“No Fear” Series
Have No Fear, God Is Here!
Fear Not
10/2/02
I. Introduction
No Fear T-shirts
a. I’ve Never Lost (but I have been a little behind when time ran out)
b. It’s not the pace of life that scares me. It’s the sudden stop at the end.
II. What is Fear?
a. Anxiety caused by real or possible danger, pain, etc.; fright
b. Awe; reverence
c. Apprehension; concern
d. Synonyms: (noun) fright, terror, horror, panic, dread, dismay, awe, scare, revulsion, aversion, tremor, mortal terror, cowardice, dread, timidity, misgiving, trembling, anxiety, phobia, foreboding, despair, agitation, hesitation, worry, concern, suspicion, doubt, qualm, funk, cold feet, cold sweat.
e. Synonyms: (verb) be afraid, shun, avoid, falter, lose courage, be alarmed, be frightened, be scared, live in terror, dare not, have qualms about, cower, flinch, shrink, quail, cringe, turn pale, tremble, break out in a sweat.
III. What is a Phobia?
a. Phobias are persistent, irrational fears of certain objects or situations.
b. A person who has a phobia is often so overwhelmed by their anxiety that they go to great lengths to avoid the feared object or situation.
c. Nearly 5% of the nation’s population are affected by phobias of one kind or another.
IV. Effects of Phobias
a. Those who suffer from phobias avoid whatever they fear because with it comes a number of troubling symptoms such as:
• Anxiety.
• Rapid heart beat.
• Sweating.
• Hot or cold flashes.
• Choking, feelings of being smothered.
• Shaking.
• Dizziness, faintness.
• Extreme need to flee the situation.
• Feelings of panic.
V. Types of Phobias
a. Specific Phobia
Specific phobia (sometimes called simple phobia) is the irrational fear of specific objects such as small animals, insects, snakes, closed-in spaces, heights or flying in an airplane.
b. Social Phobia
Social phobia, (also called social anxiety) is characterized by overwhelming anxiety and excessive self-consciousness in every day social situations. People with social phobia have a persistent and chronic fear of being watched and judged by others and of being embarrassed or humiliated by their own actions.
c. Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is commonly referred to as a fear of social situations. A person with this phobia feels intense anxiety, often to the point of terror, in open, crowded, or public places.
VI. Name That Phobia
1. Anuptaphobia: Is it…?
a. Fear of failure
b. Fear of being single
c. Fear of falling
d. Fear of cartoon characters
2. Alliumphobia:
a. Fear of doing homework
b. Fear of aluminum
c. Fear of garlic
d. Fear of losing your hair
3. Enochlophobia:
a. Fear of crowds
b. Fear of scarecrows
c. Fear of Enoch
d. Fear of amnesia
VII. All Phobias
Ablutophobia: Fear of washing or bathing.
Acarophobia: Fear of itching or of the insects that cause itching.
Acerophobia: Fear of sourness.
Achluophobia: Fear of darkness.
Acousticophobia: Fear of noise.
Acrophobia: Fear of heights.
Aerophobia: Fear of drafts, air swallowing, or airbourne noxious substances.
Aeroacrophobia: Fear of open high places.
Aeronausiphobia: Fear of vomiting secondary to airsickness.
Agliophobia: Fear of pain.
Agrizoophobia: Fear of wild animals.
Agyrophobia: Fear of streets or crossing the street.
Aichmophobia: Fear of needles or pointed objects.
Ailurophobia: Fear of cats.
Albuminurophobia: Fear of kidney disease.
Alektorophobia: Fear of chickens.
Algophobia: Fear of pain.
Alliumphobia: Fear of garlic.
Allodoxaphobia: Fear of opinions.
Altophobia: Fear of heights.
Amathophobia: Fear of dust.
Amaxophobia: Fear of riding in a car.
Ambulophobia: Fear of walking.
Amnesiphobia: Fear of amnesia.
Amychophobia: Fear of scratches or being scratched.
Anablephobia: Fear of looking up.
Ancraophobia: Fear of wind.
Androphobia: Fear of men.
