Fear Not, Fret Not, Fret Not
These are three things the Bible tells us not to do.
Not only does the Bible tell us to do something, but it also tells us things not to do. The Bible tells us in three different places not to do the following things if we want to grow spiritually:
- “Fear not.”
- “Fret not.”
- “Faint not.”
It is easier to obey the above commands if we trust God to never leave us nor forsake us, as the Bible states in several places. It will be easy to refrain from fearing, fretting, and fainting, especially when we think of the benefits of obeying God.
The expression “fear not” is in the Bible about 365 times. That means people are not to fear any day of the entire calendar year. Whenever it is written in the Bible, “fear not,” a promise or an encouraging word almost always follows it. God does not tell us not to do something without encouraging us to replace it with something else.
According to Isaiah 41:10, we are to exchange fear for faith because God is always with us.
“Fear not, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.”
We are not to fear for two reasons.
- God is our God.
- God is with us.
Do not confuse the definition of “fear,” which means to honor God, with the word “fear,” which means to be afraid of something. In the command to fear not, it means not to be afraid.
We can't help but fret from time to time because there is so much evil in the world that upsets us. We fret because we are powerless to stop the evil that goes on in our family, on our job, and even in our church. There are people who seek to do us harm. There are distractions all around us. We fret when we have no control over those things and people. Therefore, fretting is the only response we know to do about those negative things. Even though we fret, the Bible tells us not to do evil.
“Fret not yourself in any wise to do evil.”
Psalm 37 mentions not to fret twice.
- Fret not because of evildoers, according to Psalm 37:1.
- Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil, according to Psalm 37:8.
Surely, we are concerned when we hear about people robbing banks, setting houses and churches on fire, and the many mass school shootings in our country. Instead of fretting over those terrible things, the Bible clearly says we are to replace our fretting with faith.
It is so easy to give up when things get tough. If we give up, we will get nothing for our efforts to hang in there during trying times.
Galatians 6:9 gives us much encouragement. It tells us that if we continue to stand in the midst of trials and tribulations, then we will reap a harvest in due season, provided we do not faint.
So if you want to grow spiritually and have something to show for your labor, continue to stand firm until harvest time because it will eventually come.
“Be not weary in well doing, for in due season you shall reap if you faint not.” (Galatians 6:9)
The word “faint” in this scripture does not mean to fall out from weakness or because you are sick. It means “giving up.” If we want to grow spiritually and succeed in life, then we need to “faint not.” In other words, when we reach the end of our rope, we should tie a knot and hold on.
Our Christian maturity is based on the three biblical principles cited above. We are to fear not, fret not, and faint not.
- We should renounce fear and replace it with faith.
- We should renounce fretting and replace it with faith.
- Finally, we should renounce fainting and replace it with faith.
Faith is what will keep us growing spiritually when it replaces fearing, fretting, and fainting!
Survey:
Which one of the three “nots” do you usually have a problem with?
- 22% Fear Not
- 33% Fret Not
- 11% Faint Not
- 33% All of the above
About the Creator
Margaret Minnicks
Margaret Minnicks has a bachelor's degree in English. She is an ordained minister with two master's degrees in theology and Christian education. She has been an online writer for over 15 years. Thanks for reading and sending TIPS her way.
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