"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind"
-II Timothy 1:7
Fear is not a feeling. It is not an emotion. It is a spiritual force. And although it can and does affect our emotions, it can be in operation even when we don’t feel it.
Just as faith is the substance of things hoped for (Heb 11:1), fear is the substance of things not desired.
Faith reaches into the unseen realm of the spirit and manifests the promises of God. Fear reaches into the unseen realm and manifests the threats of the devil.
Faith is the power God uses to create. Fear is the power the devil uses to destroy.
Heb 2:14-15 says Jesus became flesh and blood to destroy the power of death and deliver those who were in bondage to it. It is the fear of death that keeps us in bondage.
The fear of death includes the fear of sickness, lack, failure and everything else that is included under the Law of Sin and Death.
When the Israelites came out of Egypt, they had just seen the display of God’s miraculous power. Yet, as they faced the Red Sea with the Egyptian army at their backs, they turned on Moses (Exo 14:11). They began to fear what the enemy could do to them. Fear caused these people to doubt God.
The apparently innocent desire to protect ourselves will cost us dearly when it comes to walking with God. We see ourselves as just people again, not people with whom God dwells.
Refusing to fear is first of all a matter of the will. It is also a matter of choosing to believe that in every situation God is on our side and by His power, He will see us through (Psalm 118:6) “The Lord is on my side, I will not fear”.
In the face of impossible challenges, God gives us the same instruction He gave to Joshua and Solomon. “Be strong and very courageous”. “You be strong – not in your own power, but in My might” (Eph 6:10). Clearly being courageous is our responsibility, and it is a command. God hath said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” So that we may boldly say – ”The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Heb 13:5-6).
For whatever impossible challenge that may be before us, God has already given us instructions “Be strong and very courageous” If we will do that God will take care of the rest.
(2 Pet 1:5) Peter tells us to add to our faith, virtue (courageous and moral energy). Courage comes as we meditate on the Word of God. We have to choose to stand up to the fear or doubt, boldly declaring that fear has no place in us and that we believe the Word of God.
Without courage we will never be able to stand on the Word of God for anything. We won’t be able to receive what God has promised us, because fear will come and steal the faith right out of our heart. Wherever fear begins, faith ends.
Obeying the Word of God is an act of courage. It takes courage, stamina and determination to stay with something, especially when the world has what seems to be an easier, quicker way. When most of the people and all circumstances around you are screaming unbelief in your ears, it takes courage to stand on God’s word and not be moved.
As we make the decision to stand and be courageous, we will be in position and ready to activate God’s three part formula for success in Joshua 1:8.
1.This book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth.
2.But you shall meditate on it day and night.
3.That you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success. These steps enabled Joshua to conquer the land of Canaan and bring the Israelites into their inheritance.
They are also the steps that will enable us to live like the conqueror God designed us to be.
We should cast down every fearful imagination and every thought that is contrary to the promise of God. (2 Cor 10:5).
God makes available everything we could possibly need, every conceivable blessing through the promises in His Word. If we will believe them and activate the Law of the Spirit of Life, those promises will manifest in our life. They will open the way for us to escape the destruction brought unto the Earth by the Law of Sin and Death.
Speak the Word of God; use it to contradict the devil’s lies. When the mouth speaks, the mind has to stop and listen to what it is saying. Maybe we may not fully believe the confession the first time we make it, but if we keep saying it, we keep hearing it and what we hear, we will believe. Eventually our faith will be so strong and our heart will be so full, we will start speaking with total confidence.
Fear has no chance when faith comes on the scene.
Satan however challenges these promises with fear. He brings us contrary circumstances to convince us those promises can never come to pass. He lies.
As Eph 6:12 says, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” - these rulers use fear. Fear is their source of power. So if we will take authority over it and break its power, then poverty, sickness and failure that fear was designed to bring will never have the opportunity to manifest itself in our lives. We should go before God and repent and use our God given authority over that fear. Then stand in faith in our freedom from fear. Confess the truth (Psalm 118:6). David said, “The Lord is on my side, I will not fear”.
The choice is ours. We can listen to the Word of God or the lies of the devil. We should forget our past failures or we will find ourselves meditating on them.
Just as faith comes by hearing the Word of God, fear comes by hearing the word of the devil. Fear comes when you entertain his threats about the future and his boasts about the past. God wants us to rest in His power. He wants us to know Him so well and trust Him so much that when Satan tries to threaten us, we just laugh at him.
We should believe God’s Word. Speak it to our problems and watch faith rise up. Then we will have the right perspective and victory will be ours.