Anemophobia: Fear of air drafts or wind.
Anginophobia: Fear of angina, choking or narrowness.
Anglophobia: Fear of England, English culture, etc.
Angrophobia: Fear of becoming angry.
Ankylophobia: Fear of immobility of a joint.
Anthrophobia: Fear of flowers.
Anthropophobia: Fear of people or society.
Antlophobia: Fear of floods.
Anuptaphobia: Fear of staying single.
Apeirophobia: Fear of infinity.
Aphenphosmphobia: Fear of being touched.
Apiphobia: Fear of bees.
Apotemnophobia: Fear of persons with amputations.
Arachibutyrophobia: Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth.
Arachnophobia: Fear of spiders.
Arithmophobia: Fear of numbers.
Arrhenphobia: Fear of men.
Arsonphobia: Fear of fire.
Asthenophobia: Fear of fainting or weakness.
Astraphobia: Fear of thunder and lightning.
Astrophobia: Fear of stars and celestial space.
Asymmetriphobia: Fear of asymmetrical things.
Ataxophobia: Fear of disorder or untidiness.
Atelophobia: Fear of imperfection.
Atephobia: Fear of ruin or ruins.
Athazagoraphobia: Fear of being forgotten or ignored or forgetting.
Atomosophobia : Fear of atomic explosions.
Atychiphobia: Fear of failure.
Aulophobia: Fear of flutes.
Aurophobia: Fear of gold.
Auroraphobia: Fear of Northern lights.
Autodysomophobia: Fear of one that has a vile odor.
Automatonophobia: Fear of ventriloquist’s dummies, animatronic creatures, wax statues anything that falsly represents a sentient being.
Automysophobia: Fear of being dirty.
Autophobia: Fear of being alone or of oneself.
Aviophobia: Fear of flying.
Bacillophobia: Fear of microbes.
Bacteriophobia: Fear of bacteria.
Ballistophobia: Fear of missles or bullets.
Barophobia: Fear of gravity.
Basophobia: Inability to stand. Fear of walking or falling.
Bathophobia: Fear of depth.
Batonophobia: Fear of plants.
Batophobia: Fear of heights or being close to high buildings.
Batrachophobia: Fear of amphibians, such as frogs, newts, salamanders, etc.
Belonephobia: Fear of pins and needles. (Aichmophobia)
Bibliophobia: Fear of books.
Blennophobia: Fear of slime.
Bogyphobia: Fear of bogies or the bogeyman.
Bromidrosiphobia: Fear of body smells.
Brontophobia: Fear of thunder and lightning.
Bufonophobia: Fear of toads.
Cacophobia: Fear of ugliness.
Cainophobia: Fear of newness, novelty.
Caligynephobia: Fear of beautiful women.
Cancerophobia: Fear of cancer.
Cardiophobia: Fear of the heart.
Carnophobia: Fear of meat.
Catagelophobia: Fear of being ridiculed.
Catapedaphobia: Fear of jumping from high and low places.
Cathisophobia: Fear of sitting.
Catoptrophobia: Fear of mirrors.
Cenophobia: Fear of new things or ideas.
Ceraunophobia: Fear of thunder.
Chaetophobia: Fear of hair.
Cheimaphobia: Fear of cold.
Chemophobia: Fear of chemicals or working with chemicals.
Cherophobia: Fear of gaiety.
Chionophobia: Fear of snow.
Chiraptophobia: Fear of being touched.
Cholerophobia: Fear of anger or the fear of cholera.
Chorophobia: Fear of dancing.
Chrometophobia: Fear of money.
Chromophobia: Fear of colors.
Chronophobia: Fear of time.
Chronomentrophobia: Fear of clocks.
Cibophobia: Fear of food.
Claustrophobia: Fear of confined spaces.
Cleithrophobia: Fear of being locked in an enclosed place.
Cleptophobia: Fear of stealing.
Climacophobia: Fear of stairs, climbing or of falling downstairs.
Clinophobia: Fear of going to bed.
Clithrophobia: Fear of being enclosed.
Cnidophobia: Fear of strings.
