If we are to achieve anything in life, we must learn how to deal with fears. There are certain heights you will not get to, mountains you will not be able to climb and giants you will not be able to face till you deal with fear.
Hebrews 2:14-15 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
Fear robbed them of life.
What is fear?
Firstly, there are two types of fear.
Exodus 20:20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.
- You are afraid of something, There is an expectation of something evil or negative.
- You are in awe of God. You reverence God.
We will look at the first type of fear here.
Things to note about Fear:-
- God did not make it. It came as a result of the fall. Genesis 3:10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. Fear came with the fall. It is a foreign entity. It is a spiritual condition. God has not given us the Spirit of fear. It is spiritual.
- It sits in the heart. Isaiah 35:4 Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” The heart is fearful. Anxious hearts are always afraid. Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. a man with a fearful heart brings torments, he cannot go far. Fear and faith are opposites but they both create.
Effects of Fear
- Bondage – a fearful heart is in bondage Romans 8:15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” You cannot dream if you are fearful. It is a spirit of slavery. In Christ, we don’t fear. We come boldly and ask boldly. Fearful Christians cannot pray confidently.
- It limits and places restrictions – Fearful hearts are afraid to fail so it does not move. The fears we have must be dealt with it by ourselves. The parable of the talents tells us that the one with one talent did not trade because of fear.
- It weighs down the heart – Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up. When you are worried all the time and it weighs you down. It is a great burden, people cannot sleep because of fear. Jesus is the cure to this problem.
How to Kill Fear
1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
It is God’s perfect love that casts out all fears.
- Recognise it’s a spiritual condition – the solution is spiritual not drugs. Back to Genesis, fear came because Adam and Eve wanted to be independent of God, making decisions on their own. In redemption, we are moved back to Christ and back to dependence on him.Romans 8:15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 2 Timothy 1:7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. You must confess this to yourself and believe that you have the spirit of love, power and a sound mind. Fear and the believer are not in the same place.
- See God as Father – Look at children. Children are totally dependent on their parents. They know they will be provided for. It’s a state of total dependence on God. Because God is Father, we must learn to depend on Him. You must learn to rest in the Father’s love. Unless we learn to be little children with God, we will keep learning fear.
- Learn to abide in the Father – Fear comes because we do not stay in the Father’s love, abiding in Him. 1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Fear comes from our own independence. Be humble enough to cast all your cares upon him. We are so independent that we choose what we give to God and what to solve on our own. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. When we are dependent on God there is no fear but when we think we can handle things, we let fear come in. He is the perfect Father, He will take care of you.Stay in His love all the time. When things are bad, learn to cast your cares on God and sleep. Don’t be too big to cry to God for help.
- Keep loving God every time – Psalm 91:14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. Fear cannot stay in God’s love. When your heart is troubled, rest in Him.
- Cry to God in prayer – Psalm 118:5 When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place. God is the perfect father. He will take you from that place when you cry to a spacious place. When you don’t pray, you are not crying.
- Put your trust in God not man – Hebrews 13:5-6 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” You can come to a place where you say you can never be stranded. The solution is God, no need to fear. Psalm 46:1-3 He is an ever present help in time of trouble. Woe to him that puts their trust in man. They will fail you and your fears will be multiplied. Trust in God.
- Always remember what God did for you in the past – Don’t forget. Don’t look at the problem, look at God. When Goliath showed up, everyone was afraid but David came, saw him and he remembered the lion and testified that God who did it before will do it again. Keep yourself in remembrance.
Indeed, loving on God, crying to God in prayer and abiding in the Father resonates greatly! There is such peace in that. Fear is quenched by the power of His love!
Proverbs 1:33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”
Proverbs 3:24-26
When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared.