opposed by overwhelming numbers, was fired upon by a would-be assassin, fought off attempts to take my weapon and routinely had to physically subdue enraged men nearly twice my size.

Sure I felt fear in those incidents, but as a child of God, born again through faith in Jesus Christ, I placed trust in him for my protection and guidance; and he always brought me safely home.

Fear is a wide-scale emotion. It comes in many degrees, ranging all the way from mild apprehension to absolute terror. In the wild, carnivores use their vicious growling and fierce appearances to immobilize prey, making them easier to catch.

Likewise, our enemy Satan works to escalate our own simple worries and concerns into self-generated, immobilizing fear (1 Peter 5:8), rendering us defenseless or ineffective against his spiritual assaults (Ephesians 6:12-13).

Reactions to fear

Fear always elicits one of three different responses. It can cause a person to fight, run away or freeze. Fighting is the more courageous and defensive posture. Retreating is sometimes (although not always) the more cowardly response, and immobility implies hopelessness and surrender.

In Romans 8:15, the Bible tells us that Christians are set free from fear to look to God for the outcome of every situation.

Certainly the Bible tells us that reasonable concern serves as a beneficial aid, stirring us to make necessary preparations (Proverbs 22:3); but we should never allow that concern to outweigh our trust in God.

We can maintain legitimate concern regarding any specific situation at the proper level if we meet it with faith. However, if the concern over a situation merely encounters frail, human resources, it could very quickly mutate into debilitating fear (Romans 8:15).

Jesus had a much greater reason than just sparing us worry lines and ulcers when he instructed us in Matthew 6:25-34 not to be anxious concerning our needs. He knew that we could easily become fixated over our situations to the point that we would lose sight of him and be pulled under by rising waves of fear, not unlike Peter’s experience with walking on the water in Matthew 14:25-31.

Faith moves fears as big as mountains

When I was a rookie cop back in 1969, I stood 5 feet 10 inches and weighed a mere 140 pounds. One evening, I was on duty and serving as a jailer inside the police station. My assigned duties included the responsibilities of booking in prisoners, searching them and placing them in jail cells. During my shift, a large, muscular man, renowned for his violent reputation, was arrested on a warrant and then brought in for processing.

Everything went along routinely and the big man remained moderately calm until I let him use the telephone. Without warning, the man pushed down two armed officers, jumped a tall counter and ran out of the building. I had no weapon, handcuffs or communication devices of any sort on my person; yet on impulse, I quickly vaulted over the counter engaging in foot pursuit.

After chasing the man about four blocks down a dark alley, he began to tire and I caught up to him. I told him he had to go back with me, but he just glared at me and asked me what I was going to do if he didn’t comply. All that went through my mind was: God is with me. So I told him I would just have to take him back. This man had a reputation of assaults against police officers, and it was obvious to both of us that he could quite easily tie me into a pretzel knot without even working up a sweat. Yet he thought for a moment, then agreed to return without resistance.

My fellow police officers to this day still refer to that incident as one of the most outrageous “bluffs” in that department’s history. But I knew the truth. It wasn’t because of me that man was compelled to return to custody; it was my faith in God that moved the mountain (Matthew 17:20b).

Jesus did not ascend to heaven leaving his believers abandoned and without resources against the enemy’s wiles. Quite the contrary; in Luke 10:19 he said that he gave us both authority over the powers of Satan and freedom from harm. These are powerful defenses; but like any other gift, they must first be accepted and then activated by faith.

Faith vs. fear

Whether it’s fear about financial circumstances, material needs, faltering relationships or even impending death, the fact is temporal fear does not come from God. It is a satanic production playing on our worldly concerns, intended to take our focus off Jesus.

No situation that comes into our lives is unknown to God. He allows us to experience them for our greater good known only to Him. He expects us to use our faith and the tools he provided (2 Peter 1:3) to overcome fear and keep focused on Jesus.

The only type of fear that is beneficial in the life of a Christian is that of respectful humility and reverence before God (Deuteronomy 6:20; Ecclesiastes 12:13), for “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; ….” (Psalm 111:10). It is from this foundation that God initiates one’s spiritual growth and meticulously shapes one’s character into the likeness of the Savior.

Each time we put our faith to work against rising concerns and intense situations, God will bring us to him, walking on the waves. We overcome the challenge, achieve the experience and gain the strength needed to help others win their own battles against fear.

God expects his children to use their insight and experiences to be of benefit to the whole body of believers. For those who learn to use their faith to dispel fear, their mission is to come alongside others suffering from fear and introduce them to the freedom found through a relationship with Jesus Christ. We need to show those still in bondage to fear how to depend on the truth of God’s word instead of being terrified of Satan’s growls and the trials of this world; then they, too, will be able to walk on the waves.