Causes of Fear: 4 Types and Biblical Examples

Fear is a common reaction that we all deal with. But what are the causes of fears? Each of us has different fears based on our experiences and reactions.

Fears Meaning

I want to define fear for us to ensure that we understand it.

Fear is an emotional response to a real or perceived (possibly imagined) threat.

We have either learned from the past from an event, thing, or person that we have dealt with before, and we respond with fear. Or we see something new that appears to be a threat to us.

Causes of Fears

The main fears that people deal with are:

1. Death (i.e. dying or ceasing to exist)
2. Harm: Things that could cause harm to us or things we own (i.e. bad weather, dangerous animals)
3. Personal: Experiences that could affect us personally (i.e. shame, rejection, failure, etc.)
4. Unknown: Things that are out of our control (i.e. future). In this post, we talked about Fear of the unknown and how you can overcome fear at work.

Cause of Fears in the Brain

The cause of fear in the brain starts in an area of the brain called the amygdala. Once we see the sight of a predator, then a response is triggered to fight or flight (Smithsonianmag.com).

The amygdala is the center of emotion. As I was reading about this area of the brain, I thought, wow, my amygdala must be developed from all the tears I have shed over the years! 😂

Our brains are constantly recording information. This data burrows pathways from what we have learned in the past, and we remember the triggers for those fears. When fear triggers come, our body begins to respond with fear.

Causes of Fears in the Bible

Fear is one of the most common topics that I have seen in the Bible. When you type fear into a Bible application online, you find more than enough verses about fear to read a verse of the day for an entire year! For the ESV, I got 437 hits!

God knows us well! He knew that we would need A LOT of verses and context about fear, so He spread it throughout the Bible. The Old Testament has at least 1 verse on fear in all 36 books, and the New Testament has it in 20 of the 27 books. God sprinkled it throughout to remind us what fear is and that we ultimately should fear Him alone.

All four of the causes of fear mentioned above are throughout the Bible.

1. Causes of Fear: Death

Isaac’s wife was so beautiful that he thought the men of the country he lived in would kill him if he told them she was his wife.

When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” for he feared to say, “My wife,” thinking, “lest the men of the place should kill me because of Rebekah,” because she was attractive in appearance.

Genesis 26:7 ESV

Jacob and Esau had parted ways because Isaac had given Jacob the blessing that Esau was to obtain. Rebekah knew Esau hated Jacob, so she sent him away to live with her brother, Laban.

Years later, they were to meet. Esau was coming with over 400 men, and Jacob was afraid and distressed (Genesis 32:7 ESV).

He called out to the Lord as he was afraid that Esau was coming to kill him and all of his family.

Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children.

Genesis 32:11 ESV

2. Causes of Fear: Harm

The Israelites had REAL fear. After the 10th plague, Pharoah finally released them. And then the Egyptians were coming after them. Guess Pharoah had a change of heart. He was losing all of his slave labor. 😉

And Israel saw them and cried out in fear.

When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord.

Exodus 14:10 ESV

In the story of Joseph, his brothers sold him to some slave owners and told their father, Jacob, that he had been killed.

Years later, the land had a great famine. Joseph was second in command of Egypt, and the country had saved up years’ worth of grain during the large harvest years so they could survive the famine years. Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy grain. Except for one son, Benjamin. He was afraid that he would not come back unharmed.

But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers, for he feared that harm might happen to him.

Genesis 42:4 ESV

3. Causes of Fear: Personal

The one instance I could find a fear that affected someone personally was with Joseph, the ‘father’ of Jesus. During that time, if your wife was pregnant by another man, it was grounds for divorce. Joseph heard that Mary was pregnant. However, he had not slept with her and feared the stigma of marrying such a woman in their society. He also didn’t want to shame her, which was noble. But he planned to divorce her quietly.

However, an angel appeared to him and told him that it was okay to marry her. There was no shame, no stigma, or divorce necessary.

But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 1:20 ESV

I struggle with each of these causes of fear. However, this one sure seems to trip me up! My personal fear is that I will fail. I have always been a high achiever and desire to get the best grade. If I didn’t get an A, then I failed. And if I didn’t hear “great job” from the boss, then I didn’t do my absolute best.

4. Causes of Fear: Unknown

Sometimes, things come our way that is frightening. The disciples in this passage thought they saw a ghost.

But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear.

Matthew 14:26 ESV

In actuality, it was Jesus walking on the water towards their boat. He answered them with, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid” (vs 27).

Things may appear to be different than what they actually are. We need to take a deep breath, look at the situation, and assess whether our feelings align with what we know about the situation.

In this passage below, Paul was fearful that he’d find the Corinthians misbehaving, and that would be disheartening to know after you had spent much of your time encouraging them to live a righteous and holy life. Yet Paul didn’t need to fear. He needed to assess the situation of what he knew at the moment and whether he should actually be afraid of how they were doing in their lives. And he needed to pray that God was speaking to their hearts to live closely to Him.

For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.

2 Corinthians 12:20 ESV

God has a plan!

With all these fears and causes of fears, we need some encouragement and need to know that we will be able to overcome them.

Before the Israelites got into the Promised Land, spies were sent into the land to see what it promised and what they were against. The spies returned, and 10 out of the 12 gave reports of fear. The men are too large, and we will die at their hands. The other two spies, Joshua and Caleb, returned a report of the land flowing with milk and honey.

The people were swayed by the negative report and rebelled against Moses and Aaron.

But Joshua told the people,

“Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.”

Numbers 14:9 ESV

Even with fear that appears to be looming over them, it isn’t so. In fact, God had a plan for all of it. The people of the land would not be able to stand against God and the nation of Israel. He was removing their protection. The people did not need to fear. They needed to put their fears aside and trust God. The Lord would be with them.

God is with you and won’t leave you!

God is with you, dear friend. In the uncertainty of these times, He was with Israel, and He will stand and for us today. Have faith and trust Him.

Every promise that He has made in the Bible has come true. The one left for Him to fulfill is the promise of Jesus to return to the earth.

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.

Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV

Causes of Fear: Reflection Thoughts

1. Which of the fears above bother you the most?
2. Take a moment to pray about them. Leave them at the foot of the cross. God is with you, and Jesus died for even those fears. You don’t need to carry them anymore!
3. Claim the promise that is in Deuteronomy 31:6 today!

*******

Resource Library

As usual, there are bookmarks, verses, and reading plans for you to download for free. They are yours for stopping by our site. Check them out and enjoy!

And whenever you are fearful, breathe in/out with this verse in Romans below. It is available in the Resource Library as well.