When Christ told us not to be anxious for anything He knew what he was talking about. Too often we as disciples of Christ allow fear into our hearts. The fear we usually let in is nothing more than unbelief. It is a failure to trust Christ. We don’t call it that. We call it “nerves” or “worry” or whatever, but usually it is really unbelief that we are struggling with. If you are trying to diagnose the fear in your heart you might find this quote from Hans Bayer helpful:
Deadly doubt must… be distinguished from constructive doubt. In constructive doubt we humbly wrestle with the challenge of being able to trust Jesus wholeheartedly. In deadly doubt we persist in a skeptical posture toward God. Trust and fear cannot coexist in our hearts (Mark 4:40, 6:50)
Hans F. Bayer, A Theology of Mark: The Dynamic between Christology and Authentic Discipleship, p. 106
