Originally posted on 4/2/2020 at https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/is-fear-about-pandemic-a-sin.html
The COVID-19 pandemic is eliciting a lot of different emotions and reactions for many people, and one of the most common is fear. Fear of catching the virus, fear of dying or having a family member die, fear of losing a job, fear of being able to pay bills, and fear of what the future will look like.
A common response I’ve seen from Christians who find themselves facing very real fears lately is the idea that as Christans, we shouldn’t be scared. Beyond that, there are people who believe that if they are scared, then that means they don’t have enough faith and that they are in sin. After all, the Bible tells us multiple times to not fear, so wouldn’t it be disobedience if we do fear?
While the Bible does encourage us many times to not fear, it doesn’t mean that being scared is a sin. Fear is an emotion that is given to us by God. In its most primal form, it’s meant to protect us from danger and give us the energy and motivation to get out of harm’s way or avoid a catastrophe. Much like anger, the presence of fear itself is not sin, but it can lead to sinful behavior if we are not careful.
Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life. Ephesians 4:26-27 MSG
Fear is not a pleasurable emotion, and if given the choice, most of us would choose to avoid it. But fear is not something we can instantly turn off, thus it often creates an internal struggle. So when we find ourselves fearful, how can we respond in a way that honors God and doesn’t give Satan a foothold in our lives?
Here are 5 ways how:
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