by Dr. Larry Ollison, Ph.D. 

I would like to ask you a question. Does the word “anthrax” scare you? When you hear the word or read the word on the cover of a magazine, does it bring up fear from deep inside?

When you hear of a great tragedy like the one that took place on September 11^th, do you feel your insides tighten up? Does it create stress?

Fear does exist and the spirit of fear is a real factor in this world. However, fear should never cause a Christian to change his goals in life. God has not given us a spirit of fear. It has another source. The tragedies are real. They actually happened. But we do not have to receive the fear. As a Christian, we must do what God has told us to do. We must do it in faith and in spite of fear.

When we act on the principles of God such as love, joy, peace and faith, we will always have a sense of freedom. When we react on the principles of the devil such as hatred, self-pity, worry and fear, we will always have bondage. In my life I have lived in bondage and I have lived in freedom. Freedom is better.

We must act on God’s Word and do what He says. Yes, emotions flood our being. My first emotion after the great tragedy in New York and Washington, D.C. was deep sadness and compassion. Then came anger. But we must remember that God is a just God and that He is the avenger of the brethren. My job is to be obedient to God and to continue the course in my life regardless of what terrorists do.

We must continue the course in the face of fear. Fear should never be a factor in our decisions. We must be like the nature of God. God is moved by faith. Fear is irrelevant to Him. Ephesians 5:1 says that we are to be imitators of God. We must be moved by faith. If we focus on faith, then fear will flee. If we focus on fear, then our faith will fail.

Fear is not of God. Fear is not a natural response for the Christian. Satan knows that one Christian walking in faith without fear can deal a severe blow to his kingdom. Satan not only hates God, but he hates faith. He knows that faith is the catalyst that activates the power of God’s Word in the life of every believer. In order to destroy the power, all he has to do is destroy the faith. Faith and fear are opposites. You cannot operate in both at the same time. If we choose to turn to fear, then we have turned away from faith and we are powerless and Satan will have accomplished his goal.