When I was a young person, I was deathly afraid of bees. There was an inner panic that set in when I spotted one of these flying insects of death. When one was spotted in the distance, I would carefully monitor its flight path and adjust my own course to avoid any chance of an encounter. It was as though I believed that every flying insect with a stinger had their radar set on me as their target. At some point over the years, the fear of bees left me. It’s not that I look forward to getting stung or head over towards their nest to stir up trouble – but there is not the same debilitating and unreasonable fear that once kept me bound up on the inside.

Our fears can truly get out of hand. As adults, our fears get larger and more unmanageable. We have fears about our finances and the economy. We fear the perceptions of others and relationships that we can’t control. We fear the political climate and how laws and regulations will cause us undue hardship. We fear the horrors of warfare and the terroristic violence we see in the world. We fear the hurricanes, blizzards, and other natural disasters that can decimate whole regions. None of these things can we do much to control or contain. Any one of these fears could become something that drastically alters the course of your life.

While this seems like a dark reality as we face the new year, the Bible gives us a solution. No, the Bible doesn’t say that all of the dangers and storms of life will pass when we trust Jesus (although there are false teachers out there who will proclaim that). However, the Bible DOES say that don’t need to fear these things and that our focus should not be on the things that could go wrong in the new year. Instead, we are told the face each new year (and each new day) with a biblical perspective –

1. Keep Your Fear in Check – Don’t allow your life’s decisions to be informed by your fear. In Psalm 23, the psalmist was going through trials and fears that were as terrifying as death itself. He acknowledged his fearful circumstances, but did not allow himself to be consumed with worry about the evil that might overtake him. Why? Because he knew that God was in charge and was staying close by his side. Fear can run rampant in our minds if we let it get a foothold. We can be consumed by the “what if” scenarios of how it all could come crashing down around us. Instead, keep your fear in check by staying close to the Lord and relying on His promise that He will “never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5)


2. Keep Faith as Your Focus – The more you stay focused on your fear, the more it will inform your understanding of the reality around you. Instead, the Bible tells us to consciously keep our focus on the blessings and promises of God. Philippians 4:4-9 is a great example of where our focus should lie when fear wants to intrude on our thoughts. Think on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely and every thing that can bring God praise. (Yes, these things do still exist). The more you focus on these things from God, the less you will focus on your fears.

It's true that there are a lot of dark things to be fearful of in the year to come. I’m not going to tell you that these are all unfounded fears. However, I do know that God doesn’t want you to be consumed with the fears of this life. He wants you to focus on His enduring presence, make a conscious decision to stay focused on the blessings and promises He offers, and cling to the truth that He is in total control. There is no better way to face the fears of the new year than by strengthening your faith in a sovereign God who loves you and promises to meet your needs.