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How to get rid of fears and obsessive thoughts about illness and death? What does the Orthodox Church say about this? A demon that deprives you of peace. About the fight against anxiety Fear of doing something bad question to the priest

« Fear not, little flock!" (OK. 12, 32)

Fear of anything other than God is a sign and condition of internal lack of freedom and imperfection.

The Apostle John speaks about fear as a sign of imperfection: There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because in fear there is torment. He who fears is imperfect in love(1 John 4, 18). And the Apostle Paul speaks about fear as a sign of unfreedom, reminding Christians: ...You did not receive the spirit of slavery to live in fear again, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by which we cry: “Abba, Father!”(Rome. 8, 15).

The connection between fear and slavery can be traced by any person from his own experience of observing society. And it is not so important whether it is fear for one’s life, as in totalitarian societies, or fear of loss of stability of life, as in democratic societies.

Knowing and understanding people's fears, it is easy to manipulate them. This happens everywhere on earth, in various spheres of life. Using people's fears, politicians convince them to choose what is unprofitable for us, and merchants convince them to buy what we do not need. But even more subtly and skillfully, demons manipulate people through fear, pursuing the only goal - to turn people away from God. Turning to the religious sphere of life, it is not difficult to see examples of such manipulation.

Even if we do not consider some Western sects that have amassed a considerable fortune by scaring people with the approaching end of the world, we, even in the Orthodox church environment, often have to deal with the fanning of various kinds of fears. Moreover, we are talking, unfortunately, not about the fear of God, but about the fear of the Antichrist, of certain global disasters, of new passports, of new technologies, and so on. Struck by these fears, people completely forget about God, sometimes reaching such a frenzy that they fall away from the Church into various schismatic gatherings. Thus, unfortunate people, frightened by imaginary harm, in demonic blindness, cause real harm to their soul.

All this is an indicator of serious ill health in spiritual life. Serious because the end for those who give themselves over to the disease of timidity is truly terrible: But the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and fornicators and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars will have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone. This is the second death(Rev. 21, 8).

In order to protect yourself from the above-mentioned temptations and to be free from various kinds of manipulations, you must turn to patristic advice that teaches a truly Christian attitude towards fear.

What is fear?

St. John Climacus writes that “fear is an imagined misfortune; or in other words, fear is a tremulous feeling of the heart, anxious and lamenting from the idea of ​​unknown misfortunes. Fear is the deprivation of firm hope."

Saint Gregory of Nyssa defines virtue as a good mean, free from both an excess of natural feeling and a deficiency, “for example, in courage, its deficiency becomes timidity, and its excess becomes insolence.” Here timidity is explained as a defect resulting from a lack of courage.

We find the same explanation of insolence and fear as different deviations from the virtue of courage from the Monk Peter of Damascus, who writes in more detail about their difference and danger for spiritual life, and at the same time their deep relationship: “The property of courage is not to win and to overcome one's neighbor is audacity that is higher than courage, and it is not that, out of fear of temptation, one shirks from deeds about God and virtues, this, on the contrary, is fear that is lower than it; but to remain in every good deed and overcome mental and physical passions... The two above-mentioned passions, although they seem contrary to each other, confuse us due to (our) weakness; and insolence attracts upward and frightens, striking with amazement, like a powerless bear, and fear runs away like a driven dog; for no one who has one of these two passions trusts in the Lord, and therefore cannot stand in battle, even if he is brave, even if he is afraid; the righteous man trusts like a lion(Prov. 28 , 1) to Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion forever.”

In another essay, St. Gregory of Nyssa writes about the very feeling of fear as something that comes from “bestial dumbness,” and is in itself a neutral movement of the soul, which, “with the bad use of the mind, has become a vice,” but, however, “if reason assumes power over such movements, then each of them will turn into a form of virtue. Thus, irritability produces courage, timidity produces caution, fear produces humility.”

Ascetic attitude towards fear

Cowardice, that is, experiencing fear of people, or demons, or any events in life that happen or may happen in the future, is a sign of the spiritual illness of a Christian who should not experience fear of anything like that. According to the testimony of St. Isaac the Syrian, “a fearful person makes it known that he suffers from two ailments, that is, love of life and lack of faith. And love of life is a sign of unbelief.”

The Lord Himself pointed out the connection between fear and lack of faith when He said to the apostles, who were afraid of the storm: Why are you so fearful, you of little faith?"(Matt. 8 , 26).

This organic connection between timidity and lack of faith is well explained by St. Nicholas of Serbia: “Tearful people have a heart that is too earthy and therefore petrified. The Word of God grows best in external storms and winds, like mountain pines. But the fearful, having joyfully accepted the word of God, is afraid of storms and winds and falls away from the word of God, rejects it and again cleaves to his land. The earth bears fruit quickly, but we must wait for the fruits of God’s word. At the same time, the fearful one is tormented by doubt: “If I miss these earthly fruits that I hold in my hands, then who knows whether I will wait and taste the fruits promised to me by the word of God?” And so the fearful will doubt God and believe in the earth; will doubt the truth and believe in lies. And faith, without taking root in his petrified heart, disappears, and the word of God, sown on stone, returns to its Sower.”

The Monk Nikon of Optina conveys the instruction of the Monk Barsanuphius of Optina as follows: “You only need to be afraid of sins... But the Holy Scripture says that God does not love the fearful. No one should be fearful or cowardly, but should place their hope in God. Why does God not love the fearful, the cowardly? Because they are close to despondency and despair, and these are mortal sins. A timid and coward is on the edge of an abyss. A true monk must be alien to such a dispensation.”

St. John Climacus defines timidity as “the daughter of unbelief and the offspring of vanity,” and points out that this is a sinful passion that stems from the passion of pride: “The proud soul is a slave of fear; trusting in herself, she is afraid of the faint sound of creatures and the very shadows.”

The Monk Nile of Sinai testifies to the same thing, commanding: “Do not betray your soul to pride, and you will not see terrible dreams, because the soul of the proud is abandoned by God and becomes the delight of demons. A proud person imagines many attacking animals at night, and during the day he is embarrassed by fearful thoughts; if he sleeps, he often jumps up and, while awake, is afraid of the bird's shadow. The noise of a leaf terrifies the proud one, and the murmur of water strikes his soul. For the one who recently resisted God and renounced His help subsequently becomes afraid of insignificant ghosts.”

