In today’s episode, I talk about fear. To be clear, I am not referring to a political party or candidate. Clearly politicians historically have used fear, but I do not specifically address that. I have talked with many people over the past year who seem to have a lot of fear. It can be a scary time. We have lived through a worldwide pandemic. But recently, I have been thinking a lot about fear and how that is not something that Satan can use against us.
What do you fear? Do you have a lot of fear in your life? Kevin J. Worthen - President of Brigham Young University in Sept. 2017 asked the question, What Is Fear? He explained, “fear is a feeling induced by perceived danger or threat that . . . ultimately [leads to] a change in behavior.” not all fear is bad The feeling that might arise when we hear the signature tail warning of a rattlesnake is one we should not ignore. It keeps us safe.
He then says that we are to fear the Lord according to the scriptures.He clarifies, by saying that Elder David A. Bednar once explained, this as “righteous fear”, It’s different from the fear we are commanded to avoid. Righteous fear is instead “a deep feeling of reverence, respect, and awe for the Lord Jesus Christ,” a feeling that induces “obedience to His commandments .
So if fear of real danger and fear of God are not covered by this commandment, just what is it that we are commanded to avoid? That fear is what some psychologists call “irrational fear” or “fear of the unknown, or ”a fear of future events that will not likely occur.” This can be a kind of fear that is debilitating, sometimes paralyzing, and almost always soul- and energy-sapping.
Tune in for the rest of the show!