Cometophobia: Fear of comets.
Coimetrophobia: Fear of cemeteries.
Coprastasophobia: Fear of constipation.
Coprophobia: Fear of feces.
Coulrophobia: Fear of clowns.
Counterphobia: The preference by a phobic for fearful situations.
Cryophobia: Fear of extreme cold, ice or frost.
Crystallophobia: Fear of crystals or glass.
Cyberphobia: Fear of computers or working on a computer.
Cyclophobia: Fear of bicycles.
Cymophobia: Fear of waves or wave like motions.
Cynophobia: Fear of dogs or rabies.
Decidophobia: Fear of making decisions.
Defecaloesiophobia: Fear of painful bowels movements.
Deipnophobia: Fear of dining and dinner conversations.
Dementophobia: Fear of insanity.
Demonophobia: Fear of demons.
Demophobia: Fear of crowds.
Dendrophobia: Fear of trees.
Dentophobia: Fear of dentists.
Dermatophobia: Fear of skin lesions.
Dermatosiophobia: Fear of skin disease.
Dextrophobia: Fear of objects at the right side of the body.
Diabetophobia: Fear of diabetes.
Didaskaleinophobia: Fear of going to school.
Dikephobia: Fear of justice.
Dinophobia: Fear of dizziness or whirlpools.
Diplophobia: Fear of double vision.
Dipsophobia: Fear of drinking.
Dishabiliophobia: Fear of undressing in front of someone.
Domatophobia: Fear of houses or being in a house.
Doraphobia: Fear of fur or skins of animals.
Dromophobia: Fear of crossing streets.
Dutchphobia: Fear of the Dutch.
Dysmorphophobia: Fear of deformity.
Dystychiphobia: Fear of accidents.
Ecclesiophobia: Fear of church.
Ecophobia: Fear of home.
Eicophobia: Fear of home surroundings.
Eisoptrophobia: Fear of mirrors or of seeing oneself in a mirror.
Electrophobia: Fear of electricity.
Eleutherophobia: Fear of freedom.
Elurophobia: Fear of cats.
Emetophobia: Fear of vomiting.
Enetophobia: Fear of pins.
Enochlophobia: Fear of crowds.
Enosiophobia: Fear of having committed an unpardonable sin or of criticism.
Entomophobia: Fear of insects.
Eosophobia: Fear of dawn or daylight.
Epistaxiophobia: Fear of nosebleeds.
Epistemophobia: Fear of knowledge.
Equinophobia: Fear of horses.
Eremophobia: Fear of being oneself or of loneliness.
Ereuthrophobia: Fear of blushing.
Ergasiophobia: 1) Fear of work or functioning. 2) Surgeon’s fear of operating.
Ergophobia: Fear of work.
Euphobia: Fear of hearing good news.
Erythrophobia: 1) Fear of redlights. 2) Blushing. 3) Red
Febriphobia: Fear of fever.
Felinophobia: Fear of cats.
Francophobia: Fear of France, French culture.
Frigophobia: Fear of cold, cold things.
Gamophobia: Fear of marriage.
Geliophobia: Fear of laughter.
Geniophobia: Fear of chins.
Genuphobia: Fear of knees.
Gephyrophobia: Fear of crossing bridges.
Germanophobia: Fear of Germany, German culture, etc.
Gerascophobia: Fear of growing old.
Gerontophobia: Fear of old people or of growing old.
Geumaphobia: Fear of taste.
Glossophobia: Fear of speaking in public or of trying to speak.
Gnosiophobia: Fear of knowledge.
Graphophobia: Fear of writing or handwriting.
Gymnophobia: Fear of nudity.
Gynephobia: Fear of women.
Hadephobia: Fear of hell.
Hagiophobia: Fear of saints or holy things.
Hamartophobia: Fear of sinning.
Haphephobia: Fear of being touched.
Harpaxophobia: Fear of being robbed.
Hedonophobia: Fear of feeling pleasure.
Heliophobia: Fear of the sun.
Hellenologophobia: Fear of Greek terms or complex scientific terminology.
Helminthophobia: Fear of being infested with worms.