The Venerable Simeon the New Theologian also points out the connection between timidity and despondency: “Despondency and bodily heaviness, which appear in the soul from laziness and negligence... bring darkness and despair to the mind, which is why thoughts of timidity and blasphemy dominate in the heart,” “the demon of timidity accompanies the demon of despondency and attacks together with him, and he helps this and grabs [the victim], and the first instills fear with callousness in the soul, while the second produces darkness and relaxation in the soul and mind, as well as petrification and despair.”

Saint John Chrysostom says that “sin... makes a person fearful and timid; but the truth produces the opposite effect,” and St. Nicholas of Serbia points out: “Gluttony makes a person sad and fearful, and fasting makes a person joyful and brave.”

According to the testimony of Saint Simeon, the struggle with fear is the usual state of a monk who is at the beginning or middle of the spiritual path: “Whoever has acquired a pure heart has overcome timidity, and whoever is still purified sometimes overcomes it, and sometimes is overcome by it. He who does not fight at all is either completely insensitive and a friend of passions and demons..., or he is a slave of timidity, subject to it, trembling like a child in his mind, and afraid of fear where there is no fear (Ps. 13 , 5), nor fear for those who fear the Lord."

The Monk John notes that monks living in communal monasteries are less likely to have this passion than hermits.

He also offers the following ways for a monk to combat timidity: “Don’t be lazy at midnight to come to those places where you are afraid to be. If you yield even a little to this infantile and laughter-worthy passion, then it will grow old with you. But when you go to those places, arm yourself with prayer; when you come, spread out your hands and beat the adversaries in the name of Jesus; for there is no strongest weapon, neither in heaven nor on earth" ; “You cannot satiate your belly in one minute; So you can’t overcome fearfulness quickly. As our crying [about sins] intensifies, it moves away from us; and with its decrease it increases in us”; “If we, out of contrition of heart, with devotion to God, diligently expect from Him all kinds of unforeseen cases, then we have truly freed ourselves from timidity.”

And here is what St. Simeon the New Theologian recommends: “Do not be surprised if, when timidity dominates you, you tremble, afraid of everything, for you are still imperfect and weak and, like a baby, you are afraid of monsters. For timidity is the infantile and laughable passion of a vain soul. Do not want to speak words with this demon or contradict him, for when the soul is in trembling and confusion, words do not help. Leave them, humble your mind as much as you can, and soon you will understand that timidity has disappeared.”

Many holy fathers warned that the ascetic is often attacked by demons, trying to frighten him and instill “insurance.” St. Athanasius the Great conveys the instruction of St. Anthony the Great on this: “As the demons find us when they come to us, so they themselves become in relation to us... Therefore, if they find us fearful and embarrassed, they immediately attack, like robbers who have found an unguarded place , and what we think in ourselves, we produce in greater form. If they see us as fearful and fearful, then they increase the fear even more with ghosts and threats, and finally the poor soul is tormented by this. But if they find us rejoicing in the Lord... and reasoning that everything is in the hand of the Lord, that the demon is not able to overcome a Christian and has no power over anyone at all, then, seeing the soul supported by such thoughts, the demons turn back with shame... Let the soul constantly rejoice in hope; and we will see that the demonic games are the same as smoke, that the demons would rather run away than pursue us, because they are extremely fearful, waiting for the fire prepared for them... and they especially fear the sign of the Cross of the Lord.”

The advice of St. Paisius Velichkovsky lies in the same vein: “If anyone is fearful, then do not be embarrassed at all, but be courageous and place your trust in God and do not pay attention to embarrassment at all. Do not allow this childish mood to take root in you... but consider it as nothing, as demonic. The servant of God fears only his Master, Who created the body, put the soul into it and revived it; demons, without God's permission, cannot harm us, but only frighten us and threaten us with dreams... Be courageous, and let your heart be strengthened, and protect yourself with the sign of the cross when you find insurance. Fence the place where you will enter with the sign of the cross... cross yourself and, having said a prayer and saying: “Amen,” enter boldly. If the demons find that we are steadfast in the Lord, they are immediately put to shame and do not embarrass us. Let us keep in mind that we are in the hand of God. The Lord said: Behold, I give you power to tread on the snake, and on the scorpion, and on all the power of the enemy: and nothing will harm you(Luke 10:19). Let us keep in mind that without the command of God not the power of our head will perish(Luke 21:18). We inflict insurance on ourselves with a fearful thought... let us think that God is at our right hand, and we do not move. Demons watch us like fishers and carefully watch our thoughts; as we are in our thoughts, similar ones present us with their dreams. But the fear of God casts out the fear of demons."

Fear of God

Completely different from the described examples of ordinary, human fear is the “fear of God.” If a Christian must get rid of ordinary fears, including even such a strong one as the fear of death, as a sign of spiritual imperfection, then the fear of God, on the contrary, must be acquired and strengthened in oneself, and both of these processes are the acquisition of the fear of God and the overcoming of all ordinary human ones. fears are interconnected.

The Holy Fathers constantly emphasized that the fear of God, settling in the heart of a person, drives out all fear of anything other than God and makes a person truly fearless: “Whoever fears the Lord is above all fear, he has eliminated and left far behind everything fears of this age. He is far from all fear, and no fear will come close to him"; “He who has become a servant of the Lord fears only his Master; and whoever does not have the fear of the Lord is often afraid of his own shadow”; “He who fears God is not afraid of the onslaught of demons, nor their powerless attacks, nor the threats of evil people, but, being all like a kind of flame or blazing fire, passing through places inaccessible and unlit either at night or during the day, he puts to flight the demons who flee from him rather than he from them... He who walks in the fear of God, moving among evil people, is not afraid, having the fear of Him within himself and carrying the invincible weapon of faith, thanks to which he can and is able to do everything - even what many seems difficult and impossible. But he walks like a giant among monkeys or a roaring lion among dogs and foxes: he trusts in the Lord and with the strength of his mind defeats them, confuses their thoughts, defeating them with the word of wisdom, like a rod of iron.”

