Fear Not!

     Overcoming the stronghold of Fear:  MAIN HEALING LESSON 21

This teaching on overcoming fear and anxiety is just one of the 24 lessons in our workbook for personal transformation, "Matters of the Heart."  All 24 lessons will be helpful to the person seeking restoration and freedom and have been posted on this web site. They are available as a complete set in our workbook which can be purchased as a download or ordered through the mail. The lessons are also available on CD and DVD as 24, 1/2 hour teachings. All scriptures are from the NKJV unless otherwise noted.
 

Introduction

What are you afraid of?
OK, maybe you aren’t afraid of anything. Let’s put it this way: are you anxious, do you experience dread over certain events, are you weighted down with concerns, are you chronically worried, do you get stressed out, are you shy around people, do you avoid speaking in public, or run from times of conflict and confrontation? All these are forms of fear. And they stand in the way of the life Jesus wants to live in us.

Jesus is the Fearless One
He has already overcome the world, the flesh and the devil and is bringing to us the Perfect Love of the Father so that we too can become overcoming ones and live valiant lives, trusting our God even in situations of peril. One of the first things his angels would say to believers they were sent to rescue was  "Fear not!" In fact there are sufficient "fear not" commands in scripture (in one form or another) to cover every day of the year.

Fear is a mighty stronghold
The enemy seeks to build fear into every believer to quench faith, stymie love and turn us away from the challenges of the high calling. And he builds it upon the other strongholds we have been studying: Unbelief in God’s perfect love is the root to all fears; Accusation makes us feel cut off and condemned; Bitterness binds the pain of the past to us; unhealed Trauma makes our world feel very insecure; Rejection sends frightful messages to our heart; Self-rejection blocks us from believing that God really can love us, Envy/jealousy insist that others are getting a better deal; and Occult involvement always brings massive amounts of fear. No wonder that fear is something of an emotional pandemic!
     But the Lord has great remedies.
 

Teaching summary

Based on Be In Health, teaching and materials; Pastor Henry Wright

The 2 "good" fears
There are two kinds of fear that are good and helpful: godly fear and fear awareness of immediate danger. But beware—both of these can quickly turn into the wrong kind of fear. Godly fear is respect, honor and acknowledgment of who God is. It is a healthy awareness that God holds accountable for our choices.  But being afraid of God, or of what God may do, or of what God may allow, or of what God may ask of us comes directly from the enemy. Many Christian fears about God are not godly fear at all, but this wrong kind of craven fear coming from the enemy.

When fear goes "bad"
Fear awareness of immediate danger enables us to deal with trouble and rescue the situation. Science has identified this as the “flight or fight” response of the General Adaptation Syndrome (see “Digging Deeper” in The Spiritual Roots to Disease (Main Healing Lesson 1) and The Spiritual Roots of Disease part 2 (Head to Heart Guide 1)) and we need it to gear our bodies up for immediate action.  But this quickly becomes “bad fear” if:

a) we are paralyzed or panicked and cannot act decisively or
b) there is no real response we can make because we are being alarmed by imagined or future dangers, not immediate, life-threatening ones. This kind of fear response keeps most people living stressed up and breaks down health like a hammer.

It has been said that the Bible gives 365 commands not to be in fear, one for every day of the year. When we are in fear in any of its forms we are not trusting God. The critical issue is heart trust in God.  

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength. Isaiah 26:3-4
 

Fear is a spiritual issue

Fear in any of its forms is not what it seems. It is not a personality problem--there is nothing wrong with the personality that God has actually given to you. Fear is a spiritual issue that becomes a problem to us (in our personality and in the whole of our life) when we let it take over. Watch this progression carefully:

1) Fear is the opposite of love
Perfect love casts out fear; but “perfect” fear will cast out love. See The Father's Heart of Love (Main Healing Lesson 10) and The Father's Heart of Love part 2 (Head to Heart Guide 10).

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18-19  

2) Fear is little faith or no faith
Jesus upbraided the disciples for having little faith and no faith when they became afraid over concern for their daily needs and during the storm at sea.

So why do you worry…O you of little faith? …do not worry about tomorrow. Matthew 6:25-34  

Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?  Mark 4:35-40

3) Fear is the opposite of faith
Fear works in the same way faith does but in the opposite direction: faith looks past the problem of the visible reality to see its solution in the Invisible Reality of God and therefore becomes the substance in us that God uses to fulfill His purposes. Fear looks at the visible problem, ignores the Invisible Savior, and becomes the substance the enemy uses to fulfill his purposes for us. Job lamented that what he feared came upon him (Job 3:24-26). Fear is false protection—it actually brings trouble our way!

