A question I frequently ask myself is, “why do I do what I do? What drives me to say or act the way I do?” If all actions and words are produced in response to a thought in the mind, what drives the thoughts I think? My theory, and it is a theory, is that unbiblical, sinful thoughts are the result of fears. Underneath those fears are lies we have believed, lies about ourselves, others, or God. So often we take control of our lives because we don’t trust God. We don’t trust Him to provide for us, protect us, or love us. Here are three of the most common fears we have:

1. Fear of being harmed by others. This fear leads us to feel insecure and suspicious of others and their motives. This fear is based in the lie that God cannot be trusted to protect us. We have to play god in our lives and protect ourselves. When we discover that we can’t, we grow anxious. God’s promise is that He will protect and defend us if we will trust Him (Proverbs 23:11, Isaiah 38:6, 51:22, Jeremiah 51:36, Luke 21:14, 15).
2. Fear of not having enough and dying penniless. We fear we will starve to death or die of exposure. This leads to materialism, hoarding, and various addictions. The lie underneath this fear is that God can’t be trusted to provide for our needs so we must provide for ourselves. We have to play god but when our trusted resources fail us, we grow anxious. God’s promise is that He will provide for us if we will but trust Him. If He cares for the birds of the air and clothes the lilies of the field how much more will He provide for us (Psalm 68:10, Luke 12:22-31)?
3. Fear of being alone and unloved. This fear leads to promiscuity and sexual addiction. The thinking is that by being sexual with others I will be loved and won’t have to be alone. The lie is that God doesn’t love us and has abandoned us thus we have to be god and take control of our lives to find love ourselves. That’s a lie. God promises that He will “never leave us or forsake us” (Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:5, Hebrews 13:5).

Probably the most pervasive lie of all is that there is no God. Because God doesn’t exist, we must step in to be god in our lives and determine our own futures. This produces the fear of failure and leads to despair, perfectionism, addictions to education, degrees, titles, or positions to compensate. It is called the sin of unbelief and is the biggest lie of all. God repeatedly tells us in His Word not to doubt, only believe that He is. Consider Hebrews 11:6 which says, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

God, forgive us for the lies we’ve believed and the fears we’ve experienced because of them,

Irv