Fight, Flight, or Faith
By Tom Gilbreath
The world wants to scare you. The ultimate spook is Satan himself. God says, “Fear thou not” (Isaiah 41:10). Satan says, “Yes, but what about China, Russia, and North Korea? What about the struggles of today’s young people? What about socialism’s rise in popularity? What about the moral freefall of the nations? What about the loss of basic freedoms in Europe? Is that on its way to America? What about the terrorist threat?” Then the devil innocently adds, “I’m just asking questions.”
But Satan isn’t innocent, and he is, according to Jesus, “the prince of this world” (John 12:31). He makes fearmongering profitable.
Clicks are the coin of the realm on the internet, especially on social media. There are lots of ploys to induce clicks. One of the most common is fear — fear of missing out, fear for our children’s safety, fear that an outside group might take over, fear of things happening without our knowledge, fear of death, fear of the unknown and of the known. The fears go on and on.
Television ads want us to fear aging, disease, looking uncool, insurance companies, falling in the tub, etc. Political ads have only seconds to make their case. Campaign strategists have learned that it’s easier to get us to vote against something rather than vote for something else. They’ve learned to target one of our basest instincts — fear. And a good scare also makes an ad more memorable.
To get you to watch the news, the ad says, “See the part of your daily routine that's killing you — tonight at 11!” It's like an ultimatum: “Tune in or die!”
This is not an occasional thing. Satan’s world system tries to put us all on a steady diet of fear. It pushes people into a fight-or-flight mode until they become so fatigued that all they can do is feel a general sense of anxiety, unease, and apprehension. People who once looked at the horizon with happy expectations today consider the future with quiet dread.
I’m not giving you another thing to worry about, but something to be aware of. Awareness allows you to think consciously about the near-constant external manipulations of your mind and spirit. With awareness, you can release your dreads, suspicions, and anxieties to the One who said in Matthew 11:28, “I will give you rest.”
Your Good Shepherd leads you beside still waters and restores your soul. He guides you in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even when you walk through the valley of the shadow of death — and though the danger may be all too real — you need fear no evil because He is with you. His presence is that powerful.
If you find yourself stewing in a cauldron of angst and doubt, remember that the prince of this world is trying to manipulate you. Fearful things exist, but you will not find victory over them in people, bank accounts, or human institutions. Your soul “will find rest” (Matthew 11:29) when you turn to the Good Shepherd, trust Him, and remember that He watches over you.