The “mechanism” of this repression was explained in detail by Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk: “For with great fear, small fear is destroyed, and from greater sadness, small sadness disappears, and a large illness makes a small one unnoticed, just as a weak voice is not heard behind great noise. The sadness of this age and the fear of temporary misfortune are extinguished by the sadness of the salvation of the soul and the fear of eternal death, like the light of a candle by the light of the sun. This fear in pious antiquity led to deserts and caves, made it better to live with animals than with lawless people; It is better to eat grass and roots than sweet foods; It is better to wander in the forests than to be surrounded by temptations. This fear also shakes the demons themselves, disembodied spirits. And the demons are afraid of Gehenna, to which they are condemned, and are trying to make the sons of men participants in it, so that they will not be the only ones to suffer in it. It’s surprising that people don’t tremble at what demon spirits tremble at.”

The Holy Fathers attached very great importance to the fear of God for the work of perfecting the soul of a Christian.

According to St. Ephraim the Syrian, “the fear of the Lord is the pilot of the soul, the source of life. The fear of the Lord enlightens the soul... destroys wickedness... weakens passions”, “drives out darkness from the soul and makes it pure”, “the fear of God is the pinnacle of knowledge; where it is not, you will not find anything good”, “whoever has the fear of God is not careless, because he is always sober... and is easily saved from the snares of the enemy... Whoever does not have the fear of God is open to the attacks of the devil.”

Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk testifies to the same thing: “Surrounded and guarded by the fear of God, the soul is motionless to no evil. And if some demonic temptation or evil thought comes to her, she is immediately horrified and cries out to God: “Lord, help me!” and so he stands and fights against evil. Therefore, the fear of God is the root of all good things. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord(Ps. 110 , 10). For who is wise? The one who acts carefully everywhere and always and sees the invisible God before him.”

Saint Gregory the Theologian, in turn, said: “Where there is the fear of God, there is observance of the commandments.” St. John Chrysostom argued that “the fear of God constitutes true bliss,” and St. Isaiah the Hermit called it “the source of all virtues.”

The last statement can be explained by the words of St. Basil the Great: “Just as the members of the body of those nailed to nails remain motionless and inactive, so those embraced in the soul by the fear of God avoid any passionate overwhelm by sin.”

The same saint pointed out the need for a certain balance between fear and hope: “Knowing that our Master is strong, fear His strength and do not despair of His love for mankind. In order not to do untruth, fear is good; and so that, having once sinned, you do not care about yourself out of hopelessness, hope for mercy is good.”

And Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov pointed out the fundamental difference between the fear of God and ordinary fear and even from any other human feeling: “The fear of God cannot be likened to any feeling of a carnal, even spiritual, person. The fear of God is a completely new feeling. The fear of God is the action of the Holy Spirit."

Speaking about the effect of the fear of God on a person, the Monk John Climacus said: “When the fear of the Lord comes into the heart, it shows him all his sins” (Ladder, 26.223), and at the same time, “increasing the fear of God is the beginning of love” (Ladder, 26.223). 30.20).

In the very spiritual feeling of the fear of God, degrees of perfection differ, as St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) testifies: “There are two fears: one is introductory, the other is perfect; one is characteristic of beginners, so to speak, in piety, the other is the property of perfect saints who have achieved the measure of love.”

Blessed Diadochos of Photikius described these degrees and the effects of the fear of God on the human soul in more detail: “The soul, while it remains careless, is covered with the leprosy of voluptuousness, and therefore cannot feel the fear of God, even if someone incessantly explained to it about the Last Judgment of God. And when she begins to cleanse herself, deeply listening to herself, then she begins to feel like a kind of life-giving medicine, the fear of God, burning through her, as if on fire, with a certain action of reproof, and thus, little by little being cleansed, she finally achieves complete cleansing. At the same time, as much as love increases in her, fear decreases to the same extent, until she comes to perfect love, in which there is no fear, but perfect dispassion, produced by the action of the glory of God. May we be continually praised by praises, firstly, the fear of God, and finally, love—the fullness of perfection in Christ.”

The theme of human fears is heard loudly in today's world. And there are actually plenty of reasons for this. How not to become a slave to your own phobias and fears, how to overcome the fear of life as such and not allow it to become a total obstacle to our development? What is the importance of dealing with fear in the Christian life? He discusses this.

Human beings are as diverse as the structure of the human soul. Someone is afraid of death, which is inevitable for a person, someone is afraid of pain, someone is afraid of illness and any kind of suffering, someone is afraid of dishonor and shame, someone is afraid of being abandoned by people, someone is afraid of in general, that his life will not turn out the way he would like it to. If we add to this the fear of the dark, the fear of various everyday dangers, the fear of the unknown, which is also inherent in many people, then in the end it turns out that a person is afraid not only of something individually, but of all life as a kind of universal fact that he was faced with. placed when he came into this world.

What is the basis for this fear? First of all, a person often does not know what life is, does not understand why it was given to him, and even when he seems to know and understand, this knowledge and understanding is not the property of his heart. Therefore, sometimes it turns out that it is easier for a person not to live, but to vegetate, hiding in some hole, shutting himself up in his little room and hoping in this way to sit out and avoid some serious decisions, tests, shocks, without which human life cannot pass.

In fact, through this, a person’s development takes place - through the fact that he has to experience a lot of difficult and, in the context of our conversation, “terrible” things in his life. And, of course, such avoidance not only deprives the fearful person of certain important impressions for his life, but also deforms his personality, preventing it from developing into what it, according to God’s plan, could be. If a person continues to go with the flow, if he perceives his fear as some kind of norm, it can destroy him - even to the point of causing a mental disorder. Therefore, of course, you cannot put up with fears, you cannot get used to fears, you cannot merge with them into a single whole - you need to fight them and overcome them throughout your life.

Patristic principle

In order to overcome fear, you need to go for it

There is one wonderful principle of combating fear, which is described by the holy fathers and which can be adhered to in literally all life situations: in order to defeat fear, you need to go for it. What does it mean? To illustrate, we can cite as an example the advice that St. John Climacus gave to his contemporaries - monks: if you are susceptible to nocturnal demonic insurance, go to the cemetery at night and remain there in prayer. Let me make a reservation right away that in no case do I recommend that anyone do this today, since this type of feat was offered to hermits, whose living conditions were significantly different from ours. But this is the general principle. Are you scared? Go to a place where you will be very scared, and there overcome your fear.

