Jim and I spent a few days traveling west to see friends and sights. Who, going across South Dakota, hasn't stopped at Wall Drug? When we were there, I stopped in to the small chapel and spotted an upcoming copy of the daily devotional "Our Daily Bread".

Here is one of the daily thoughts written by Dennis De Haan titled "Afraid to be afraid":

A young woman was waiting for a bus in a crime-ridden area when a rookie policeman approached her and asked, "Do you want me to wait with you?"  "That's not necessary," she replied. "I'm not afraid."  "Well, I am," he grinned. "Would you mind waiting with me?"

Like that policeman, we as Christians must be willing to admit that sometimes we become fearful -- about dying, about getting cancer, about losing our mind, about losing our job, about our children getting in trouble, about getting old. We don't like to confess it, so we may ignore, deny, or repress those fears. But to overcome our fear, we must first acknowledge it.

The psalm writer regonized his fears. "Whenever I am afraid," he said, "I will trust You" (Psalm 56:3). This trust in the Lord gave him a growing confidence. "I will not fear," he said. (vs. 4). And again, "I will not be afraid" (vs. 11). This was much more than self-talk. It was a conscious decision to trust in God:  "I will."

We can conquer our fears. To admit that we are afraid is to admit that we are humans. But to admit being afraid and then trusting the Lord and going forward will take the fear out of fear.