Related Scriptures:
 
1 John 4:18
 
Matt. 25:15-25
 
Gen 12
 
Rom. 12:18
 
Matt. 10:28
 
John 3:16
 
Ps. 139
 
Jer. 18
 
Acts 2:36
 
Ps. 118:6
 
Rom. 8:15
 
Ps 56:11
 
John 10:10
 
Rom. 8:37 - 39
 
Rom. 14:11
 
Phil 2:10
 
Gen. 1:28
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(Written by Dr. Rudi Swanepoel)

This article will help you overcome fear in every area of your life. Fear is paralyzing. It prevents you from taking steps in any direction, bars you from making sound decisions and stops any and all progress in every area of your life. It lowers your quality of life dramatically and opens you up to all kinds of destructive and debilitating things. There is a potent saying: “Fear is the darkroom where negatives are developed.”

The Bible has a wonderful, liberating stance when it comes to fear. God’s word is clear:  “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.” (1 John 4:18) In fact, there is a tremendous cure for all fear but before we take a deeper look at the cure, let’s identify this horrendous affliction that keeps so many people in a place of defeat and failure.

In classical Greek the word phobos (used in 1 John 4:18) signified flight. Later it came to denote that which causes flight; hence fear, terror of dread.  According to Strong’s Greek Dictionary it also means alarm or fright. It is interesting that verse 18 ends with the statement: “fear involves torment.” The word torment means punishment or penal infliction. A life lived in fear is a life lived in punishment. Isn’t that one of the reason’s Jesus died for us on the cross; to remove the penal punishment of our sin from us? Make no mistake; the enemy’s main weapon against you is fear.  Sharon always says: “FEAR stands for – False Evidence Appearing Real. You will do well not to allow the enemy to fabricate evidence against you. Stand on the truth of God’s word, especially when it comes to the fear factor in your life.

There are 7 types of fear we will look at:

The Fear of Failure

Failure is not as bad as fear would have you believe. Have you ever watched a baby starting to walk? Baby never gets it right on the first try! In fact, how many of us have fallen even after we became prodigious walkers? Thomas Edison, the inventor of the incandescent light bulb failed numerous times before gaining the breakthrough he so desperately looked for. He said: “Many of life’s failures are men who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”  Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Company said: “Failure is the opportunity to begin again, more intelligently”. Mr. Ford started making cars and he named them alphabetically. Model A, Model B, Model C, etc. His breakthrough came with the Model T that sold over 1 million units. Imagine if Ford stopped making cars at Model R or Model S? Most of his car-models failed miserably, yet most people will recognize Henry Ford as a very successful businessman.  His story is shared with many prominent people motivated by a hunger for success rather than a fear of failure.

Fear of failure finds food in interesting places in a person’s life.  It feeds on laziness and inactivity. A great way a sloth can excuse his idleness is by blaming the fear to fail. This happened in one of the powerful parables Jesus told in the week before He was crucified. A Landlord went on a business trip and gave each of his servants some investment money. One employee received 5 talents (the equivalent of $5,000). Another received 2 talents ($2,000) and another received 1 talent ($1,000). The Bible says that each received according to his own ability. (Matt. 25:15). The Greek word here for ability is dunamis. It means force, power, ability, abundance, might. It is the same word we find in Acts 1:8 “You shall receive power (dunamis) when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” First God gave each an ability; a power to accomplish things. That power is delivered to us by the Holy Spirit and when activated in our lives will make us God’s witnesses wherever we go. A witness is someone that sees God in action! Do you want to see God in action in your life? Then receive and activate the power and ability He gave you.  Secondly, use the goods He gave you. The first two employees went and “traded with their talents” (Matt. 25:16) Wise use of their talents gave them greater opportunities and rewards. Both doubled their investments and both were praised for their labor. The last guy played the fear card. He said: “I was afraid and hid your talent in the ground. Look there you have what is yours.” (verse 25). The Landlord made a powerful statement in the next verse: “You wicked and lazy servant. . .” He went to the core of the problem, laziness. Note that what he had was taken from him and given to the faithful and hard working servant. If we neglect what we received from the Lord we will lose out on great opportunities while others will grab them up right before our eyes.