What does it take to implement this principle in your life? It is necessary, first of all, to pay attention to the Gospel episode in which the Savior comes to the apostles along the waters of Lake Gennesaret. For the disciples of Christ, this is a moment of fear, and to the fear of drowning is added the fear of seeing the figure of Christ supernaturally approaching them. What does the Apostle Peter do in this situation? He overcomes his fear in the same way that we are talking about: instead of closing his eyes, huddling somewhere and not seeing this frightening picture, he asks for the command to get out of the boat and walks along the raging waves.

The Monk Isaac the Syrian says that if you go towards death, then death will flee from you. We are talking here, of course, not about some kind of obvious recklessness, but about the fact that by changing our attitude towards something that frightens us, we get rid of it in our lives. A simple example: a child is afraid to sleep in the dark. There are two ways: leave him a light at night, and then he will sleep in the light until adulthood, or take him by the hand and go with him into the darkness, walk around the entire apartment - first with a flashlight, then by touch - and show that no one hides in the dark. In each situation we need to look at how we can go at our own risk. Here, for example, is another common example: a person is afraid to turn to another person and ask for something. Such excessive shyness is usually based on vanity and pride: a person is afraid of losing himself in someone’s eyes, of seeming funny, helpless. This can be overcome quite simply: I just make up my mind and do what I’m afraid of. We need to constantly get used to this, starting with the most basic things, and then we will be able to control ourselves in more serious moments.

The only thing in which fear can be good, if we talk about human fear: it sobers up a person in a certain way. Even in purely external everyday situations, it sometimes happens that a person is drunk, but an extreme situation arises, a threat - and he suddenly becomes completely sober. The same applies to our inner life: a sudden, piercing thought about death, a feeling of a threat to life can sober a person internally, prompt him to come to his senses and reconsider his life. But even a believer, unfortunately, such circumstances often do not sober up, returning reason, but plunge them into panic, which, on the contrary, deprives them of reason.

Stop being afraid to survive

Sometimes people say: “Well, how can you not be afraid of real danger? Let’s say some kind of natural disaster occurs...” In the case where the danger is real, it is natural for a person to be afraid: the body is brought into a state of alarm by the instinct of self-preservation. But here, too, you must remember that it is useless to succumb to fear; this will not reduce the danger. On the contrary, with severe fear, a person loses the ability to take active actions and becomes more vulnerable: arms and legs feel like they are made of cotton, there is not enough air, the sense of reality is lost. What if you need to escape from a house that is on fire? What if someone else needs to be pulled out of this house? It is obvious that a person who has the ability to control his reactions to one degree or another has a better chance of finding his way and getting out than someone who allows this state to completely and completely overwhelm him.

How to prevent this? In order for fear to recede, common sense must come first. At the same time, you can tell yourself this: “I’m afraid, I’m very scared, but precisely because I’m very scared, I must stop being afraid - this is necessary in order to survive.” You need to realize that being afraid is, in fact, the worst thing. Fear is a very painful state, it is even worse than what we are afraid of, and it is fear that in most cases kills, and not the very thing that caused it. If you are afraid of fear, you must stop being afraid - this is the formulation, no matter how paradoxical it sounds. Otherwise, you simply won’t be able to get out of difficult situations.

Not only weakness, but also sin

At the heart of fear is always a lack of trust in God.

If we talk about fear from a spiritual point of view, it is always based on distrust of God. Therefore, fear is not just a misfortune, not just a person’s weakness and infirmity, but at the same time a sin. If a person is afraid of something in his life, this, by and large, means the following: either he believes that God at some point does not care about him and forgets about him, which, of course, is blasphemy against God, or he believes that God does not love him, and this is also blasphemy against God, because there is no one whom the Lord does not love. Or a person believes that for some reason God wants to do something to him that will be harmful to him and which will make him feel bad - and this again is blasphemy and terrible mistrust. This is also obvious ingratitude to God, but more often than not, when we are overcome by some kind of fear, we do not at all correlate it with the insult that we cause to Divine Love by letting this fear into our hearts. And you need to correlate. And we must definitely remind ourselves of the words of the Gospel that even a small bird will not fall to the ground without the will of our Heavenly Father and that all the hairs on our head are numbered (see: Matt. 10: 29–30). And after this it is useful to say the following words: “Lord, this is how You want it, whatever You want to happen to me, then let it be.”

A person who sins intentionally, hoping to repent later, most often does not have time to repent - he dies suddenly

It happens that a person’s fear seems to be based on a religious feeling: it is the fear of dying suddenly, of not having time to prepare for eternity. But, according to the holy fathers, in particular the Venerable Abba Dorotheos, God never takes a person who seeks to prepare for eternal life before helping him to do this as much as this is in principle possible for that person. It’s another matter if a person lives thoughtlessly, lives absent-mindedly - then his death can really be both unexpected and disastrous. The Monk Isaac the Syrian says that a person who sins intentionally, hoping to repent later, most often does not have time to repent because he dies suddenly. But if we struggle with our sins and passions and sincerely repent in case of stumbling, we should not be particularly embarrassed by the thought of sudden death. Every person dies when the Lord calls him, whether by his own natural death or as a result of extreme situations. And in this thought our heart must learn to find joy and peace for itself. Because everything that the Lord does to us, He does according to His mercy and love.

If we think about what the concept includes fear, then we will see many false feelings here and understand: there is no reason for fear. Human life is designed by God to be calm and joyful. We should live happily ever after - why not? God gave us this life so that we could live in the world with pleasure and gratitude to Him for this gift. And so that this gratitude (or thanksgiving, Eucharist), in turn, opened the way to Him.

Sometimes, when leaving guests, I can accidentally forget something of mine - for example, a pen or glasses. And the owner of the house where I was staying, after some time he sees the thing I had forgotten and says: “Oh, Father Andrei left this!” That is, when he sees my glasses, he remembers me, his thoughts rush in my direction.

Why do we give gifts? So that a person, looking at a gift, remembers the person with whom he was recently together, about the love of this person. And if another person begins to use our gift, and not the one for whom it was intended, then the gift loses all meaning. After all, we gave it so that we could have a connection with this person - a connection filled with warmth and love - and not just for ordinary use.