Hemophobia: Fear of blood.
Heresyphobia: Fear of challenges to official doctrine or of radical deviation.
Herpetophobia: Fear of reptiles or creepy, crawly things.
Heterophobia: Fear of the opposite sex.
Hierophobia: Fear of priests or sacred things.
Hippophobia: Fear of horses.
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia: Fear of long words.
Hobophobia: Fear of bums or beggars.
Hodophobia: Fear of road travel.
Hormephobia: Fear of shock.
Homichlophobia: Fear of fog.
Homilophobia: Fear of sermons.
Hominophobia: Fear of men.
Homophobia: Fear of sameness, monotony or of homosexuality or of becoming homosexual.
Hoplophobia: Fear of firearms.
Hydrargyophobia: Fear of mercurial medicines.
Hydrophobia: Fear of water or of rabies.
Hydrophobophobia: Fear of rabies.
Hyelophobia: Fear of glass.
Hygrophobia: Fear of liquids, dampness, or moisture.
Hylephobia: Fear of 1) materialism 2) the fear of epilepsy.
Hylophobia: Fear of forests.
Hypengyophobia: Fear of responsibility.
Hypnophobia: Fear of sleep or of being hypnotized.
Hypsiphobia: Fear of height.
Iatrophobia: Fear of going to the doctor or of doctors.
Ichthyophobia: Fear of fish.
Ideophobia: Fear of ideas.
Illyngophobia: Fear of vertigo or feeling dizzy when looking down.
Iophobia: Fear of poison.
Insectophobia : Fear of insects.
Isolophobia: Fear of solitude, being alone.
Isopterophobia: Fear of termites, insects that eat wood.
Japanophobia: Fear of Japanese.
Judeophobia: Fear of Jews.
Kainolophobia: Fear of novelty.
Kainophobia: Fear of anything new, novelty.
Kakorrhaphiophobia: Fear of failure or defeat.
Katagelophobia: Fear of ridicule.
Kathisophobia: Fear of sitting down.
Kenophobia: Fear of voids or empty spaces.
Keraunophobia: Fear of thunder and lightning.
Kinetophobia: Fear of movement or motion.
Kleptophobia: Fear of stealing.
Koinoniphobia: Fear of rooms.
Kopophobia: Fear of fatigue.
Koniophobia: Fear of dust.
Kosmikophobia: Fear of cosmic phenomenon.
Kymophobia: Fear of waves.
Kynophobia: Fear of rabies.
Kyphophobia: Fear of stooping.
Lachanophobia: Fear of vegetables.
Laliophobia: Fear of speaking.
Leprophobia: Fear of leprosy.
Leukophobia: Fear of the color white.
Levophobia: Fear of things to the left side of the body.
Ligyrophobia: Fear of loud noises.
Lilapsophobia: Fear of tornadoes and hurricanes.
Limnophobia: Fear of lakes.
Linonophobia: Fear of string.
Liticaphobia: Fear of lawsuits.
Lockiophobia: Fear of childbirth.
Logizomechanophobia: Fear of computers.
Logophobia: Fear of words.
Lutraphobia: Fear of otters.
Lygophobia: Fear of darkness.
Lyssophobia: Fear of rabies or of becoming mad.
Macrophobia: Fear of long waits.
Mageirocophobia: Fear of cooking.
Maieusiophobia: Fear of childbirth.
Maniaphobia: Fear of insanity.
Mastigophobia: Fear of punishment.
Mechanophobia: Fear of machines.
Megalophobia: Fear of large things.
Melissophobia: Fear of bees.
Melanophobia: Fear of the color black.
Melophobia: Fear or hatred of music.
Meningitophobia: Fear of brain disease.
Merinthophobia: Fear of being bound or tied up.
Metallophobia: Fear of metal.
Metathesiophobia: Fear of changes.
Meteorophobia: Fear of meteors.
Methyphobia: Fear of alcohol.
Metrophobia: Fear or hatred of poetry.
Microphobia: Fear of small things.
Misophobia: Fear of being contaminated with dirt of germs.
