Anxiety is rife today and many Christians are not free from it. The condition can manifest itself in a range of ways, from a vague sense of things being not right all the way up to a full-blown panic attack. Anxiety largely has to do with fear. There are two types of fear, legitimate and imaginary. Half the battle in gaining victory over this kind of mental anguish lies in knowing which type of fear it is that we feel and seeing God as the answer to both.

Our Creator designed us with the ability to know fear. Legitimate fear is not the bad thing it might seem like. Instead it is a gift that keeps us from doing something that might destroy us. Fear tells us to back away from a cliff’s edge, or to avoid walking in front of an oncoming car. It also can show us that we are not in right relationship with God. Some adult converts to Christianity will tell you that a dread of Hell was at least as big a negative motivator as hope for Heaven was a positive one for receiving Christ. Proverbs 1:7 sums up spiritual fear simply by telling us that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom".

It is not, however, the end of wisdom and this is where we must address the second kind of fear, the imaginary. Anxiety among Christians many times comes from being frightened about something which looms in the imagination, but ultimately proves not to be real. Phobias are the obvious example, but we do not need to be phobic to fear something unnecessarily. Living in a fallen world and wrestling with our flesh provides plenty of fodder for unjustified fears. The felt terrors of our circumstances often win out when we look away from the One who can bring us through every trial. But by faith illusory motivations for fear can become known for what they are and anxieties are banished through the felt love of Christ.

In truth, a child of God does not need to fear anything in this world as long as he or she is in His will. Throughout the Bible the Lord tells believers not to fear anyone but Himself and ultimately even that will disappear when Christ is formed in us in Heaven. 1^st John 4:18 assures us that, then, perfect love will cast out fear in every sense of the word. Then, made perfectly able to know and love our good God, our anxiety will cease to exist forever.

In the meantime understanding the nature of these two kinds of fears can help us have less anxiety in the here and now.

This, by the way, is a lesson that I have had to re-learn over and over again, and its personal application in my own life remains problematic. I take some comfort in the reality that our growth in Christ is nothing if not a process, and a lifelong one at that. Slowly, but surely, I trust that the spirit is working the above truths into my heart and mind and I look forward to a day, even in this life, when I am largely free of anxiety and unjustified fear.