Fear is often a crippling, sometimes paralyzing thing that we often face in life. It can hinder progress that we either desire to make or know we should make in a given area. It can also be what would be deemed as a “healthy” fear when it can keep us from doing something that could be life-threatening or otherwise harmful to us in any way. The Bible speaks a lot on fear and it is used in a variety of ways including having a ‘fear of God’, which refers to more of a reverent fear, acknowledging who God is and His Supreme Authority. But the type of fear we are going to talk about today is one that God says we should not have.
FEAR IS NOT OF GOD
Why do we experience fear and what is it? 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Biblically speaking, when we look at the word fear in this passage, it is often translated from the Greek word (deilia), which means timidity. But in my time with God, I was led to another Greek word for fear (phobeo), which means to frighten, to be alarmed, or to fear exceedingly. It is where we get our word phobia from. A phobia is an exaggerated or illogical fear of something. Someone suffering from a phobia many times will restructure their whole life to avoid the thing that is causing their extreme fear.
For us Christians, it is the enemy’s job to have us so fearful of certain things that we will avoid them altogether. The Bible tells us that, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy,” John 10:10a KJV. He seeks to abort every vision given, every dream hoped for, or every calling God has spoken over our lives. The enemy begins this process with fear.
When God says He has not given us a spirit of fear, we first have to understand that “God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.” John 4:24 KJV. To operate with success in our spiritual walk, we have to recognize that because God is a Spirit, allowing God to impart His Spirit within us is how we win. We draw strength for the battle from Him. God is telling us that if you feel fear come upon you, that it did not come from Him.
USE YOUR GOD-GIVEN AUTHORITY
He goes on to say that although He didn’t give us a spirit of fear, He has given us power. What is power? Power is legal authority given to us by God to produce a desired effect over a situation. The seed of fear is first planted in our minds, but God is saying that he has given us the mental capacity to overcome those thoughts of fear. As stated earlier, the fear is often exaggerated and illogical.
There is an acronym that someone came up with for fear that says: F-False, E-Evidence, A-Appearing, R-Real. That is exactly what God is telling us in this passage of scripture. He is telling us that fear doesn’t come from Him, it is exaggerated and illogical. The enemy often puts things under a magnifying glass and makes them appear larger than they really are. God is telling us that He has given us power to dismiss those false emotions. Whatever it is that God has called you to do or given you a vision for, He has equipped you to do it.
For me, it was starting this blog. God spoke to me years before concerning starting a blog. My thoughts were that I could never do something like that! I have always been a person who could talk to you all day about the goodness of God, encourage you in the Word of God, pray with you, and teach you about anything that I had knowledge about. However, when He first spoke this to me, I dismissed in my mind all that God had already equipped me with. It took several more years before I began to acknowledge that it was possible that I could actually do this. It took an additional year later after God provided me the foundation I needed along with details of how He wanted it to be arranged that I actually began. Why? Fear.
There is a scripture in Philippians 4:13 KJV that says, ” I can do all things through Christ which strengthenth me.” I have known this scripture for the majority of my life, yet I didn’t confess it, tap into my knowledge of it, or trust that God would bring it to pass. Fear is contrary to trust. When we operate in fear, we are essentially saying to God that we don’t trust Him to be with us through whatever comes our way. At that point, I believe we have forgotten that God is Almighty and that He has the power to do anything, including getting us to a place in our lives where He has prepared for us to be.
LOVE CONQUERS ALL
He also tells that He has given us love. Why love? Why would love be equated with fear? I believe that we are most fearful when we believe there is an absence of love. As children, we were less fearful when we knew that we were loved and had someone to protect us. Worrying about how we are going to take care of this or that, or will we have enough of this or that shows the absence of love. 1 John 4:18 KJV says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment.”
These types of thoughts are evoked when we believe that there is no one who can help us or who even cares. The enemy desires to torment us and lead us to believe that the perfect love of God is somehow aloof and/or far removed from us. We have to be reminded that the Bible says, “God is love” 1 John 4:8b KJV and that ,”your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before you ask Him,” Matthew 6:8b KJV. Knowing all of this helps us to walk in confidence.
PLACIDITY OF MIND IS THE KEY
A sound mind also goes along with power and love because in order to walk in confidence with the power and authority God has given us we have to have a sound mind. A mind that is placid and free from interruptions and disturbances. That is what fear causes-unstableness and disturbance of the mind. God is saying don’t be fooled! He has given us a stable, disturbed-free mind. With that we can make wise decisions and we can remember to put our trust in God to provide provision, protection, and direction. Remembering God has given us power, love, and a sound mind helps to quell our fears which is the opposite response the enemy wants us to have.
It only takes a seed to be planted in your mind to start you along a certain path. If you water the seed of fear, before you know it you have a full blown garden of fear in your mind. The Bible says in Genesis, “And God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, every herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so”, Genesis 1:11 KJV. This means that God spoke and ordained that every seed produces more seed after its own kind, even those that are not sown into the physical ground. Seeds of fear birth more seeds of fear. Trust in God births more seeds of trust. It is whatever we choose to water and cultivate.
What kind of garden are you planting? One full of the knowledge of God and His provision, or one full of the lies of the enemy? My hope is that your garden is one that is full of life-giving sustenance that you can pull from when needed to strengthen you as you grow in your walk with Christ!
Your Sister in Christ,
Nikki