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Heb 11:1

The thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened. Job 3:25

4) Fear is spiritual blindness
It keeps us from seeing with our “eyes” of faith. It minimizes what God can do, “shrinks” us as His vessels, and magnifies what the enemy is doing.

There we saw the giants…and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight. Numbers13:30-33

5) Fear is actually a sin
Fear compounds the natural problem by bringing in a spiritual one—unbelief and distrust in God over what is taking place. Fear is rooted in the sin of unbelief--it is not from faith.

…for whatever is not from faith is sin. Romans 14:23

6) Fear is spiritual bondage
It enslaves us and carries us captive to the enemy’s mindset.

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear. Romans 8:15

7) Fear is an evil spirit
Spirits of fear love to manifest the nature of fear in us—and use fear to derail our lives and destroy our health. They are liars and bullies. Fear that comes from the enemy is never telling you the whole truth—otherwise you would calm down and trust God. Notice that we have a choice to make: we can have either fear OR power, love and a sound mind. We cannot have it both ways! Even the presence of a little stress can begin robbing anyone of confidence in God (power), love (releasing our hearts) and soundness of mind (thinking clearly, remembering readily). Notice also how the Trinity are our new resources: the Holy Spirit is our Power, the Father is Perfect Love to us, and Jesus is our new Mind.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
 

There are many ways to get free

The sure way to bring down all stronghold is the pathway of repentance (see Steps to Freedom (Main Healing Lesson 7)), but these ways also work well for fighting fear.

1) Let perfect love cast out fear
Work on renewing the true image of God in your heart. God is love and real love is of God (John 4:16).  Keep your thoughts fixed on who God really is (Isaiah 26:3).

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear... But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us. 1 John 4:18-19  

2) Let the Word undercut the power of fear
Increase faith and trust by God’s Word. Remember that we build faith by staying in the Word (Romans 10:17). Scriptures really do counter fear.
 
3) Resist fear
Keep obeying despite your fears; don’t give ground to the enemy. See "Do it Afraid" under the "Putting Feet to Your Prayers" section in the Fear Not! part 2 (Head to Heart Guide 21). Keep holding on to the truths God has shown you in scripture. Keep praying. Rebuke the enemy, commanding fear to go in Jesus Name. Resist the temptation to give up or ran. Fight back. Resist. Persevere.

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you… James 4:7-8

4) Let deliverance cast fear out 
Call a friend who can do spiritual warfare.

5) Let loving release fears from your heart
Love cats, dogs, friendly people.  Love in your heart will cast out fear, just as knowing God’s love for you casts out fear.

6) Let laughter release your fears 

A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones. Proverbs 17:22

7) Let a willingness to die to self release you from fear
If we are harboring a fear of death, other fears will always defeat us—this has to be dealt with first. A willingness to suffer, even die, for Christ defeats most fears, since the fear of death is the root of all fears (Hebrews 12:14-15). When we don’t care what happens so long as His good will for us will be done, we slip out of the snare of fear. Surrender always brings peace. What is the worst that could happen? Die and be with Jesus (Job 13:15-16)?

…take up his cross daily…whoever desires [in fear] to save his life will lose it. Luke 9:23-25

And they overcame him…they did not love their lives to the death. Revelation 12:11

8) Prayer
Let prayer put your fears to rest as you release your concerns to God. Cast your cares on Him.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

9) Follow Jesus
Let obedience lead you out of fear by taking you through your fears. Taking decisive action (just do it) defeats a lot of fears.  Once you have finally struggled through despite your fears, the same fears will have less power over you in the future.

Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. Hebrews 12:12-13

10) Discern the voice
Learn to recognize the voice of fear (the way it impresses upon you) and stop listening to it.

But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Hebrews 5:14

The best time to start trusting God is when you are caught in fear.
Notice the deliberate choice the Psalmist makes: I will [I choose to] trust in God. I will fear not!

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You…I will not fear. Psalm 56:3-4 

We truly have nothing to fear
--not even fear itself!

 

Interested in going deeper?

Don't just give these truths a "head bob"!
For further study and for help working these truths into your heart and life, see Fear Not! part 2 (Head to Heart Guide 21) and "work out" with exercises, discussion questions, review of main points, digging deeper, more scriptures, model prayers, renunciations/affirmations and practical steps of life application.

Or better yet, let us minister to you in person
     --at one of our Savannah Seminars...