This is exactly what God does. He sends us to this beautiful world (which, however, we then turn into something completely different) - sends us here so that we enjoy His gifts, His mercy to us, so that we live in this world just as calmly, how children live in their Father’s house - without worries and sorrows (“We have a dad!”). After all, when a child has a gentle, loving father, he is not afraid of anything.

This is how God deals with us. This is why He allowed us to live in this world.

Once upon a time, a very good doctor appeared on a program. He said that the human body is designed in such a way that we can live much longer if we lead the right lifestyle.

Of course, such a life implies proper nutrition. But not only that. It is important to be a mentally balanced person, calm and peaceful. If we were all like this, we would live longer.

A person ages because of worries about his problems, because of stress, anxiety, and uncertainty about the future. All this leads to the fact that his hair begins to turn gray in his early youth - for no apparent reason, simply from experiences. Stress causes stomach diseases such as ulcers.

One disease is followed by another, and so on. How many diseases are caused by emotional distress! Therefore, if we really want to enjoy life and live many summers, we should discover ways that lead to longevity.

One of these ways is to live without fear. Life without anxiety, without this pain that eats away our soul from the inside.

Once in one house I saw several old photographs. They depicted elderly married couples - old men and women. Have you ever seen such black and white photos - with your grandparents? Grandmother in a headscarf, grandfather with a mustache, in a jacket - stand and look at the camera with simple, innocent eyes, a look coming from the very depths of the soul.

Their faces are covered with wrinkles, they look tired, aged from hard work in the field, from many children, from constant worries. But I noticed something else in those photos. The hands of these people were hardened from hard work on the land, the faces of the women were aged from frequent childbirth (and in those days families had from 5 to 10 or more children), but at the same time they had a calm, peaceful look. Their eyes radiated grace.

Tired but calm, these people did not know what lifting, face masks, spa treatments were... They washed themselves with ordinary soap, and not every day - and their bodies smelled not of sweat, but of earth, i.e. the aroma of natural, real life. Their purity was different. Their beauty, their calmness were different, and this was reflected on their faces.

These people slept little, but a short sleep satiated them. They did not have nightmares, they did not fall out of bed in their sleep. They fell asleep instantly, they did not need any sleeping pills, no special pills, sedatives or, conversely, invigorating teas - none of what we use today.

Honest day's work, a clear conscience, physical fatigue - these people slept like birds - little but soundly, truly resting, refreshing their souls. And they woke up with a thirst for life, with new strength. They had their difficulties, but they had a secret that helped them live happily, and above all, without fear.

They passed this secret on from generation to generation, and thus healthy children were born who loved life, wanted to start families, worked and sailed on the sea of ​​\u200b\u200blife without fear and anxiety. They absorbed this thirst for life with their mother's milk. What happened? What secret did these people have?

It’s just that in their lives they were guided not by themselves, but by God. These old people were in living “leaven” with God and the Church. They didn't know much of what we know, but they had a living faith. They had no TV shows, no conferences, no magazines, no tapes; they did not read either the Philokalia or other works of the holy fathers, but their whole life was continuous with the Philokalia.

Without leaving their village, they lived according to the Patericon, in which today we read about the ascetics and ascetics who worked in the desert. Opening the windows in the morning, they saw their neighbors and rejoiced; looking at each other, they learned patience, hope, determination, prayer, humility, love, repentance and forgiveness - everything that we now learn from books.

If a person is thirsty and is shown a beautiful photograph of a waterfall, he will not stop wanting to drink. Looking at the picture, he will see that there is water somewhere that someone can drink, but he can't! And he continues to be thirsty. Here's the thing. We read, listen, but do not feel. We have no peace because there are no calm people next to us.

Do you know that it is very contagious - both calm and fear? They are transmitted from person to person. Have you ever heard some people say, “Don’t do such and such, because your anxiety will rub off on me. I’ll start to panic too, and what will happen if we both start to get nervous?”

So, these old people did not have such worries and worries.

One of my friends, a priest, came to Greece from Scotland, from Edinburgh. People there are calmer, they have a different rhythm of life, a different mentality, a different culture... And this is not due to faith in God, but simply a calm rhythm of life there. Of course, the economy of this country, its politics, and history had an influence here... So, my friend came to his homeland and went by bus to Athens on business. And when he returned from the city, he called me and said:

- Oh, my poor head! How sick she got in Athens! What kind of life is here? What kind of madhouse is this? How do you cope with all this? The crowd, wild, distorted faces - people seem to be constantly chasing something, but they themselves don’t know why! How can you live like this? I peered into the faces and didn’t see a single calm, peaceful one... They were all kind of crazy. Something is not right here. People are different in Edinburgh. Of course, they are not what the Lord and the Church would like them to be, but at least they are not so restless. And we, the Greeks, are a Mediterranean people. We are filled with sunshine, and therefore we are extroverted, dynamic... But dynamism is one thing, and mental restlessness is another.

Fotis Kontoglou in his book “The Blessed Refuge” speaks of our “troubled times”: “When I meet a person who is calm and not in agitation, I stop, make the sign of the cross and glorify God, saying: “Finally I I met a calm man! After all, everyone around is running somewhere, in a hurry, and no one is happy or enjoying life. We are all chasing something, but without having time to rejoice at our achievements, we again rush for something new."

This worry is the result of our selfishness. We want to do everything ourselves. We are confident that a person is the master of his life. But if, indeed, you begin to consider yourself as such, then, indeed, you can fall into terrible anxiety and excitement. How can you not worry if everything depends only on you! Especially when it comes to your own children.

But worry about children will disappear if we learn to say these words: “ God brought me into this life and gave me children. He used me to give them life, He brought them into existence through my body, with my participation, but He does not require me to do absolutely everything for them. I must do only the possible for them, and I will trust the impossible to God and will not worry about my powerlessness. I will trust God and trust Him with my children. And then I'll calm down».

This is the right attitude towards life. And we take everything upon ourselves and think that our child’s life (or, for example, our career) depends on us. We want to control everything, and as a result we reach moral exhaustion: overwork sets in, our strength leaves us, we give up everything, and then we go crazy.