The cure for this fear is found in perfect love. Remember 1 John 4:18? The love of God is perfect love! Without getting into the true nature of agape love, let me just remind you that God is perfect in every way. The Bible says: “God is love.” Fear must flee in His presence! Activated love means absent fear and absent love means active fear.

Abram in Genesis 12 leaves his home, country, friends and relatives in a quest to obey God. His friendship with God trumped his attachment to anyone or anything. He had no room for fear in his life because God occupied every area of his life. His love for God generated an obedient  pursuit of the Divine will that resulted in amazing blessings and remarkable rewards.

Stop feeding a fear to fail while starving an opportunity to obey. Let your love for God motivate you. If you fall get up; don’t give up!   

The Fear of Man

We live in a world where we share our lives with other people. The Bible encourages us to maintain a healthy and harmonious relationship with others as much as we can. We read in Romans 12:18 “If it is possible, as much as it depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” Unfortunately some people try to elevate their access to your life through intimidation and manipulation. They will stop at nothing to gain control of your life. Their efforts can render you in the precarious position of fearing folks. Past pain with human interactions is a big open door for this fear to take root in your life, but it is not the only entry point. An unnatural need for acceptance, friendship and love also plays a role in the development of this fear in your life. Many people also struggle with a fear of rejection as a result. Their low self-esteem allows their need for acceptance to breed this debilitating fear.

Once again the Bible is clear: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” (Matt. 10:28) When you allow the fear of man to rise up in you, you’ll be paralyzed in certain areas of your life. You’ll be unable to stand your ground. This fear will cause you to give in to the whims of people around you. You’ll try to avoid confrontation at all cost. You’ll do almost anything to be accepted in your need to be appreciated. Socially you’ll be a clone of someone else’s image of you, mentally you’ll be trapped to find ways of pleasing man, and spiritually you’ll have the throne of your life occupied by a human imposter rather than the Living God.

The biblical fact is that you are already accepted, not by mere man but by Almighty God. “For God so love the world (you!). . .” (John 3:16) You are the work of God . He is the Potter, you are the clay. (Jer. 18) He formed you, made you, created you. (Ps. 139) As a Believer, you do not belong to this world. You belong to Him! He is King over your life. Peter said: “God made this Jesus, who you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:36b) When Jesus occupies His rightful place in your life then fear cannot ascend the throne of your life. You simply cannot allow man to walk where mere mortals were never intended to be. Draw your need for approval, acceptance and love from that exclusive place where God fellowships with you. Let Him define your life, shape you purpose and declare your destiny. Set up boundaries within which you interact with people and do not allow them to jump that wall.

We read in Psalm 56:11 “In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what can man do unto me.” And in Psalm 118:6: “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do for me?”  In the book of Romans 8:15 we find a tremendous liberating verse: “For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption by which we cry, Abba, Father!” Man will always try to put you in bondage but the Holy Spirit causes you to accept God’s adoption of your life.

The Fear of the Unknown

The saying says: “Love is blind.” And it is this wonderful quality of love that will enable you to overcome the fear of the unknown.  It is true that many people prefer to surround themselves with things, people and circumstances that they are comfortable and acquainted with. They like to at least be able to predict outcomes and behavior. The “you-know-what-you-get” factor is huge, even in business. Walk into a Walmart anywhere in America and you’ll feel like you are in the one close to your home. It is as if you were there before.

Familiarity is one thing, but too many folks are kept back in life by a fear of the unknown. This fear steals you vision and keeps you near sighted, unable to plan too far ahead. It appeases you with a “whatever-will-be-will-be” fatalistic attitude to life. It prevents you from tremendous new experiences and discoveries the Lord has in store for you. Even when you experience something new you’ll find it uncomfortable and unable to embrace the fullness of it. This fear sucks the life out of life. It reduces people to live lives of mere existence.

You do not always have to see where you are going. You do not have to always be in control. Let go and let God. . .! Your love for Him will set you on a marvelous road of discovery and exploration. You’ll experience the numerous and variety of blessings the Lord showers on you. You’ll have life abundantly! (John 10:10) Past experiences will not be your safe-zone. The Lord is your safety; He is your Rock! Where He leads He feeds and where He guides He provides! Go ahead, be an adventurer in the Kingdom of God.

The Fear of Things

The Fear of things or situations is more commonly known as phobias. The list of phobias is endless. People can be fearful of anything, anywhere at any time. Phobias are classified as anxiety disorders by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (4th Ed; DSM-IV), a book produced by the American Psychiatric Association.  Some of the symptoms of a phobia are terror, dizziness, shaking, palpitations, difficulty thinking about anything other than the fear, an intense instinct to leave the situation, persistent worrying about upcoming events that involve the phobic object or situation. Medical professionals indicate that there are a variety of factors that cause phobias, among other things environmental triggers and learned behavior.

Allow me to use biblical terms to help you overcome these phobias that are triggered by so many things in your life.  God’s message is that you are not a product of your circumstance. You were not made by God to be a victim in any way shape or form. We read in Romans 8:37: “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him (Christ) who loved us”. The Apostle Paul continues to encourage us by declaring that: “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (verse 38-39).

When you establish the right order of authority in your life then all things influencing your life must bow before the King of kings and Lord of lords. (Rom. 14:11 & Phil. 2:10). Things are not lords over us, Jesus is! You are God’s crown of creation. His order for you is to “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves on the earth. “ (Gen. 1:28) Sure sin entered humanity’s heart but in Christ Jesus we once again have the authority to accomplish our original purpose.

So how do you tower over phobias? The answer once again is found in perfect love. Remember our theme verse? (1 John 4:18) It is God’s love that enables us to be more than conquerors. Wrapped in His love we win always! Nothing can separate you from His love and because perfect love drives out fear you can live a fear free life in Jesus! The beauty of this revelation is that it is not some obscure theory that is beyond the reach of the normal person. This is a phenomenally practical and powerful lifestyle that yields marvelous results every time.

Caution and being careful in potential dangerous situations are valuable and even a necessity, but should never result in a fear of things in your life.    

The Fear of Death

To many people death is the ultimate unknown.  It is the inevitable unknown. If you live long enough you will experience death. For ages people have tried to sidestep their approaching demise with zero success. Those who claimed to have drunk from the fountain of youth lies buried in the dirt of the earth. 

Why does death stir such dread in people’s lives? Death is the salary that sin pays. Death was not in God’s original plan for your life. Originally you were not born to die. You were born to live forever! When sin entered into this world death followed on its heels. “The soul that sins must die.” (Eze. 18:4, 20) Unfortunately we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Rom.  3:23) If you want to escape inevitable death then you must get rid of your sin. Some try to ignore their sin, but such an attitude does nothing to restore peace in their lives. Some try to pay their way out of sin by doing good deeds and be philanthropic. Others hide yesterday’s sin under a fresh pile of today’s sin. Sin is the stain that no human effort can cleanse. There is only one substance that washes away your sin! “The blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin.” (1 John 1:7) “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

If the wages of sin is death then the gift of God in Jesus is eternal life! (Rom. 6:23) Did you know that when you surrender your heart to Christ you will live forever! Physically your lungs may lose the air in them and your heart may stop beating, but death becomes a mere doorway to a much greater, purer and fuller life; life to the absolute fullest. It is a life with God in heaven, void of pain, sickness, sin, failure and fear.

In fact death is a definite doorway. Every person will cross the threshold into eternity. It is your duty to make sure the doorway of death leads you in the right direction. With Jesus you’ll step into heaven. Without Jesus you’ll step into hell; your choice. Choose Jesus today!  The Apostle Paul declares: “Death where is your sting? The sting of death is sin” (1 Cor. 15)

“So Rudi, how can I be sure of my eternal destination? How can know that I know that I will spend eternity in heaven and not in hell?” It is a matter of faith! The Bible declares: “By grace you are saved through faith in Christ Jesus and not of yourselves; it is a gift of God.”  (Eph. 2:8) The powerful grace-gift of God we call salvation is activated in your life through faith in Jesus. Remember faith please God. We read in 1 John 5:13: “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.” Faith comes through hearing the word of God (Rom. 10:10-17). You do not have to gamble with your life. You can have assurance of your salvation today! The more you read and study the word of God the stronger your faith will be.

The Fear of Evil

Fear is the enemy’s way of capturing the authority and power God gave you. It breeds on intimidation, manipulation and control. Where God leads in love the enemy chooses fear to dominate whoever he can. The whole realm of the kingdom of darkness is based on fear. It keeps the minions in check while polishing the ego and pride of the aggressor. Satan is an egotist. Pride is his original sin and caused him to rebel against the authority and order of God. (Eze. 28 & Isa. 15)

Jesus made an emphatic statement that neutralizes the power and hold of the enemy in your life. “And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:18-19) What the Lord has given you is not just to neutralize one or two strategies of the enemy in your life. It abolishes his hold in every area! The authority you have received trumps all the power of the enemy. There is a difference between authority and power. Remember the Greek word for power is dunamis. It speaks of ability, force, power. The Greek word for authority is exousia. It means privilege, competency, freedom, mastery, and delegated influence/jurisdiction. God has given you the jurisdiction. You have the decisive role. The enemy does not have the initiative in your life. All he has is reactionary and rebellious action. You have heaven’s backing. You represent Someone far bigger than yourself. Do not delegate the authority you received from God further to the enemy. Refuse to give him more than he deserves. Jesus stripped him of everything on the cross of Calvary. Leave him that exposed and revel in the freedom with which Christ has set you free.

The predatory nature of the enemy will try to isolate you and targets the areas of weakness and smallness in your life. Wrap yourself in the immense love of God and then the “weak can say: I am strong” (Joel 3:10) Remember the power of love is much greater that the threat of fear.  God rules and reigns and you represent Him in this world. You are His ambassador! (2 Cor. 5:20)

The Fear of God

Of all the fear available you want to engage in this one. It is the only fear that is not detrimental to your wellbeing. In fact, the fear of God is one of your greatest allies. We’ve looked at 6 types of fear but when you examine fear there really is only one legitimate fear; the fear of Almighty God. Amazingly humanity chooses to fear all but Him who is to be feared.

Matt. 10:28 says: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” The fear of God to the Believer is an awe and reverence reserved for the Almighty.  It keeps God on the highest place in our lives. It places Him above all else.  The Bible declares: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. “ (Psalm 111:10, Prov. 1:7, Prov. 9:10). When you welcome and cultivate the fear of God in your life you actually build a foundation for wisdom to grow in you. You’ll make sound decisions God can be proud of, understand even complex situations and come up with answers to questions normally you would have no business knowing. The fear of God settles the order of things in your life. The fear of God is no normal phobia. It is a reverential awe for the One you owe your life to.

Stop wasting you precious time with the 6 unholy, destructive and divisive fears we looked at. Replace those with the fear that matters. With the fear of God established in your life you’ll find it much easier to obey, quicker to receive something from the hand of God and slower to stray away from Him. Proverbs 19:23 says: “The fear of the LORD leads to life, And he who has it will abide in satisfaction; He will not be visited with evil.” The fear of the Lord brings you into a safety that is wonderful. Ps. 34:7 says: “The Angel of the LORD camps round about those who fear Him, and delivers them.” You are surrounded by God and not by the enemy! If God surrounds you the enemy has no access to you. You are covered front and back, head to toe, wrapped in His amazing love.

May you discover a whole new level of the fear of God in your life! “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God, and keep His commandments. For this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecc. 12:13)