What’s Really Behind Your Fears—You Might Be Surprised!

“Casting all your anxiety upon him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase, “We are a fear-driven culture.” I believe that. In fact, as a pastor I have seen how fear gets the best of people. We fear losing our jobs, dying, getting older, tragedy, failure, other people, and some even fear themselves. One’s fear’s can lead them to experience an entire army of emotions such as: confusion, depression, desperation, anxiety, bitterness, worry, doubt, isolation and many more suffocating emotions.

When it comes to our fears it is important to ask ourselves this question: what is the root issue? Sadly, many live their entire life trying to cope with their fears by turning to disastrous vices all because they never discovered the root issue of their fears. The core reason we are plagued with so many fears is often rooted in idolatry. Behind the face of our fears we often discover the idols of our minds. Here is what I am saying, “Our root problem is not fear—it’s idolatry!” Let me explain by issuing a series of questions:

• Are you plagued by fears of losing your job? Then your career may be your idol.
• Are you plagued by fears of losing a child? Then your child may be your idol.
• Are you plagued by fears of going broke? Then your bank account may be your idol.
• Are you plagued by fears of failure? Then success may be your idol.
• Are you plagued by fears of getting sick? Then your health may be your idol
• Are you plagued by fears of not being liked by others? Then people’s approval may be your idol.

Do you see the connection? Can you see the “root system?” Our fears point us to something deeper and more internal, but we have to get beneath the veneer. We tend to see our fears externally, but our fears often shed light on our internal idols. They show us our “shadows” or our spiritual “dark sides.” In his book, Counterfeit God’s Timothy Keller writes, “One of the signs that an object is functioning as an idol is that fear becomes one of the chief characteristics of life.” Do you have any fears today? Then explore your root system and there you may discover your “Counterfeit God.”

Know this: Satan wants to plague your life with fears. Why? Because fear is the opposite of faith and faith is the key to living the Christian life and experiencing the pleasures of God. The Bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6). As I tie my not for you with these final thoughts don’t miss this point: the deeper reason we commit idolatry is not because we have a fear problem, but a love problem. The Bible says, “Perfect love casts out all fear” (1 John 4:18). The pathway to crushing our idols is experienced through a journey of craving the heart of God. Loving God arrests the idols of our hearts and minds and renders them powerless. So why not take a few minutes today to ask God, “What are the idols behind my fears?” and watch “God’s kindness leads you toward repentance” (Rom. 2:4).