Are we capable of keeping everything in our heads and thinking about everything in the world? No, we can't. We also need to give God the opportunity to do something. Let us entrust our children to His care. Of course, we must also make our efforts, but with prayer. With prayer, love and affection, and not with fear - after all, by constantly worrying, you are not helping your children. On the contrary: your fear is transmitted to them.

For example, a child behaves badly, and the mother, worried about this, also begins to behave “badly.” And even if, being in such a state, she wants to caress her child, the child will not feel this caress. He will feel maternal fear - and this is the worst inheritance that a mother can pass on to her child. And vice versa: no wealth, no property or bank account can replace children with the most beautiful gift from their parents - peace of mind.

No money in your bank account? Don't worry, don't be afraid. “But what will I leave for my child?” What did they leave you with at the time? How did you manage to build your house? Of course, you cannot leave a child in complete poverty, so there must still be some kind of inheritance.

But the real wealth with which you can truly provide for his life is the wealth of simplicity. The true treasure is simplicity: simple soul, simple thoughts, simple life, simple behavior. Let your child learn from you not to be afraid, but to live calmly and peacefully. And then someday he will say: “My parents were calm people. They trusted God in everything and therefore never experienced a feeling of fear.” If only we could all leave such a memory of ourselves when we leave this world!

How wonderful it is to trust God! You say you can't do it. Try! This is a great blessing. As St. Gregory the Theologian says, “the greatest deed is inaction.” Sometimes you can hear the following words: “You don’t do anything in the Church.” Well, try to do for yourself what the Church says, that is do nothing? Can you remain calm without doing anything? Try it and you will understand how difficult it is. Because in fact, in this case you are not inactive. On the contrary, you make a lot of efforts to learn to trust God in everything. This is a great art - without doing anything, trusting everything to the Lord.

In the Patericon there is a story about a nun. Once they asked her how many years she had not left her cell.

“Thirty years,” she answered.

- What are you doing here, sitting in one place? – they asked her again.

– I do not sit, but am in a continuous wandering. That is, in appearance I really am sitting in one place, but this life, which may seem very calm, carefree and even indifferent, is in fact very mobile. Because I pray.

So when I say don't worry, I don't mean that we shouldn't do anything. On the contrary: we must do All. This All- surrendering oneself to the will of God. “Let us commend ourselves and our whole life to Christ our God.” This litany, a petition familiar to all of us, which sounds at the Liturgy, speaks precisely of this: that we surrender ourselves, our loved ones and our whole lives with all the problems, expenses, illnesses, marriages, purchases, children, property - with everything in the world, - in the hands of God. Therefore the name Christ God and stands here in the dative case: Christ God.

Let us trust in Christ, who is our God. Let us trust Him in everything. Into Your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit. Word let's betray means that we completely trust the Lord and leave everything at His feet, in His hands and arms.

And when you trust God, you will immediately feel how everything inside you relaxes. Have you seen how a child sleeps in his mother's arms? He falls asleep, and after a few minutes his arms hang, his legs too, there is no tension in his body, he is completely relaxed. His whole body is relaxed. Why? Because he is in the arms. In the arms of mom or dad - they hold him and he sleeps. The child completely trusts his parents. In their arms, he calms down and with his appearance seems to say: “I have a dad, I have a mom. As soon as I wake up, they will immediately give me something to eat.”

Have any of you seen a child in anxiety or worry? Even if you come across such children, then, looking at them, you think: “There is something wrong with this child!” Is it possible to imagine an ordinary child who wakes up in the morning and says: “What will happen to me today? What will I eat today? It's so hard for me! I'm scared, I'm afraid of tomorrow. If I get dirty, who will change my clothes? And if I get hungry, who will feed me?” Children completely trust their parents and rely entirely on them.

Both the Lord and the Church call us to want to do the same - consciously, voluntarily and deliberately. So that, having made such a decision, we believe and do it.

Surrender into the hands of God, entrust Him with your whole life, all your problems - entrust everything. And not just anyone, but the God-man, Christ, who can (and does) take care of everything in the world. Lord, You have given us everything and done everything for us, as they say in the liturgy of St. Basil the Great. And You will never leave us without Your help. At the last moment, when the situation seems hopeless, You will do everything for us. " I remembered the days of old, I learned from Your deeds

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I arrived in the village of Terebeni on the eve of Christmas, having covered sixty kilometers from the Pushkin Mountains. It was quiet, cloudy and frosty. Small fluffy snow swarmed in the air.

That day in Terebeny, in the local church, a funeral service was held for Baba Lena, a ninety-year-old woman who died the day before quietly and unnoticed. The coffin stood on the table in front of the altar. The only candle in the heads crackled in the emptiness of the cold temple. The service was taking place in a nearby chapel of the church. The sermon was read by a local priest, Father George.

I carefully opened the door and quietly entered, trying not to disturb the priest and parishioners. There were no more than ten parishioners, mostly elderly men and women. Father George, a heavyset, healthy man, with a powerful, thick beard, thick hair, and lively, sparkling, close-set eyes, spoke unexpectedly quietly, even somehow casually and simply, with his parishioners. I stood in the corner and listened to this amazing story about the life and death of Baba Lena.

There was no more conscientious and devout parishioner in Terebeny than Baba Lena. Her faith was strong and unshakable, and she asked God for only one thing - a peaceful death. I was preparing for it, getting ready.

It turns out that she was rewarded by faith,” said Father George. - Grandma Lena left calmly and quietly. Dignified, as she lived. This is what we could learn from her,” he finished after a pause. - In adulthood, you need to begin to prepare a bridgehead for yourself on the other shore, so that you can leave without horror and fear of the inevitability of death, in order to calmly and boldly look at the door where everyone will have to enter sooner or later...

“Easy to say,” I objected to him as we sat at the wake. - Have you never been afraid that your life will inevitably come to an end, that this whole world will remain, and you will no longer be in it? Have you ever thought this was unfair?

How! - he responded. - For the first time I came to despair from the inevitability of death, in my opinion, at the age of seven. Just frozen with fear. Then it happened again ten years later, when I was already quite old. I confess to you that things reached the point of neurosis: it began to seem to me that I was dying. Then I realized that I had to somehow resolve this issue for myself once and for all.

Was it successful?