Mnemophobia: Fear of memories.
Molysomophobia: Fear of dirt or contamination.
Monophobia: Fear of solitude or being alone.
Monopathophobia: Fear of definite disease.
Motorphobia: Fear of automobiles.
Mottephobia: Fear of moths.
Musophobia: Fear of mice.
Mycophobia: Fear or aversion to mushrooms.
Mycrophobia: Fear of small things.
Myctophobia: Fear of darkness.
Myrmecophobia: Fear of ants.
Mythophobia: Fear of myths or stories or false statements.
Myxophobia: Fear of slime.
Nebulaphobia: Fear of fog.
Necrophobia: Fear of death or dead things.
Nelophobia: Fear of glass.
Neopharmaphobia: Fear of new drugs.
Neophobia: Fear of anything new.
Nephophobia: Fear of clouds.
Noctiphobia: Fear of the night.
Nomatophobia: Fear of names.
Nosocomephobia: Fear of hospitals.
Nosophobia: Fear of becoming ill.
Nostophobia: Fear of returning home.
Novercaphobia: Fear of your step-mother.
Nucleomituphobia: Fear of nuclear weapons.
Nudophobia: Fear of nudity.
Numerophobia: Fear of numbers.
Nyctohylophobia: Fear of dark wooded areas, of forests at night
Nyctophobia: Fear of the dark or of night.
Obesophobia: Fear of gaining weight.
Ochlophobia: Fear of crowds or mobs.
Ochophobia: Fear of vehicles.
Octophobia : Fear of the figure 8.
Odontophobia: Fear of teeth or dental surgery.
Odynophobia: Fear of pain.
Oenophobia: Fear of wines.
Olfactophobia: Fear of smells.
Ombrophobia: Fear of rain or of being rained on.
Ommetaphobia: Fear of eyes.
Oneirophobia: Fear of dreams.
Onomatophobia: Fear of hearing a certain word or of names.
Ophidiophobia: Fear of snakes.
Ophthalmophobia: Fear of being stared at.
Optophobia: Fear of opening one’s eyes.
Ornithophobia: Fear of birds.
Orthophobia: Fear of property.
Osmophobia: Fear of smells or odors.
Ostraconophobia: Fear of shellfish.
Ouranophobia: Fear of heaven.
Pagophobia: Fear of ice or frost.
Panthophobia: Fear of suffering and disease.
Panophobia: Fear of everything.
Papaphobia: Fear of the Pope.
Papyrophobia: Fear of paper.
Paralipophobia: Fear of neglecting duty or responsibility.
Parasitophobia: Fear of parasites.
Paraskavedekatriaphobia: Fear of Friday the 13th.
Pathophobia: Fear of disease.
Patroiophobia: Fear of heredity.
Parturiphobia: Fear of childbirth.
Peccatophobia: Fear of sinning.
Pediculophobia: Fear of lice.
Pediophobia: Fear of dolls.
Pedophobia: Fear of children.
Peladophobia: Fear of bald people.
Peniaphobia: Fear of poverty.
Pentheraphobia: Fear of mother-in-law.
Phagophobia: Fear of swallowing or of eating or of being eaten.
Phalacrophobia: Fear of becoming bald.
Pharmacophobia: Fear of taking medicine.
Phasmophobia: Fear of ghosts.
Phengophobia: Fear of daylight or sunshine.
Philemaphobia: Fear of kissing.
Philophobia: Fear of falling in love or being in love.
Philosophobia: Fear of philosophy.
Phobophobia: Fear of phobias.
Photoaugliaphobia: Fear of glaring lights.
Photophobia: Fear of light.
Phonophobia: Fear of 1) noises or voices or one’s own voice 2) of telephones.
Phronemophobia: Fear of thinking.
Phthisiophobia: Fear of tuberculosis.
Placophobia: Fear of tombstones.
Plutophobia: Fear of wealth.
Pneumatiphobia: Fear of spirits.
Pnigophobia: Fear of choking of being smothered.
Pocrescophobia: Fear of gaining weight.
Pogonophobia: Fear of beards.
Poliosophobia: Fear of contracting poliomyelitis.
Politicophobia: Fear or abnormal dislike of politicians.
Polyphobia: Fear of many things.
Poinephobia: Fear of punishment.
Ponophobia: Fear of overworking or of pain.
Porphyrophobia: Fear of the color purple.
Potamophobia: Fear of rivers or running water.
Potophobia: Fear of alcohol.
Pharmacophobia: Fear of drugs.
Prosophobia: Fear of progress.
Psellismophobia: Fear of stuttering.
Psychophobia: Fear of mind.
Psychrophobia: Fear of cold.
Pteromerhanophobia: Fear of flying.
Pteronophobia: Fear of being tickled by feathers.
Pupaphobia : Fear of puppets.
Pyrexiophobia: Fear of Fever.
Pyrophobia: Fear of fire.
Radiophobia: Fear of radiation, x-rays.
Ranidaphobia: Fear of frogs.
Rhabdophobia: Fear of being severely punished or beaten by a rod, or of being severely criticized.
Rhytiphobia: Fear of getting wrinkles.
Rupophobia: Fear of dirt.
Russophobia: Fear of Russians.
Samhainophobia: Fear of Halloween.
Sarmassophobia: Fear of love play.
Satanophobia: Fear of Satan.
Scabiophobia: Fear of scabies.
Scelerophibia: Fear of bad men, burglars.
Sciophobia: Fear of shadows.
Scoleciphobia: Fear of worms.
Scolionophobia: Fear of school.
Scopophobia: Fear of being seen or stared at.
Scotomaphobia: Fear of blindness in visual field.
Scotophobia: Fear of darkness.
Scriptophobia: Fear of writing in public.
Selaphobia: Fear of light flashes.
Selenophobia: Fear of the moon.
Seplophobia: Fear of decaying matter.
Sesquipedalophobia: Fear of long words.
Sexophobia: Fear of the opposite sex.
Siderodromophobia: Fear of trains, railroads or train travel.
Siderophobia: Fear of stars.
Sinistrophobia: Fear of things to the left, left:handed.
Sinophobia: Fear of Chinese, Chinese culture.
Sitophobia: Fear of food or eating.
Snakephobia: Fear of snakes.
Soceraphobia: Fear of parents-in-law.
Sociophobia: Fear of society or people in general.
Somniphobia: Fear of sleep.
Sophophobia: Fear of learning.
Soteriophobia : Fear of dependence on others.
Spacephobia: Fear of outer space.
Spectrophobia: Fear of specters or ghosts.
Spermatophobia: Fear of germs.
Spheksophobia: Fear of wasps.
Stasibasiphobia: Fear of standing or walking.
Staurophobia: Fear of crosses or the crucifix.
Stenophobia: Fear of narrow things or places.
Stygiophobia: Fear of hell.
Suriphobia: Fear of mice.
Symbolophobia: Fear of symbolism.
Symmetrophobia: Fear of symmetry.
Syngenesophobia: Fear of relatives.
Tachophobia: Fear of speed.
Taeniophobia: Fear of tapeworms.
Taphophobia: Fear of being buried alive or of cemeteries.
Tapinophobia: Fear of being contagious.
Taurophobia: Fear of bulls.
Technophobia: Fear of technology.
Teleophobia: 1) Fear of definite plans. 2) Religious ceremony.
Telephonophobia: Fear of telephones.
Teratophobia: Fear of bearing a deformed child or fear of monsters or deformed people.
Testophobia: Fear of taking tests.
Tetanophobia: Fear of lockjaw, tetanus.
Teutophobia: Fear of German or German things.
Textophobia: Fear of certain fabrics.
Thaasophobia: Fear of sitting.
Thalassophobia: Fear of the sea.
Thanatophobia: Fear of death or dying.
Theatrophobia: Fear of theatres.
Theologicophobia: Fear of theology.
Theophobia: Fear of gods or religion.
Thermophobia: Fear of heat.
Tocophobia: Fear of pregnancy or childbirth.
Tomophobia: Fear of surgical operations.
Tonitrophobia: Fear of thunder.
