Throughout the Bible, fear is often what keeps people from being able to enter into some state of blessing that God intends for them.

In Numbers 13, God put the Promised Land before the children of Israel, but they wouldn’t go in because they were afraid. The spies had come back from their scouting mission and said, “The people there are like giants, and we are like grasshoppers. They’re going to stomp us out!”

In Matthew 14, Peter won’t walk on the water because he looks around at the storm and is afraid. God’s power would have held him up, but his fear causes him to sink.

In many ways, the original sin of Adam and Eve grew out of fear: Satan played on the idea that their obedience to God was making them miss out on something. 

Fear is what keeps you from experiencing the blessing God has for you.

Fear keeps you out of the “promised land” of God’s blessings in your relationships. If you’re married, fear is what keeps you out of the promised land of a good marriage; if you’re single, fear is what keeps you out of the promised land of joyful and contented singleness. Christian counselors have identified fear as one of the number 1 wreckers of relationships.

You might think the command most often given in the Bible is, “Be holy” or “Read God’s Word” or “Tell people about Jesus.”

It is, “Fear not.” That command is found in the Bible 366 times. That’s one for each day of the year, including leap year. 

God’s command to “fear not” comes with a promise: “There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears is not complete in love” (CSB). 

It’s only by grasping the perfect love of God that you can ever be released from your fear.