What is the news telling you today? What is showing up in your social media feed?
More often than not, it's something negative. Fear sells. Outrage gets clicks. Bad news spreads faster than good news. Much of the information delivered through media—whether traditional or social—is designed to capture your attention by stirring your emotions, and fear is one of the most powerful emotions there is.
Over time, if we're not careful, we can become consumed by it. We begin to worry about things we cannot control. We become anxious about events that may never happen. We start living in reaction to the world around us rather than responding from a place of faith.
Politics is often no different. Fear becomes a tool used to persuade, divide, and rally people to one side or another. Before long, some people find their identity not in who God says they are, but in a political party, ideology, movement, or worldview.
Yet throughout Scripture, God repeatedly tells us, "Do not be afraid."
The Bible teaches us not to fear man, but to fear God. This isn't a fear of terror, but a holy reverence and awe for the One who truly holds authority over all things. When we understand who God is, the voices of men begin to lose their power over us.
There is something deeper at stake than simply protecting our peace. Every time we surrender ourselves to fear, worry, and panic stirred up by man, media, politics, or public opinion, we are being invited to place our trust somewhere other than God. We are taking the bait.
To put it bluntly, fear can become a form of unbelief. It is a departure from trust and a movement away from God's promises. In that sense, it is more than a bad habit—it is a betrayal of where our faith is supposed to rest. Scripture repeatedly commands us, "Do not fear," not because God is insensitive to our struggles, but because fear competes with faith for the throne of our hearts.
Those who seek to control others often do so through fear. But control is an illusion. No person controls tomorrow. No person controls eternity. Only God does.
When our trust is placed in Him, we no longer have to be imprisoned by the endless cycle of worry, outrage, and uncertainty. We can stay informed without being consumed. We can engage without becoming enslaved. We can listen without surrendering our peace.
The fear of God frees us from the fear of everything else.
"The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe." — Proverbs 29:25
A snare is baited. It is designed to entice, trap, and hold captive. Fear is often the bait, and trust in God is the way out.
Prayer
Lord, forgive me for the times I place my trust in fear instead of in You. Help me recognize the bait when the world seeks to stir anxiety, outrage, and worry within me. Teach me to fear You alone, to trust Your promises, and to rest in Your sovereignty. May my heart remain anchored in faith, my mind fixed on Christ, and my peace found in You. Amen.
