Was there ever a time where fear drove your actions, making you miss out on opportunities in life? As humans, we face many fears, but in Sherami Jara’s devotional “Fear Not, Little Flock,” she said we shouldn’t let them control us.
Imagine standing in a dark room, the feeling of shadows enclosing you, an ever-growing sense of something lurking in the distance. What you just imagined might have caused you to feel anxiety or fear. Others can fear looming trials and difficulties such as the possibility of loss, pain, or suffering, which can then drive their actions and control their lives. In her July 2025 BYU devotional address, Sherami Jara, an assistant dean in the College of Humanities, suggested three ways to battle our fears and keep moving forward.
We All Experience Fear
A part of being human is experiencing fear, which is not always an indication of a lack of faith or weakness. Fears originate from Satan, not God, Jara said. If we believe in our fears we can be prompted to hide behind caution, hesitation, or excuses, which keep us from becoming who the Lord wants us to be.
For some, fear is a negative concept, but Jara believes that it can offer us experiences to increase our faith. In difficult times, it is hard to feel anything but fear. Jara taught that the first way to battle fears is to remember that God gave us the spirit of power, love, and a sound mind—not fear. “Power gives us courage and divine authority to resist temptations and to act in his name,” she said. Jara said Heavenly Father has blessed us with power to overcome our fears because He knows that we can conquer them.
Be Not Afraid, Only Believe
Jara’s second principle for overcoming fear—“Be not afraid, only believe”—comes from her experience as a young adult trying to find her place and purpose at BYU. At first, she doubted her ability to get into BYU, but after strong promptings from the Lord, she applied and was accepted. In her first year, she struggled with the fear that she was not spiritual or smart enough to succeed in her classes.
During this time, she moved in with roommates who helped her focus on all God had done to prepare her for BYU and what this opportunity could mean for her spiritual and intellectual growth. She said, “I began to understand the roles that Heavenly Father, the Savior, and the Holy Ghost played in my life and learning. Realizing this freed me to come to this experience imperfectly knowing that they could make me more than I was.”
Oftentimes, it can be hard to not be afraid and to only believe, and we may even do so imperfectly. “Even then, Heavenly Father and our Savior work with us to increase our faith and work in ways that help us become who they know we can be,” Jara said.
Faith and Pain Can Coexist
Jara closed with a final approach to defeat fears: “Faith is not the absence of sorrow, sadness, struggle, or pain—they often coexist.” In 2022, Jara’s younger brother, Houston, suffered a heart attack and a severe brain injury. Day by day he got worse, and Jara’s family found out that he would not live. “I and many others fought all the anticipatory fears of losing Houston and facing life without him,” Jara said. “We kept praying, hoping, and trusting that God knew Houston’s path even when we could no longer see the miracle we were hoping for.”
After her brother’s passing, Jara found peace, solidified the covenants she made with God, and increased her belief in Christ’s atonement and resurrection. “I know that in those great moments of pain, it can seem impossible that joy could coexist. It may not be the joy we hoped we could experience had the miracle we prayed for been granted. But God does not leave us alone.”
Though hard times will occur, we can choose to move forward with faith, courage, determination and trust in God as we approach challenges and opportunities. Jara taught that when faced with fear, we must put one foot in front of the other, act in Christ’s name, and remember His promise: He will give you courage, fortify your faith, and bless you with peace and joy.
Listen to Jara’s full devotional address here.