Part 3 of a 3-part series
In How My Chains Were Broken, part 2 of the 3-part series Fear & Worry, My Untold Story, I shared with you how God used a mission trip to two third-world nations to help me confront my unhealthy fear of death. Now, I would like to share how your chains can be broken too.
But, before I go further, please don’t misunderstand me. I am in no way saying that I no longer have any fear. As long as I am breathing, there will always be some kind of fear to fight against and put back in its place, but, praise God, I now recognize fear for what it is, and with the Lord’s help can send it back from where it came. To better understand what I mean by this statement, let’s take a closer look at fear from a biblical perspective…
The first depiction of fear in the Bible occurs in Genesis 3, just after Adam and Eve sinned:
Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked… and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”
-Genesis 3:7-10
Adam and Eve hid themselves from the presence of the Lord. They knew they had disobeyed God’s law, so not only were they ashamed for what they did and their nakedness, but they were probably quite fearful of what God might do as a result of their disobedience.
As we take a closer look at fear, it’s important to be aware that there are two kinds of fear mentioned in the Bible: the fear of the Lord and the spirit of fear. The fear of the Lord is beneficial to us, but the spirit of fear is damaging and is something we must learn to rise above.
The Fear of the Lord
The fear of the Lord is a wonderful thing. With it, we have reverence, respect, and awe for His holiness, omnipotence, omnipresence, and glory. Likewise, we respect His wrath and inherent right to exact judgment according to His Holy law. Through it, we recognize that He is the Creator, and we are His creation. The Bible has a lot to say about this type of healthy fear. Below are just a few of those passages:
The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.
– Proverbs 19:23
He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord, but he who is devious in his ways despises Him.
-Proverbs 14:2
“And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.’”
– Job 28:28
You shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God, for I am the Lord your God.
-Leviticus 25:17
The Spirit of Fear
There is another kind of fear spoken of in the Bible: the spirit of fear. The spirit of fear is not the same as the instinctual fear we would experience while being chased by a swarm of angry bees nor the fight or flight response we would experience running into a dangerous situation in order to save someone. These are normal emotional responses God gifted us with to help protect us from harm. The spirit of fear is vastly different than that. It’s so different, in fact, that God made it a point in His Word to tell us that He did not give it to us… for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7)
He goes on to encourage us not to fear in that way.
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
– Genesis 15:1
And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you.”
– Joshua 10:8
But the Lord said to him, “Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.”
– Judges 6:23
… fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand
– Isaiah 41:10
Notice a pattern here? In each one of these examples, God has clearly given his people an assignment, and He reassures them that He is with them and there is no need to fear. Now, why in the world would God feel the need to tell them not to be afraid? Here are a couple of hints…
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
– 1 Peter 5:8
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
– Ephesians 6:12
Aha! Ladies and gentlemen, we have an adversary! A scheming, manipulative, thieving accuser and slanderer who is literally hell-bent on seeing our downfall.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
– John 10:10
Our enemy, the devil, Satan, is the father of lies, and His goal is to destroy our faith in God so that we will perish in our sins. Jesus himself confirmed that the devil is a liar. Here, He speaks to the Pharisees, who did not believe He was the Son of God:
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.
– John 8:44-45
Now, let’s go back to the Garden of Eden and see what happened in the beginning…
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
– Genesis 3:1-5
Did you catch that? The serpent (the devil) LIED, and Adam and Eve made the choice to not believe what God said, but to believe the lie. As a result, sin was brought into the world.
All it takes is one little seed of doubt, and if we let that seed of doubt grow in our hearts, it becomes a destructive choking weed. We begin to doubt His love for us, His plans for us, and His faithfulness to see it through. We begin to doubt His goodness, His mercy, and eventually we lose our identity in Him (if we even knew it to begin with). Once we buy into the lie, even just a little, we are ripe for the spirit of fear to begin to take hold. We may start thinking that we’re not good enough or we’re not capable of doing what God has called us to do. This kind of fear debilitates and cripples the believer to not fulfill their God-given calling. It is also where incessant worry and anxiety spring from.
So now that you know where fear comes from and how it begins, what can you do to prevent the spirit of fear from taking root?
Stop watering the seeds of doubt and fear
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ
- 2 Corinthians 10:5
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
- Romans 12:2
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
– Philippians 4:8
In order to stop watering the invasive weeds of fear, you must take every thought captive that does not line up with God’s Word. It’s a choice. Only you can make the decision to stop listening to the enemy’s lies.
Read His word to ensure you know your identity in Christ
You have to know who God says you are and start watering those good, life-giving seeds. You can only do that by reading His Word. If you are new to studying the Bible and don’t know where to start, I recommend beginning with the New Testament in the book of John. Here you will learn who Jesus is. Since our identity as Christians should be rooted in who He is, it’s helpful to know more about Jesus, specifically. Next, the book of Acts will show you how things changed after Jesus’s death and resurrection. After that, I suggest the book of Romans followed by Hebrews and Ephesians.
… that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might.
– Ephesians 1:16-19
… we are more than conquerors through him who loved us
- Romans 8:37
… and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty
– 2 Corinthians 6:18
Pray, listen, and spend time in His presence
God wants a relationship with us. When we are saved, we receive His Holy Spirit to guide us and intercede for us. When we pray, we have the privilege of directly communicating with Him the same way we would our best friend. Prayer is more than just a list of requests, and it isn’t intended for us to do all the speaking. It’s an exchange. Just like in our communication with others, we must take time to listen as well. It is often in prayer that God reveals things to us about His heart that we won’t get anywhere else. Prayer is a form of worship (devotion). When we pray, God renews our strength and gives us insight into the enemy’s strategies.
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
– Matthew 7:7-8
And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
- Luke 18:1
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
– John 15:7
… but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
– Isaiah 40:31
Isn’t that encouraging to know that we can renew our strength simply by communicating with Him and resting in His presence?
Friends, the key takeaway here is to know that you are not in this mental battle alone! If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, if you have confessed with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and truly believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, then you are saved, and every moment of every day, He is with you! You have His Holy Spirit as your helper!
I hope you will choose today to not be ruled by fear. You have the power to put fear back in its place where it belongs, and you have the choice to walk in the peace and freedom God intended for you.
Own your fear. Don’t let it own you.