Topophobia: Fear of certain places or situations, such as stage fright.
Toxiphobia: Fear of poison or of being accidently poisoned.
Traumatophobia: Fear of injury.
Tremophobia: Fear of trembling.
Trichinophobia: Fear of trichinosis.
Trichopathophobia: Fear of hair.
Triskaidekaphobia: Fear of the number 13.
Tropophobia: Fear of moving or making changes.
Trypanophobia: Fear of injections.
Tuberculophobia: Fear of tuberculosis.
Tyrannophobia: Fear of tyrants.
Vaccinophobia: Fear of vaccination.
Venustraphobia: Fear of beautiful women.
Verbophobia: Fear of words.
Verminophobia: Fear of germs.
Vestiphobia: Fear of clothing.
Virginitiphobia: Fear of rape.
Vitricophobia: Fear of step-father.
Walloonphobia: Fear of the Walloons.
Wiccaphobia: Fear of witches and witchcraft.
Xanthophobia: Fear of the color yellow or the word yellow.
Xenophobia: Fear of strangers or foreigners.
Xerophobia: Fear of dryness.
Xylophobia: 1) Fear of wooden objects. 2) Forests.
Zelophobia: Fear of jealousy.
Zeusophobia: Fear of God or gods.
Zemmiphobia: Fear of the great mole rat.
Zoophobia: Fear of animals.
VIII. Fearful Children
Background: Let’s go back to the past. Let’s hop in our Delorean and get it up to 88mph, spark the switch and head back to October 2, 1400 B.C. Here we are across from the Land of Canaan on the other side of the Jordan River, surrounded by the Children of Israel, the descendants of Jacob. Moses, their fearless leader is giving a speech, basically a recap of what’s happened the last 50-60 years. He’s told of how they were in bondage in Egypt, held captive by Pharaoh, and we think, “Yeah, yeah. I saw all that in the Prince of Egypt.” Then he goes on to say how after they crossed the Red Sea on dry land, they spent 40 years wandering around in the wilderness eating bread that fell out of the sky. He says, “Oh, yeah, remember the time that I hit that rock with my stick and water came rushing out because ya’ll complained about being thirsty, yeah, remember that. That was awesome!” And he goes on telling about their trip through the wilderness. Now, they were stuck in the wilderness, he says, because they were scared! They were afraid to go in and possess the land, even though God had told them that it was theirs. This is where we get it on the speech…
Deuteronomy 1:19-3319 “"So we departed from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw on the way to the mountains of the Amorites, as the LORD our God had commanded us. Then we came to Kadesh Barnea. 20And I said to you, "You have come to the mountains of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us. 21Look, the LORD your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the LORD God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.’
22"And every one of you came near to me and said, "Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we shall come.’
23"The plan pleased me well; so I took twelve of your men, one man from each tribe. 24And they departed and went up into the mountains, and came to the Valley of Eshcol, and spied it out. 25They also took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought back word to us, saying, "It is a good land which the LORD our God is giving us.’
26"Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God; 27and you complained in your tents, and said, "Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. 28Where can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, "The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there."’
29"Then I said to you, "Do not be terrified, or afraid of them. 30The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, 31and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ 32Yet, for all that, you did not believe the LORD your God, 33who went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day.”
The moral of the story is: Do not fear or be afraid. Moses is saying here, “You want to know why you’ve wandered around this desert and wilderness twiddling your thumbs for 40 years, eating tasteless bread and water instead of the good stuff? Because you’re scared. You yellow-bellied bunch of chickens. You’ve seen what God can do, you’ve seen what He’s done for you already. Why should you be scared? He took care of you before, why wouldn’t He take care of you now?”
IX. Fear Not
Isaiah 35:4 “Say to those who are fearful-hearted, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.”
Romans 8:31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
No matter how many times obstacles and circumstances sneak up on us in the middle of our lives and scream, “BOO,” no matter how many times the enemy comes at us, throwing fiery darts and spitting bile in our face, we don’t have to be afraid because God is on our side. He’s rooting for us and he’s backing us up. So, have no fear, God is here!
