Fear

We begin our new series on the Gospel and our emotions this morning, and our first topic is fear. As an emotion, fear is a gift from God. In a fallen world death is real and life can be dangerous, so healthy fear is vital to good decision making. We know that teenagers can lack healthy fear and feel invincible because the area of the brain that leads to healthy fear has not matured. So, we fear for our kids because they are not afraid of the things they should fear. But, fear can also become unhealthy and irrational. Ongoing fear can lead to anxiety which can be paralyzing. One of the things the Gospel produces in our lives is courage in the face of fear. This courage is not produces by will power, but by learning the fear of the Lord, who puts our other fear in proper perspective.