Fear feels right; reality feels wrong

Fear can seem so rational, logical and right. It feels safe and real and true. It certainly presents in such a way as to make us feel as though it has our best at heart and is a protector. However, fear, in reality, is from Satan and is one of his primary tools.

Fear contests God’s Goodness

Now I’m not talking about normal old sensible fear. This is based on the principles of life. If I put my hand in a fire I will get burned…….unless of course, a higher principle of Kingdom life is in operation such as was for these guys when they were thrown into the furnace. (Daniel 3:1-30) If you get a directive from God to do something, you can be sure the Kingdom principle is operation. If not, you’d be silly to put your hand on something really hot. I’m talking about the fear that challenges God’s Goodness. Isn’t it strange that as we follow Jesus teachings, we readily accept “do not steal, do not kill, do not cheat, “…….but easily justify fear, when there is more admonition in the Bible by far to “fear not” than any of these other things. I believe it is because it’s hard to dress up stealing, killing and cheating to look good, but fear can look oh so right! It is, in fact, a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Fear not- full stop.

So let’s just check out some of the “fear not”s  mentioned around 80 times in the bible I believe.

Isaiah 41:10 Do not fear, because God is with you.

Joshua 1:9 Do not fear because God has commanded it, and will be with you

Isaiah 41:13 Do not fear because God has commanded it, is with you, will help you.

Psalm 118:6 Do not fear because God is with me, so man can’t hurt me.

1John 4:8 Do not fear but live in love. Fear contaminates love.

Psalm 23:4 Do not fear, for God is with you.

1 Peter5:7 Do not fear because he cares for you.

Psalm 27:1 Do not fear man because God will provide light, salvation, and protection.

2 Timothy  1:7 Do not fear because it’s not from God. He gives power, love, and soundness of mind.

Deuteronomy 31:6 Do not fear because God is with you and will never leave you.

Luke 12:32 do not fear because God has given you the Kingdom.

When it all boils down, the consistent rationale we are given in the bible is to choose not to fear because instead, we must choose to believe in God’s goodness. He has promised to be with us, to help us, to protect us, to empower us, to save us, give us revelation and the character we will need in the trial along with every promise provided in the Kingdom of God.

 

He has commanded it

Yikes, this is serious stuff! This isn’t a “well, it will go better for you if you live by this principle” kind of chat. This is bottom line; “if you want to follow me, you’ll need to make a commitment to ousting fear.” In a way, it doesn’t seem fair, does it? Like it’s not as though you want to be afraid. It’s not as though you lust after it like a sexual sin or want it. It just comes, doesn’t it? We call it ‘anxious, ‘troubled,’ ‘worried’, ‘concerned’, ’afraid’. However, these are all dark angels in white robes with halos; singing the dirge to get you to buy into fear. Fear not. There’s no escaping that it’s a command so that must mean that God has provided a way to actually live that out; he sets us up to succeed not fail, despite what your fears tell you.

 

What are you listening to?

Whatever you listen to most will become the basis of what you believe in. (Romans 10:17) This verse tells us that faith in God comes from hearing His Word. That can be through reading the Bible, singing, saying, memorizing words that are congruent with the message of the Bible. The psalmist in Psalm 119:11 affirms the truth that by getting His Word into our hearts we will ensure we are equipped to refrain from sin……including fear. You see, whatever is in your heart will speak to you constantly, and this is what you will hear the most.

Tuned in to fear

So what else could we be listening to that would lead us logically into fear? Here are some things.

  • Our own logical rationale, stemming from our interpretation of experience
  • Other people’s opinions
  • Our training in our vocation or education at school/tertiary institutions.
  • The “slime oozing out of your TV” and other media slimes.
  • What we read and allow our minds to consider

Funny old humans, we feed our hearts and minds fear and wonder why it produces the same!

 

I want out!

If your heart really wants to turn the tide of fear, we have been given some other clues to help us feed our hearts the truth of God’s Word and to truly overcome and change. We have stepping stones to help us on the way. Take these steps one at a time to get safely into a lifestyle of positive expectation in Christ; a life characterised by love, empowerment, and stability of mind and heart. (2 Tim:1:7)

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Fill up on Who God is for you; revise your experience and the bible and consider what he says he will be for you. Essentially, get deep into your heart the reality that God is Good, Powerful, with you and for you. Say it, rap it, sing it, listen to that truth so much that it drowns out fear.

 

Bury the lies you’ve internalised.  All that stuff you have perhaps quite unintentionally believed about God, because of your interpretation of experience……root it out and dump it. Some ways to do that is by

  • Thinking about how the things you’ve learned about the truth of God, don’t feel true. Explore with Holy Spirit what you truly believe.
  • Maybe the things you think about yourself are not true of a person in Christ. Spend some time discovering who the bible says you are.
  • Maybe you’ve framed your circumstances as insurmountable/impossible. God says don’t worry about anything, instead, Pray in faith and thank him. (Philippians 4:6)

Make the change. You know Fear is a sin. It just plain is. You can mull around the rationales and puddle around the difficulties, but at the end of the day, if you consider yourself to be a follower of Jesus turning away from sin and toward righteousness is imperative.

 

Be watchful and train yourself in faith. 1 Peter 5:8 affirms that Satan will look for any opportunity to suck you back into familiar sin pathways. James 4:7 encourages us that if we resist him, he’ll have to leave us even though it doesn’t feel like he will or does. The time you most need vigilance is when you are learning a new way of thinking. It helps to speak the truth out loud, so your faith in it is built up quickly.

Challenge fear

I remember a time when my children were young and my husband worked very long hours to establish our business. He would sometimes be driving home after 12 hours or more of physical work, in the dark, on country roads known to have many kangaroos, tired, poor headlights and no mobile phone to assure me of his safety. I found myself fearing an accident and imagining how I’d cope with various scenarios of dread. When he walked in the door safe and sound I’d be angry with relief. Poor man! Challenged by Holy Spirit about this, he showed me his promises of protection and showed me how to cut off the negative imaginations, declare Phil’s safety and walk in peace. It took a few practice runs but I did it. That victory, of course, helped me to challenge other similar fear imaginations in future.

Nothing is bigger than God’s goodness toward you

You may think my example is dwarfed by your circumstances, well what about Joshua’s? Moses shoes were big shoes to fit when God called Joshua to take on armies way bigger and stronger than the Israelites and yet he commanded him to “fear not!” (Joshua 1:8,9) There is nothing in your circumstances that is bigger than God’s Goodness for you. Join me as I discover more of who he wants to be for me in the scary places of life, and the triumphs he has planned for you and His Kingdom in each of them.

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Apply it, Own it

Read

Read Joshua chapter 1. What can you learn about how to face fear in your situation?

Journal

Draw an image from the heart that reflects how you feel about the situation in which you find yourself in fear. Do not try to make a good picture, just make strokes and markings that seem reflective. Later, ask Holy Spirit to show you aspects of what you feel and believe that you hadn’t seen before.

Consider

David killed a lion and a bear that had come to attack his flock before he stood before Goliath. Don’t be tempted to slay a giant before you’ve dealt with a lion or a bear. Look for one of the lesser fears and overcome it, so that you will be confident to face more challenging ones.

Prayer

Take the time to really acknowledge that God is with you. Talk to him as though he really is, really hears and really cares as you bring your fears and false beliefs to him to help you sort out.

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