Fear can be antagonizing and paralyzing. It can affect our physical health, our emotional health, and our spiritual health. It causes us to make poor and uninformed decisions. And more importantly, fear can distract us from our God-given mission.

Perhaps the disruptive effect of fear prompted Paul to underscore, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (II Timothy 1:7).

There is an old German proverb that says, “Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.”

Depending on the translation we are reading, over 100 times the Bible specifically urges us to “fear not.”

I don’t think this means that as believers we never feel a wave of fear. I think it means that we should never give into our fears or be dominated by our fears.

There are many things that strike a chord of fear in our world: the threat of war, the perils of financial collapse, or the risk of being exposed to a pandemic virus.

As with SARS, Bird Flu, and Ebola in the past, the coronavirus has certainly and rightly stirred concern with population groups around the world. Fears related to COVID-19 have adversely influenced world markets, have limited travel abroad, have restricted public gatherings, and have closed numerous schools and universities. While the virus has spread rapidly in China, Iran, and Italy, to this point there have only been a relatively small number of cases in the United States compared to flu and other viruses.

Our faith urges us to resist the temptation to give into fear. Rather, we should educate ourselves in the facts of the virus and we should take proactive precautions.
Here are a few practical suggestions:

• Prioritize prayer and refuse to panic. Pray for those infected, those who are working toward an effective vaccine, and those who live in more at-risk regions of the world. Dorothy Bernard proposes that “Courage is fear that has said its prayers.”

• Practice proactive hygiene. The recommended precautions are similar to the precautions recommended for the flu. Switch from handshakes to fist bumps, and wash hands regularly and rigorously.

• Postpone travel to high risk areas. Don’t be afraid to take your family vacation but avoid the high-risk regions of the world.

• Proceed with your schedule and your daily responsibilities as normally as possible until advised to take additional precautions.

• Persist in maintaining a positive attitude. Fear makes us cranky and irritable. Some even suggests that fear and other negative emotions may compromise our immune systems. However, a positive attitude and an informed mind helps us to counter our fears and to be salt and light in our church and community.

Frederick W. Cropp surmised that, “There is much in the world to make us afraid. There is much more in our faith to make us unafraid.”

In any and every circumstance, refuse to be dominated by fear. Take courage, stay informed, and “fear not!”

(Barry Howard serves as the pastor of the Wieuca Road Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.)