There are not 365 Days of “Fear Not” Verses in the Bible. I’m sorry to disappoint you. I’ve heard this so many times, I assumed it was true – until I went looking for them. They don’t exist. However, not dissuaded easily, I set out to discover what the Bible says about Fear, Worry, Dread, and Anxious or Troubled Hearts. After cross-referencing various words in Hebrew and Greek, I’ve compiled a list of 374 verses on these topics. They aren’t all the same “Fear Not” mantra, but they dive into issues of worry, the opinions of others, reverence for God, negative effects of misplaced fear, and troubled hearts.
I struggle with silent anxiety. I’ve read books and listened to pastors and podcasts, but while I seem happy and carefree on the outside, I’m plagued with TMJ, Acid Reflux, Hand Clenching, and Stress Dreams.
All that has led to this year-long journey, where I hope to study one verse a day, praying over the context and the many questions I’m sure I’ll have for God along the way. Like, how did Adam and Eve feel fear when they’d never known it existed? Is it a core emotion? Is it sinful or just a reaction? What are the different types of fear? And mostly, how do we overcome it?
If you want to dive in with me, I’m attaching a pdf of the verses. Let’s learn to be fearless together. Or at least, heal from the trauma that misplaced fear can bring.
So while there may not be 365 Verses that specifically say “Fear Not” in the Bible, I’m sure this will be a worthwhile adventure. Follow me on Instagram or Facebook for videos and discussions throughout the year.
(I’m sure we’ll discover typos in this doc along the way, but I’m choosing to fearlessly put this out there anyway. Please let me know if you find some though! Thanks!)
I love this! I too really struggle with some of those symptoms of anxiety. I am a major teeth clencher…night and day really. I have started to become more aware of it as it has given me dental problems. I also have anxiety attacks sometimes over the smallest things and it doesn’t even make sense. I have been wanting to work on healing in many areas of my life this next year, this being one of them. So, thanks for this! I’m ready to see what God has to say for sure!
Such good observations and questions on that first verse! I think there are different types of fear possibly? Like the good one that has awe and reverence of God attached to it and then the one where it’s attached to shame or the heebie jeebies. I think the second kind is a form of sin…you aren’t trusting God in some way. I think that is the fear that is being used in this verse because of the shame reference. When they ate the fruit, it opened the door for that sin to creep into their hearts. It’s crazy that Adam already had a word for it….maybe it was part of the knowledge of evil that he got from eating from the tree? On the other hand, it could be the first kind of fear where having that knowledge of good and evil has allowed them to see and truly grasp the holiness and glory of God…and that is the kind of fear they are experiencing. What do you think?
I really think the bad kind of fear is overcome by Holy Spirit giving us a deeper revelation of who God is (that He is a good God and is for us), who we are (redeemed saints, no longer sinners, walking in His resurrection power and the apple of God’s eye). It’s all about growing deeply in our trust for Him.