Fear is an unpleasant feeling we get when we are concerned that something bad is going to happen to us. This feeling can be caused by something real or something just imagined.
Fear immobilises us. It prevents us from going forward. It makes us hesitate and procrastinate. It militates against our trust in, and dependence, on God. Fear also adversely affects us psychologically.
According to scripture, the things we fear turn out to be self-fulfilling prophecies. Job says after the death of his children: “The thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me.” (Job 3:25).
Therefore, our confession must be that: “God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7).
Ask for God’s spirit of power. Ask Him for the spirit of love. Ask Him for the spirit of a sound mind. Ask the Holy Spirit to subdue and overthrow any spirit of fear in your life. Tell him yourself: “The Lord rebukes you. Get thee behind me. You cannot operate in my life. You cannot get a foothold in my heart. I am delivered from your lies. I am delivered by the truth of God.
Weapon of fear
The American president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, said: “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” Indeed, fear is reserved for the enemies of the children of God. Moses says: “The Lord your God will put the dread of you and the fear of you upon all the land where you tread.” (Deuteronomy 11:25).
God Himself says: “This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the nations under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of you, and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.” (Deuteronomy 2:25).
Ask the Lord to fulfil this scripture in your life. That means even fear should be afraid of you. Ask Him to banish fear from you. Tell Him: “Lord, speak the word and I will be delivered. Cast fear out of my heart and my mind. Empower me and make my adversaries fear me. Contend with all those who contend with me. Make them know that You are my impregnable defense.”
“Fight for me as you did for the Israelites when you removed the wheels of the chariots of the Egyptians, and they exclaimed: “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.” (Exodus 14:25).
Fear not!
Every time God appears on the scene, it seems the first thing he says is “fear not.” It is a command. It must be obeyed. The promise of God says: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10).
Therefore, tell God: “This scripture is fulfilled in my hearing. I will not fear because the Lord is my God. I will not fear because the Lord is the strength of my life.”
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. Though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident.”
“For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle, He shall hide me. He shall set me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me.” (Psalm 27:1-6).
Believe and speak: “I will not fear because the Lord will not allow me to fall. I will not fear because the Lord is with me. I will not be dismayed because the Lord is my God.”
Therefore, I choose faith over fear.”
Sinful fear
Fear is a sin that inevitably leads to other sins. When confronted with what we fear, we end up making ungodly choices. God says: “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore, choose life, that both thou and your seed may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19).
However, fear makes a man choose death. Fear makes a woman sleep with her lecturer. Fear makes a man go to a Babalawo and make a covenant with the devil. Fear makes a Peter deny the Lordship of Jesus Christ. But the fear of the Lord is to hate evil. (Proverbs 8:13).
Ask the Lord to decree that fear is banished from your life. There is no fear in love. Perfect love casts out fear. Ask the blessed Holy Spirit to use God’s perfect love to cast out every fear from your heart. Ask God to impress it on your heart that God loves you with everlasting love. Ask the love of God that has been shed in your heart by the Holy Spirit to speak to the enemy of fear at the gate of your heart.
Fear must not take hold of your heart. It is an outcast: it has no place in you. Fear drives the sinner away from the presence of the Lord. Therefore, ask the Lord to impress it upon you that God loves sinners. Jesus came not to condemn sinners but to save them. The psalmist says: “If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.” (Psalm 130:3-4).
Ask God to drive you in repentance to His throne of grace to receive grace and mercy.
Tell your heart: “I will not succumb to fear, but I will fear the Lord. I will not be afraid of God, but I will reverence God. I will love God. I will seek the face of God.
Fear is a lie
The fearful believe a lie. Ask the Lord to strengthen your faith in God. Tell Him: “Let me not believe lies. Let me believe the truth of God. O God, let me believe the word of God. Let me tremble at Your word.”
The fearful believe that there are many other names by which men can be saved other than the name of Jesus. They believe when they are arrested by the police they can be saved by paying a bribe.
Tell the Lord: “Let this not be my case.” Tell the Lord: “Cause me to believe that I can only be saved by the truth. Your word is truth.”
The fearful believe that salvation is in the name of a compromise to integrity and not in the name of Jesus.
Tell the Lord: “Rescue me from such foolishness. Cause me to understand that there is no other name under heaven apart from the name of Jesus by which we must be saved.” Tell Him: “I know the name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous run into it and are saved.” CONTINUED
