Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.
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Do you know what a phobia is? It is a demon of fear. Proud men have given to those demons of fear dreadful sounding names: claustro-phobia (fear of enclosed places,) agora-phobia (fear of open spaces), xeno-phobia (unfounded hatred of foreigners), and hundreds of others. Their intimidating names notwithstanding, phobias are little things, disgusting little demons with much more bark than bite.
Phobias are not like freckles, or hair color, or height; they are not a part of a person's natural make-up. They are not like personal preferences, such as liking the taste of chocolate or enjoying hiking in the mountains. Phobias are intruders into the personality; they are tormenting spirits that afflict the mind with fear. Phobias come from the outside of men. Child of God, you do not have to receive and be influenced by any phobia-unless, of course, you just want to be.
It is a godly thing to be reasonable. Righteousness brings into every heart that loves God a practical, common-sense attitude toward life. Phobias, on the other hand, make a person behave and think unreasonably. They cause people to imagine dangers that do not exist and, so, to over-react to normal circumstances. Phobias cause people to make spectacles of themselves in public. A believer's testimony to the love and power of God can be hindered if that person is enslaved to one of these little demons of fear. Who will believe that your God is a good, all-powerful God if you tremble and scream when you see an ant?
It is normal to fear to stir up a hornet's nest, but it is a demon of fear that causes a person to break out in a sweat at the mere mention of hornets. The holy Spirit makes us reasonable; it delivers us from every phobia that exists so that we can behave in a perfectly rational manner, whatever circumstance comes our way. "The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom", said wise Solomon. May I add, "The fear of anything but God is the beginning of foolishness." Phobias make a person act foolishly. And in time, if someone continues to surrender his will and his body to a phobia, that phobia can turn that person into an absolute fool.
Phobias are out there. If you want one, you can have it. They are looking for a heart willing to entertain their suggestions. But Jesus has "not given unto us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind". Take no unclean spirit into your heart. Choose life and joy. Trust God. There is no other way to have peace in this phobia-filled world.