Defeating Fear
Today I will be talking about the spirit of fear because I believe it is one of the great challenges to us. Satan is going to throw fear at us in many different ways. He will try to intimidate us and keep us away from the will of God and from trusting in the Lord. Satan will try to send waves and waves of fear to try to intimidate us and tear us away from the Lord. Some of Satan’s biggest weapons are fear and intimidation. I am going to speak this as a prophetic warning because we need to learn how to come against this and fight fear. We also need to know how fear works in our lives.
In 2 Timothy 1:7, God tells us that He did not give us a spirit of fear but of sound mind and discipline. He also says, “I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day.
That is a key phrase, what I have entrusted to Him. One of the ways we deal with fear is by entrusting our lives to the Lord on a daily basis. This is not something we do just once. People do say that they gave their life to the Lord today, but what they actually did is begin to give their life to the Lord. I want to talk about the process of dealing with fear and to grow in trusting Him.
Why do we have fear in our lives?
Perfection
We open many spiritual doors so the evil one can use fear against us. One of these doors is trying to be perfect. Then the evil one can strike fear in our hearts because he knows we cannot be perfect. When we try to be perfect, we screw up. When we fail, then we have fear. When we try to be perfect, we are reminded that we are not like the Lord. This creates the burden of fear in our life. One way to guard against fear is not trying to be perfect. If we try to be perfect, we open the door for fear in our lives.
Working things out in the flesh
Another way that fear comes to us is working out things in the flesh. When we try to do things under the flesh (under our own power), this causes fear that we did not do it right or failed the person. When we do things in the flesh, it produces things in the flesh. One of the things it produces is fear. When we do things in the flesh, we get afraid full of anxiety and have less peace and confidence. When we do things in the spirit, we have peace, confidence and power.
Misunderstanding of fear and control
Another reason we have fear is that it comes from the devil. If I have a big, mean dog running at me, it is right to be afraid. However, most of the time the fear comes from the devil. The devil uses fear because it is one of our strongest basic emotions. God gave us fear to protect us, and Satan uses fear to destroy us, disable us and make us less able to handle life. We have a hard time facing life and the things that we are suppose to handle. The devil is full of fear because he is afraid of the Lord. Because of this, he wants us to be afraid of the Lord also because we have failed or sinned. This is opposed to having a fear of the Lord that is described as an awe of the Lord. We do not live to please people, but we live for Jesus. We need to be careful to respect people and hear what they have to say, but we do not have to be controlled by it. We need to be controlled by what Jesus has to say.
We are also subject to fear when we live according to circumstances. When we say we do not have enough, or want to know the answers or just look at the big storm in our lives, then we are looking at circumstances. This opens the door to fear because we are looking in the flesh with our earthly eyes. Then we are not open to God’s grace. When we look at Jesus. we live according to the faith that God gave us and not according to circumstances. Living according to circumstances increases fear in our lives. God wants us to trust Him and not be filled with fear. God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of love, self-control and discipline. Fear comes when we try to be in control of our own lives and the lives of others, and this opens the door to fear. Soon there are so many things to control that we cannot do so and we become paralyzed or dominated by fear.
Building up of our own kingdom
Fear comes when we try to build up our own kingdom. Our life becomes; our life, our marriage, our job, our kids, and so and and so forth. What we need to do is give all this to Jesus and it becomes His. Then there is much less room for fear. When we try to build our own kingdom, we are working in the flesh again which results in fear. The Pharaoh in Egypt was the strongest ruler of his time but he ruled by fear. If they did not do as He said, he would crush them. As we try to build our own kingdom and make others fearful, we become fearful ourselves and the fruit is fear. The Lord wants us to motivate people and inspire them to love.
Poor communication
We are fearful when we do not communicate with others or we have unrealistic expectations. Unrealistic expectations often happen when we do not communicate with others. Maybe I have an expectation that my pastor should spend two hours with me every week, but If I don’t communicate that, I will be more likely to place unrealistic expectations on him. Fear often results when I think that my pastor does not love me. We may feel that they have rejected me because I am not good enough to love. Poor communication results in fear because it opens the door of times when we have been hurt and misunderstood.
Giving people undesrved authority
Fear comes when we give people authority in our lives that they do not deserve. We should respect governmental authority. The only person in our lives who has real authority in our lives is Jesus. The Lord can use other people in positions of authority, but they only have true spiritual authority when they act for Jesus. We are not to put people on a pedestal and give them authority they do not deserve because then they can take advantage of us or speak things into our lives that shouldn’t be there. Let’s be careful to give people authority in our lives. True authority comes to us when they love us and care for us. When you love somebody, you take care of them and then you can speak blessings into their lives. It is during this time that we learn what it is like to be deeply and truly loved.
Doing things half-heartedly
Another reason we are afraid is that we do things in a half-hearted manner. When we do less than our best, it gives an opportunity for fear to enter into our lives. Many people go around beating themselves up instead of receiving the mercy of God. His mercy is a powerful antidote for fear in our lives. Fear can continue to be in our lives when we do not receive His mercy. We become holy when we bask and dwell in the mercy and righteousness of Jesus and not in our own efforts.
How do we conquering fear?
Giving it your best!
We conquer fear when we know what we want and we go for it with all we have. When God gives you an idea or He wants you to do something, it is best to do it with all your strength, your entire mind and everything you have. Even if you make a mistake you are doing it to please Him. If you do not do it that way, fear can come into your life. If you have a dream, a vision, a plan, do it with everything that is in you. Go for it and God will be with you. Often we fail because we do not do it with everything we have. We do not believe that God told us to do it and that we are going to make a mistake, but it’s better to do it wholeheartedly.