Not right away, but it was possible. I was tormented in thought for quite a long time, I read a lot, and then one day it dawned on me: why I can’t bear to think about the fact that I won’t exist, why didn’t I think about the fact that I DIDN’T EXIST quite recently.

Did this thought bring you peace?

With her I started to get better. I imagined myself in my mother’s womb, where I, of course, felt calm and good. I probably felt quite comfortable and happy even before I was born into this world. I probably didn’t want to leave there for another world. But the inevitable happened: overcoming fear, I was born screaming. So, maybe the fear of death that I experienced in childhood and adolescence is nothing more than my genetic memory of the fear of birth? And in order to overcome the fear of death, the fear of the inevitability of non-existence, you must understand that you are just taking the next step...

Let's assume. But what exactly should a person cultivate in himself if he wants to face death without fear and mental pain?

The main thing, he said, is to be able to give up on yourself. When a mother, overcoming sleep and fatigue, runs in the night to a crying child - this is an act of self-denial in the name of the baby, understandable to everyone, embedded in the genetic memory of motherhood. But when a person cultivates in his soul the ability to consciously renounce his own pleasure, comfort in the name of another person, in the name of a good deed, in the name of helping someone in need - this is a renunciation of oneself. And the first act committed in this direction is the first step towards fearlessness before death. A person who has entered the path of self-denial gradually, step by step, matures, gains wisdom and peace of mind. In my conversations with parishioners, I often give one example. If a child in the womb refused to be born, he would inevitably die. But only by renouncing himself, from the pleasure of living in a comfortable and warm world, is he born for a new life. To understand this simple thought, as it turns out, is what our life is needed.

He still lives here today, in Terebeny, teaches his parishioners, learns from them himself, and at the same time presents a simple and clear lesson to everyone who still wants to learn. It is necessary, as he believes, for a person not to take on unbearable burdens, but to do what he can and must: to be born loudly and joyfully, to live with dignity and meaning, to face death calmly, without fuss and fear.

“You, Uncle Yura, return to Terebeni,” he said, saying goodbye. - Everything is better and simpler here, and the air is cleaner - you can see further.


Each of us is afraid of something. Some fears have haunted people since childhood; some have managed to outgrow childhood fears, but at the same time acquire new ones.

What is fear? And why does a person experience it?

Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary:FEAR - passion, fear, timidity, strong apprehension, an anxious state of mind from fright, from a threatening or imaginary disaster.

Great Soviet Encyclopedia:In psychology, a negative emotion that arises as a result of a real or imaginary danger that threatens the life of an organism, a person, or the values ​​it defends (ideals, goals, principles, etc.)

Who is afraid of what?

People are afraid of: dogs, spiders, mice, various kinds of insects, heights, depths, darkness, flying on airplanes, death, sharks, bosses, loneliness, work, people of the opposite sex, pain, freedom, torture, dentists and much more.

Types of fears:

  • Fear for someone.
  • Fear for yourself:
    - Fear of the unknown;
    - Fear of the known (previously experienced);
  • Phobia (manic fear).

Let's try to classify fears into the following groups and look at them through the prism of the Word of God:

1. FEAR OF PEOPLE:
This category includes fears such as fear of the boss, parents, fear of public opinion and ridicule of others, fear of persecution and persecution, etc.

A. Speaking about fear of a person, we need to turn to the motives of these fears. On the one side, The Bible teaches us not to be afraid of people, because everything is in the hands of God, who is able to protect his children: Hebrews 13:5-6 For He Himself said: I will not leave you nor forsake you, so we boldly say: The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid: what will man do to me?Luke 12:6-7 Are not five small birds sold for two assars? and not one of them is forgotten by God. And even the hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid: You are more valuable than many small birds.

B. On the other side , The Bible teaches that we fear (honor, respect, obey) earthly rulers and authorities who have received authority from God to punish lawbreakers:
Romans 13:1-5 Let every soul be submissive to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God; the existing authorities have been established by God. Therefore, he who resists authority resists God's institution. And those who resist will bring condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good deeds, but to evil deeds. Do you want to not be afraid of power? Do good, and you will receive praise from her, for the ruler is God's servant, for your good. If you do evil, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain: he is God's servant, an avenger in punishment of those who do evil. And therefore it is necessary obey not only out of fear of punishment, but also according to conscience.

Q. What's interesting is that these two verses do not contradict each other.
Human laws are a reflection of God's laws, and therefore human authorities are empowered by God to punish people who disobey the laws. But we know that the world is developing according to the laws of the prince of this world - Satan, and therefore persecution awaits believers, which the Bible calls “suffering for righteousness’ sake”:
1 Peter 3:11-14 Avoid evil and do good; seek peace and strive for it, because the eyes of the Lord are turned to the righteous and His ears to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil (to destroy them from the earth). And who will harm you if you are zealous for good? But even if you suffer for the truth, then you are blessed; but don’t be afraid of their fear and don't be embarrassed.

2. FEAR OF CIRCUMSTANCES:
This category includes fears such as failure, dismissal and unemployment, ruin, deportation, natural phenomena, fear of life and life’s problems and difficulties, fear of responsibility, etc.

Even the disciples of Jesus Christ were afraid of circumstances. Remember the storm:
Mark 4:37-40 In the evening of that day he told them: let's cross to the other side. And they sent the people away, and took Him with them, just as He was in the boat; There were other boats with Him. And a great storm arose; the waves beat on the boat, so that it was already filling with water. And He slept at the stern at the head. They wake him up and say to him: Teacher! Do You really not need that we perish? And, getting up, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea: be silent, stop. And the wind died down, and there was great silence. And he said to them: Why are you so afraid? How do you have no faith?

The life of believers is not without difficulties, but they trust the Lord in everything, in whose hands are not only the forces of nature, but also the lives of people.

Proverbs 3:24-26 When you go to bed, - you won't be afraid; and when you fall asleep, your sleep will be pleasant. You will not be afraid of sudden fear and harm from the wicked when she comes; for the Lord will be your trust and will keep your foot from being caught.

3. FEAR OF SATAN AND DARK FORCES:
This category includes fears such as fear of the dark, fear of the devil and demons, fear of superstitions and various kinds of omens...

