The ability to create fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD for short) has been shown over millennia to be an effective way to control people.

Tyrants rule by fear.

Politicians seek to score political points over their opponents or to undermine ideologies they disagree with, causing uncertainty.

Doubt arises when we believe that somebody cannot be trusted.

FUD is present everywhere in society and it takes many names.

People can be emotionally abusive to a spouse, using FUD to make the partner become more dependent on their abuser.

Gaslighting uses lies to cause a person to doubt their own senses, memories and sanity.

Technology businesses use FUD to make people lock into their products rather than a competitor.

I have been on the receiving end of a FUD attack and the emotions it generated in me were deep dread, fear and hopelessness. It was awful! Some people live with this every day.

All of this is opposed to God’s way of love. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:13. “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Faith is the opposite of fear, because by faith we believe that God is greater than anything that can destroy us.

Hope is opposed to uncertainty because hope looks forward to a better future, one that is held in God’s hands and not the manipulations of people.

Doubt is overcome by love because we can trust God to love us without fail.

Don’t let FUD overcome you. Instead let faith, hope and love flourish in your spirit.