Heb 2:15 And He will deliver them, who through FEAR of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. God frees those who are in slavery because of their FEAR of death. The clinical word for fear of death is thanatophobia. 

Isa 41:10 This describes my Dad before a grave surgery and impending death. 

Kinds and types of FEARS: 

1. things that will happen that we know about and 
2. 2) things that happen that we don’t know about.  

Good fears keep you and others safe. Bad fears enslave you to a phantom. 

My phantom fear: Drinking cheap, cheap Thunderbird wine and thinking I will see the Devil or God! I thought, at any time when in the dark, the devil would appear in a red heated face and devour me or, the Lord might appear in dazzling white raiment and vaporize me. I felt I could either be vaporized by the Lord or devoured by the devil. 

Some people are fearful, shy/timid, non-assuming, closed/indirect and passive. Others are fearless, bold, open/direct, and aggressive. We have different personalities and that is good because it provides balance in our interactions, whether in or outside the family. We need to do our best to understand the uniqueness and differences of everyone and celebrate those differences, i.e., cooperate with human nature rather than against it. 

We are wise when we first seek to understand the other person.  If we work hard to understand the likelihood is that we may be better understood. When we truly listen to the other person, that person will more than likely be willing to listen to us. 

Some, because of personality differences, may be alarmed at things others would not be affected by at all. Each of us has fears but we respond in different ways. Much of the time, in life, it is not what happens to us but it is how we respond to what happens that really counts. Fears can be overwhelming and may affect some to the extent that they are afraid to interact with people or go to various places outside the safe haven of the home. 

To the extent we surrender to our fears to that same degree we perpetuate the fears. When we perpetuate our fears, we expand our capacity to fear even more. When our capacity to fear expands the power of fear increases. When our power to fear is increased, we tend to live by fear. When we live by fear, we become intimidated by life itself. Is that any way to live? No, it’s not a good way to live when a better way is available. 

Bad and fearful things are going to occur in our lives and so are good things. Too much success can be as difficult to manage as too little. Too many things can be overwhelming but no things at all can make us feel vulnerable and helpless. How are we to respond to too much or too little or none? If we have much, we tend to think we will have it forever! Too much can become too little or none and the little can become too much to manage. 

Having good health and then having little or none.  Having a happy marriage and then seeing what once was…. deteriorate or vanish. Having fine children, a fine husband or wife, a fine Mother, and Dad, a brother or sister or your best friend…. what once was no longer is can happen in an instant… what we have we can lose, all of it. 

But something remains that we can’t lose… that is the originator and the sustainer i.e., the giver, who was there before we had anything and who will be there when we lose everything… He is the giver, He is the gift, He stays, He doesn’t move.  This is reality! What must we do to prepare for these extreme blessings and losses?

Boy Scout…”BE PREPARED”!! How?? Keep your eyes on the GIVER! He will never, never leave nor forsake you, in sickness or in health, in having or not having the details of life. How do you keep your eyes on the giver? By looking into the perfect law of liberty! His word, He is revealed only in his word!!! If you look consistently into His holy word and seek to understand, He will be a constant companion, a friend that sticks closer than a brother!  For stability, happiness and certainty you must be consistently occupied with the person of the book…. even Jesus Christ the righteous and victorious one i.e. the KING OF KINGS and the LORD OF ALL!