Thankfullness
Another way we can conquer fear is by practicing prayer and thankfulness for what we have. Much of why we are afraid is that we are busy being ungrateful and talking about what we do not have rather than being thankful for what we do have. A thankful and grateful people have much less fear in their lives. People who murmur, grumble and complain have much more fear in their lives. Being thankful and grateful is a powerful antidote to fear in our lives. The Israelites were fearful when they grumbled and complained in the desert and were much less fearful when they were recounting the deeds of the Lord, Let’s be giving thanks to the Lord, and cause others to remember the good things that the Lord has done so that we won’t be filled with fear. Thankfulness produces love which crushes fear.
Strive to learn about the heart of God
When you are dealing with fear, learn and apply the scripture passages on fear. We need to consider the concepts of scripture in context and not just one line of scripture. We need to try to understand the heart of God and not just one line of scripture. People who know the heart of God are much less afraid. People who know just the laws of God are much more afraid.
Have mercy
Practicing the art of mercy on others is another good way to reduce fear. If we show mercy then God will show us mercy. A merciful people are not a fearful people, but a merciless people are a very fearful people. Too often when we are merciless towards others, it opens the gate for more fear in our lives. When we give the gift of mercy away to others it subdues and drives away fear. Merciless people will be in bondage to fear. Merciful people will be overcomers of fear.
Accept change
Accept God’s pace for changes in your life and know that changes are inevitable. We are often fearful because we think we cannot change fast enough for God and others. Our Lord has a spiritual pace for the changes in our life. Our ability to accept this pace will protect us from fear. God is responsible to empower us for changes and He wants to do this for us. He will give us the resources and the attitudes that we need to change. We need to ask God for His program and His pace for changes so that we can live in the fullness of what He wants to do. Our Lord wants us to increase in confidence and not have us live in fear. When God is in charge, our lives will not be filled with fear. Extraordinary people will find that they have and extraordinary God, because our extraordinary God makes extraordinary people. We will receive from God what we expect of Him. Extraordinary people are dominated by love and not fear.
Help others to be holy and full of passion
Help other people to be holy and passionate for God. The question would be asked, how can I be this way for others if I cannot be this way myself? Passion and holiness do not come from the efforts of men but from Christ. When we pray for and love people we move them toward Jesus. Our lives will become much less filled with fear. People who live for themselves and constantly worry about their own holiness are much more likely to live lives of fear. We are powerless to be holy or passionate for God without His help.
Love
Make love your aim. Love God first and then obey Him second. That is an important way to fill your life with love instead of fear, Many Christians try to obey God first and then love Him. This is fertile ground for the growth of legalism and fear. Obedience flourishes when it comes from love and not from the law. Fear comes from the law, but love produces true obedience. Obedience does not produce love, but love produces obedience. We should learn to love God first and then obey Him. This principle will produce tremendous fruit in our lives.
Face our fears
Face your fears and let God deal with them. To face our fears we need to admit them. We need to be able to say that I can face these fears because God is with me, God will give me whatever I need to face this problem. When we learn to wait on God, He will provide the solution for us. We can be extraordinary men and women because we have an extraordinary God. We can be a solution-oriented people if we trust in the Lord to help us. Facing our fears simply means that we recognize our fears give them to God and let Him deal with them. We become stronger as we make a regular confession of the goodness and greatness of God in our lives. Positive confessions produce power, and negative confessions produce fear. Our words will effect and direct our actions. What we speak with our mouth will come into being. We will bring a blessing or curse upon ourselves by the very words of our mouth. The words of our mouth reflect the condition of our heart. We can change the condition of our own head by our own words.
Have other people pray against fear in your life. The Lord wants us to join others in prayer for the needs in our lives. This will strengthen our conviction that we are not alone when we are struggling with difficulties. The act of spiritual warfare is important in defeating fear. When we share our burdens with each other, we can be bound together to serve the Lord and each other. The prayers of many have great effect.
Be busy loving not fearing
Fill your life with acts of love. Be busy loving instead of fearing. Let us learn to be busy loving God instead of fearing the circumstances. If we spent our energy learning about and giving love to each other, our lives would be much different. Love drives away fear and people need love. Love will be remembered and cherished much more than a life motivated by fear. Love builds up. Fear tears down people around us who could help us to keep going and defeat fear. We need to have the attitude that I will defeat fear if it is the last thing that I do. When our fears are faced, they inevitably grow smaller. Fears will leave us when they know that we will not give up. When we resist the devil, his ability to make us fear will flee from us.
Keep your goals and dreams alive
To defeat fear we must have goals and dreams and not let anyone take them from us. Those who have dreams and goals are much more likely to have focused their attention on the Lord. Fearful people are burdened with circumstances, and unrealistic goals and dreams. Those who trust God are driven by the dreams and goals that He gives them. God’s dreams and goals consume us and bring us power, principle and victory. God is love. His love drives out fear and allows us to dwell in His joy and peace.
"I know the plans I have for you," announces the Lord. "I want you to enjoy success. I do not plan to harm you. I will give you hope for the years to come. Then you will call out to me. You will come and pray to me. And I will listen to you. When you look for me with all your heart, you will find me."
"I will be found by you," announces the Lord. "And I will bring you back from where you were taken as prisoners. I will gather you from all of the nations. I will gather you from the places where I have forced you to go," announces the Lord. "I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you away.
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-
10 then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.