A person is always afraid of everything unknown, and even more so - the invisible. Satan is the leader of evil spirits who are invisible to our eyes. Of course, this is a strong and insidious enemy, capable of “deceiving, killing and destroying.” However, God is stronger, and with His help we are able to resist the devilish forces:
1 John 4:4 Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
Ephesians 6:10-18 10 Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God so that you can stand against the wiles of the devil, because our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spirits of wickedness in high places. For this purpose, take on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on the evil day and, having done everything, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girded with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; and above all, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery arrows of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and petition, and strive for this very thing with all constancy and prayer for all the saints..
1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober and watchful, because your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Confront him with firm faith, knowing that the same sufferings happen to your brothers in the world.

And finally, the Lord takes care of his children and protects them from the enemy:
John 10:27-28 My sheep obey My voice, and I know them; and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and will never perish; And no one will kidnap them from my hand.

4. FEAR OF DEATH:
The fear of death is a natural state for man since the time of his fall. Even Christ's disciples openly said that they did not want to die. In the story leading up to the healing of Lazarus, the disciples tried to persuade Jesus not to return to Judea, knowing that it could end in death for all of them: John 11:1-14.

A. Be afraid, don’t be afraid, but you will still have to die someday.
Hebrews 9:27 ...And how it is appointed for men to die once, and then the judgment.

B. The only question is how will you die: in the Lord or in sins?
John 8:21-24 Again Jesus said to them: I am going away, and you will seek Me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come. Then the Jews said: Will He really kill Himself, because He says: “Where I go, you cannot come?” He said to them: You are from below, I am from above; you are from this world, I am not from this world. Therefore I am told you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that it is I, then you will die in your sins . Revelation 14:13 From now on blessed are the dead dying in the Lord.

B. Jesus is life and the source of Eternal Life.
John 11:25-26 I am the resurrection and the life; He who believes in Me, even if he dies, will come to life. And everyone who lives and believes in Me, will never die. Hebrews 2:14-15 And since children partake of flesh and blood, He also received them, in order by death to deprive him of the power of the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and to deliver those who from fear of death throughout life were subject to slavery . Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, and the gift of God - eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

D. As Christians, we are not afraid of death.
Philippians 1:21-24 Because for me life is Christ, And death is gain .

5. FEAR OF GOD.
A. The first time the word fear was used was in the Garden of Eden.
Genesis 3:9-10 And the Lord God called to Adam and said to him: Where are you? He said: I heard Your voice in Paradise, and was afraid because I was naked and hid myself.
Please note that Adam feared God not because he was naked, but because he disobeyed God and broke His commandment. Adam feared God's wrath and punishment.

B. Maybe you also fear God because you do not obey Him?
If that's the case, then you really should fear Him, because He will not delay in punishing you. And the Bible repeatedly warns us about this:
Luke 12:4-5 I say to you, My friends: don't be afraid killing the body and then being unable to do anything more; but I'll tell you who to fear: Fear the one who, after killing, can throw you into Gehenna: to her, I tell you, be afraid of that.

C. It is better to have the fear of the Lord than to simply fear God's wrath.
Proverbs 1:7 The beginning of wisdom - fear of the Lord.
Proverbs 9:10 The beginning of wisdom - fear of the Lord.
Psalm 147:11 The Lord favors to those who fear Him, to those who trust in His mercy.

D. Maybe you are afraid of God because you do not understand Him?
But even the disciples of Christ did not always fully understand Jesus:
John 6:16-20 When evening came, His disciples went down to the sea and, entering a boat, went to the other side of the sea, to Capernaum. It was getting dark, and Jesus did not come to them. A strong wind was blowing and the sea was rough. Having sailed about twenty-five or thirty furlongs, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and approaching a boat, and got scared. But He said to them: It is I; don't be afraid.

D. Are you afraid to trust God, thinking that He cannot help?
But He is Almighty. Nothing is impossible for Him. All we have to do is trust Him and believe in His power.
Luke 8:49-50 While He was still saying this, someone came from the house of the ruler of the synagogue and said to him: Your daughter is dead; don't bother the Teacher. But Jesus heard this and said to him: don't be afraid, just believe, and will be saved.

God does not act on our feelings, trying to force us to believe in Him under pain of death and eternal punishment. The Bible teaches that the love and goodness of God leads the sinner to realize his sins and repent: Romans 2:3-4Do you really think, man, that you will escape God’s judgment by condemning those who do such things and doing the same yourself? Or do you neglect the riches of God’s goodness, meekness and long-suffering, not realizing that God’s goodness leads you to repentance?

The Lord does not want man to die. He wants to save everyone!
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack in fulfilling his promise, as some count slackness; but he is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

However, the Bible also teaches that some still have to be saved by fear because nothing else has any effect on them: Jude 1:22-23 And be merciful to some, with consideration, and save others with fear, tearing them out of the fire; reprove them with fear, abhorring even clothing that is defiled by the flesh.

CONCLUSION:

1. Fear is slavery. Only God can free us from it.
Romans 8:14-16 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. Because you didn't accept spirit of slavery to again live in fear, but received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry: “Abba, Father!” This very Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

2. The Bible teaches that we must have the fear of the Lord - honor and respect for God and obedience to His will. God doesn't want us to be terrified of him. He wants a relationship with us based on love and respect. God is love, and He proved His love by dying on the cross for us all. His love grants us forgiveness and drives out the fear of punishment for sin from our hearts, because the Creator Himself bore the punishment for our sins. And if the fear of punishment still lives in your heart, then this indicates that you have not yet fully known the perfect love of God.
1 John 4:17-18 Love reaches such perfection in us that we have boldness on the day of judgment, because we act in this world as He does. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because in fear there is torment. Afraid imperfect in love.2 Timothy 1:7 ...For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-control

3. Faith and trust in God- this is something without which we cannot overcome our fears.

Romans 8:31-33 What can I say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?? He who did not spare His Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also freely give us all things with Him? Who will accuse God's elect? God justifies them.
Psalm 55:4-5 When I'm in fear, I trust in You. In God I will praise His word; I trust in God I'm not afraid; what will flesh do to me?
Psalm 118:6 Lord for me - I won't be afraid: what will a person do to me?
Psalm 26:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation: who should I be afraid of? The Lord is the strength of my life: who should I fear?
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled And let him not be afraid.


What are you afraid of?