Recognize That Your Fear Is A Sin
The first step to overcoming any sin is recognizing that its a sin. So, if youre struggling with sinful fear, the first thing you need to do is acknowledge that its a problem in your life. You cant repent of something unless you first recognize that its wrong.
Our own ego often keeps us from admitting that were struggling with a particular sin. We dont want to admit that were not perfect. But the truth is, were all sinners in need of Gods grace.
Fear In The Bible: Our Whole Duty
This verse below really sums up what it means to fear God.
The end of the matter all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Ecclesiastes 12:13 ESV
When you think about Gods greatest commandments, we are to Love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength and love others as ourselves .
As we are loving God with all of our whole being , we are fearing Him. And we are keeping His commandments by not only loving Him but loving others around us.
So friend, go from here FEAR GOD alone and keep His commandments. That is our whole duty for today and every day!
Fear Doubt And Discouragement Are Often Rooted In Spiritual Attack
To fear is ultimately to not trust God, and for that reason, Satan always seeks to draw people into fear. To have faith is to receive Gods promises and to fear will often draw people away from them. The Israelites feared the giants in the promised land and, therefore, received Gods judgment instead of his blessing. Many people miss Gods best because of fear. They say, I cant do this! This is impossible!
The enemy commonly draws people into fear, doubt, and depression because he realizes that a fearful and depressed person is not very effective for the kingdom. Scripture calls Satan a roaring lion seeking to devour anyone he can . It has been said that lions roar to paralyze their prey. In the same way, Satan wants to paralyze us with fear so he can devour us and keep us from Gods best.
King Saul actually had a tormenting demon that brought him anxiety and fear . He battled it by having the Psalmist of Israel, David, play worship music for him. Certainly, at times the root of our fear maybe spiritual in nature as well therefore, we must combat it through spiritual means such as reading Gods Word, worship, and prayer. We need to resist the devil by using the spiritual weapons God gave us .
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The Spirit Of God Does Not Make Us Timid
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
Jesus promised that He would leave us His peace in the form of the Spirit. This Spirit was to guide and empower us to do the work Jesus left for us, namely, to fulfillthe Great Commission. Through Gods Spirit, we are transformed from nervous, shrinking violets to purpose-filled and disciplined messengers of Gods goodness and love.
We dont have to worry about whether were enough. We dont have to fret over whether were good enough or intelligent enough to share what Jesus has done for the world. He has equipped us with His Spirit-the same Spirit thats pursuing the people around us.
Meaning Of The Fear Of The Lord
The main Hebrew and Greek words translated fear in the Bible can have several shades of meaning, but in the context of the fear of the Lord, they convey a positive reverence.
The Hebrew verb yare can mean to fear, to respect, to reverence and the Hebrew noun yirah usually refers to the fear of God and is viewed as a positive quality. This fear acknowledges Gods good intentions . This fear is produced by Gods Word and makes a person receptive to wisdom and knowledge .
The Greek noun phobos can mean reverential fear of God, not a mere fear of His power and righteous retribution, but a wholesome dread of displeasing Him . This is the type of positive, productive fear Luke describes in the early New Testament Church:
Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied .
One resource includes this helpful summary: The fear of God is an attitude of respect, a response of reverence and wonder. It is the only appropriate response to our Creator and Redeemer .
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When Im Afraid I Trust In You
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.In God, whose word I praise-in God I trust and am not afraid.What can mere mortals do to me?
We all go through moments when were apprehensive or fearful. The question is, what do we do when we feel afraid? The psalmist tells us that in these moments, he puts his trust in God. This is a decision that he makes. He doesnt wait until he feels better about it he just responds to his fear by deciding to trust in the Lord. Once he does that, everything falls into place.
Elishas Servant Feared Because He Didnt Know What Elisha Knew
In The Bible, there are few examples of a lack of knowledge causing fear. One example is when the king of Aram was at war with Israel. One night the king ordered men to go capture Elisha the prophet. The Bible then says When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. Oh no, my lord! What shall we do? the servant asked . Elishas servant was afraid because he didnt know what to do.
On the other hand, Elisha, who was not fearful told his servant dont be afraidThose who are with us are more than those who are with them . Then after Elisha prayed, the Lord opened the servants eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha . Elisha knew something his servant didnt know and that made his servant fearful but Elisha not.
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Practical Fear Of The Lord
So how do we fear the Lord then? Do we walk around on pins and needles wondering if He is going to strike us dead? No, not at all.
He loves us and came to give us life, remember? He wants our obedience.
In life there are rules and we need to obey them so we dont get hurt. They are there to protect us. We tell small children not to touch a hot stove because it will burn them.
God gave us the 10 commandments and other instructions for us to obey for our protection as well. When we act in obedience, we are showing our fear of the Lord.
Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.
In that same passage, Paul told the Colossians that in whatever they do, in their work, their life, anything they should do it for the Lord and not for the approval of men.
And this is such a hard lesson that I have learned and am still learning. For many years, I have worked and wanted the approval of others. I look on in awe of them and want to be like them. Instead, my awe should be on God not anyone else. In fact, we dont need Gods approval for any work we do. We receive salvation through faith. Gods approval of us comes through the finished work of Jesus on the cross.
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.Colossians 3:23-24 ESV
Fear Definition Two To Hold In Awe Or Reverence
While there are no reasons to be afraid of God there are plenty of reasons to fear Him as in being in awe of Him. Just last month astronomers announced the discovery of 300,000 previously-unknown galaxies using a new radio telescope. The universe is so vast and He spoke it all into existence.
Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.
The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.
And it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it.
Fear and tremble for goodness? Perhaps tremble is another word that we need to investigate.
Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
Notice how the verse in Hebrews links godly fear with reverence.
While His creative works are indeed awe-inspiring, there are other reasons to hold Him in great awe reasons related to His character.
But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
If you havent yet, check out the meaning of forgiveness. The Bible teaches that God always forgives every sin.
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Dont Allow Negative News To Consume Your Thoughts
Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2 HCSB
What we allow our minds to dwell on will dominate our actions, influence our perceptions, and dictate our emotions.
If we let ourselves constantly consume and think about negative news stories, we will react to life from a place of fear rather than faith.
This will often mean that you need to limit or even completely avoid time spent watching the news or on social media.
Your mind will dwell on whatever thoughts youre constantly feeding it. So feed it Scripture instead of newsreels.
Here are just a few good Scriptures with which to start.
Causes Of Fear: Death
Isaacs wife was so beautiful that he thought the men of the country he lived in would kill him if he told them she was his wife.
When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, She is my sister, for he feared to say, My wife, thinking, lest the men of the place should kill me because of Rebekah, because she was attractive in appearance.
Jacob and Esau had parted ways because Isaac had given Jacob the blessing that Esau was to obtain. Rebekah knew Esau hated Jacob, so she sent him away to live with her brother, Laban.
Years later, they were to meet. Esau was coming with over 400 men, and Jacob was afraid and distressed .
He called out to the Lord as he was afraid that Esau was coming to kill him and all of his family.
Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children.
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Do Not Be Afraid Zechariah
When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: Do not be afraid, Zechariah your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth.
Zechariah was chosen to minister before the Lord in the temple when hes visited by Gabriel, an angel of the Lord. Like any of us would react, Zechariahs first response is fear. The angel tells him not to be afraid hes here because of Zechariahs prayers. Hes here to inform the priest that his wife, Elizabeth, is pregnant with John the Baptist. Gabriel will then be dispatched to share some critical information with a young woman.
What Does God Say About Fear
The Bible has a lot to say about fear, both positive and negative. On the one hand, God tells us not to be afraid of anything or anyone . On the other hand, he also tells us to be afraid of him to stand in awe of his power and holiness .
So what is the right balance? The key is to have a healthy fear of God to respect and revere him while not letting our other fears control us. We should also remember that God is always with us and will never leave us or forsake us .
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Fear Will Keep You From Succeeding In Life
The last lesson Ill share on fear in The Bible is that fear will keep you from succeeding in life. God wants us to be successful. If you dont believe that, read my article What The Bible Says About Success In Life. But even though God desires it for us, many of us dont achieve it because of fear.
My favorite biblical example of this is when God promised the Israelites a land of their own but because of fear, some of them didnt enter it. Its found in Numbers 13. In summary, God tells Moses to Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites . After exploring it, most of the men were afraid to take it because they said the people in it were powerful, even exaggerating that they seemed like grasshoppers to them. In the end, although God said he was giving them the land, that generation that witnessed his other miracles, yet was afraid to take the land, didnt get to enter it .
Fearing God For Who He Is
It is also worth noting that, in the passage above, the Israelites were not afraid of anything that God Himself had threatened to do. Confronted with the undeniable presence of God, they trembled at the mere fact of hearing His voice! God is to be feared, not just because of what He might do , but, on an even more fundamental level, we ought to fear God because of who He is. The reality of the holy, almighty, eternal, transcendent one ought to strike us with terror as it did Israel. When we really grasp who God is, who among us could so much as hear the sound of His words and not cry out with Isaiah, Woe to me, for I am ruined! . As God said through Jeremiah:
Do you not fear Me? declares the Lord. Do you not tremble in My presence? For I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea, An eternal decree, so it cannot cross over it. Though the waves toss, yet they cannot prevail Though they roar, yet they cannot cross over it, .
And even Nebuchadnezzar was made to confess:
I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel For He is the living God and enduring forever, And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, And His dominion will be forever, .
When we truly understand who we mean by God, His very nature ought to bring us fearfully to our knees!
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What Does The Fear Of The Lord Mean
The fear of the Lord can mean two things: First, it can serve as an adjective, meaning the fear and awe that is God Himself, His immense and formidable nature not only His wrath but also His power in general.
As we know, God is all powerful. He created the heavens and the earth and everything in it . In His power, He is able to move mountains and put stars in the sky. He even made a sky where there was none before!
Truly, the vast, raw expanse of all He can do and be is measureless, and we cannot begin to fathom it.
But fear of the Lord can also mean the fear, awe, and respect we as human beings have of the Lord, and the relationship we have with Him. This is the fear we most commonly think of, for as human beings, its difficult for us to look at the world in any perspective beyond our own.
The Fear Of God Is Actual Fear
The most important thing to clarify upfront is that the word fear is not figurative, misleading, or overstated. People today too often hold such a low view of God that they cant understand trembling in terror at His might and holiness. But that is exactly what the biblical authors had in mind! Perhaps the best example of this is in Deuteronomy, when Moses recounts what happened at Mount Sinai. God covered the mountain with flame and smoke and then spoke to all the people in an audible voice from the fire. Afterward, we read of the crowds reaction:
Behold, the Lord our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire we have seen today that God speaks with man, yet he lives. Now then why should we die? For this great fire will consume us if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer, then we will die. For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? Go near and hear all that the Lord our God says then speak to us all that the Lord our God speaks to you, and we will hear and do it,
These are not words of cool and lofty respect, but rather of genuine shaken-to-the-core fear! The people were literally afraid of God. And, as we read on, God commends them for it!
If only they could have maintained such fear, they would have remained faithful to God. This is the fear God wants from us!
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