What is Fear?

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 NKJV

According to CBN, “there are more than 365 “Fear nots” in the Bible!” That’s because we need to be constantly reminded to “Fear not” but to trust in God every day. Clearly, God is trying to make sure that we fear not and not fall in a state of fear as this is Satan’s main weapon and strategy against us.

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). The enemy knows that fear works directly against our faith and once he can steal the word from our hearts and get our eyes off the word of God and move away from a place of faith, he is more able to manipulate and control us so that he can kill and destroy us. John 10:10 states that the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.

Fear is often defined as False Evidence Appearing Real. Going back to the definition of faith that the Lord was showing me in my last post “What is faith?” Faith is the substance of things you confidently expect of what God has promised, the evidence of things not seen yet.

One of the ways Satan tries to pull us away from our faith is by influencing the evidence of things not seen yet or rather our circumstances to try to instill doubt, worry, anxiety, unbelief, and/or fear. Confidently expect God’s promises to happen regardless of what is going on around you and remain confident that you will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13).

Satan can also directly attack our body and our soul (mind, will and emotions), but he cannot attack our Spirit since it’s connected directly to God. In the soul he may attack your mind and give you negative fearful thoughts against God’s truth or through the body he may give you aches and pains for you to think something’s wrong, for example, that you didn’t get your healing. These attacks make you stray from the truth that by His stripes we were healed (1 Peter 2:24) therefore are healed and made whole right now if only you receive it by faith. Satan is the father of lies and will always try to distract us and turn our focus away from God’s absolute truth that’s in His word.

The enemy can also indirectly attack us by using those around us to instill fear in us but Psalm 56:3-4 tells us, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” Psalm 27:1 also states, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” The Lord is on my side; I will not fear, what can man do to me? (Psalm 118:6).

He tells us to be strong and courageous and do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you, He will not leave you or forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6). The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you so do not be afraid; do not be discouraged (Deuteronomy 31:8). The Lord your God fights for you (Deuteronomy 3:22).

God has put all things under Jesus’ authority, except God Himself (1 Corinthians 15:27). As believers of Jesus Christ, we are joint-heirs with Him (Romans 8:17). Therefore, as joint-heirs with Christ everything is also put under our feet giving us dominion upon this earth. Satan and his cohorts may have power, but Jesus has given us power, dominion and authority through the Holy Spirit living within us to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt us (Luke 10:19).

Though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil, for He is with us; His rod and His staff, they comfort us (Psalm 23:4).

Fear of the Lord

Proverbs 29:25 says that the fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe. Fear is like a trap and Romans 8:15 calls it slavery but Jesus came so we may be free and free we are indeed (John 8:36).

A servant stands or falls before his own master (Romans 14:4) therefore we, as servants of our master Jesus, are only subjected to Him.

The only fear we need is the reverential fear of God, our Creator, meaning awe and respect of Him. Jesus warned in Luke 12: 4-5, “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.”

According to Psalm 111:10 and Proverbs 1:7 anything that doesn’t begin with the fear of the Lord is neither true wisdom nor true knowledge.

When we have reverential fear of the Lord it is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7), we gain true wisdom (Psalm 111:10), acceptance (Acts 10:34), we receive divine instructions in the way that we should choose (Psalm 25:12), He will hold our right hand and say to us, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you” (Isaiah 41:13), we will not be visited by harm (Proverbs 19:23), we will hate all that is evil (Proverbs 8:13), we will have access to a fountain of life so that we may turn from the snares of death, He will be our help and shield (Psalm 115:11), we will be blessed (Psalm 112:1), He will show compassion to us (Psalm 103:13), abundant goodness (Psalm 31:19), and His steadfast love would be on us from everlasting to everlasting (Psalm 103:17).

For truly our savior’s yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30), His blessings, endless. The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it (Proverbs 10:22).