FEAR NOT

 

Some people possess a faith in God that compels them to step out where others would never dare. Others are controlled by fear, and accomplish very little or nothing for the Kingdom of God. So what makes the difference! The difference is allowing faith to conquer our fears. Satan does not want us to act in faith and to be overcomers, because overcomers take ground for the Kingdom of God. So Satan tries to control us with fear and can use something very small to incite just enough fear and doubt to keep us from God’s will.

One day I was in the kitchen cooking when I suddenly felt a shadow pass over me. It was obvious that something very large was flying around in the kitchen. Fear swept over me, until I found the cause. It was a small bug about one third the size of my little fingernail. It appeared much bigger than it was because it had come between me and the light. I had no idea that such a small bug could cast such a big shadow. But it did.

And that is how Satan tries to convince us that he is bigger than we are – that he is bigger than whatever God calls us to do. He says that we are going to fail and that he has the power to stop us from overcoming. He comes between us and the light of truth.

Have you ever felt a shadow of darkness pass over your soul? It may be a shadow of sickness, a bad report from the doctor, family problems, financial difficulties, condemnation, inner turmoil, spiritual confusion. They all scream defeat, saying “You can’t overcome! We are bigger than you. You might as well not even try.” But God’s Word says differently. His Word says the authority of hell itself will not prevail against God’s people. So, whose report are you going to believe? God’s report and Satan’s are total opposites. God’s report is based on His Truth. Satan’s report is based on his lies. Satan uses fear to separate us from Jesus and His Word and make himself look bigger so we will shut the door on God’s opportunities.

Remember when Peter stepped out of the boat into a raging sea? His faith in Jesus propelled him to step out. But when he looked around and saw the severity of the situation, he began to realize he was in way over his head…literally! At that moment, something came between him and the Light. But he did a very wise thing when his faith faltered. He immediately cried out to Jesus, and they both walked back to the boat. Sometimes we need to cry out, “I believe, Lord, but help my unbelief.” We grow in faith through God’s Word and applying it to our situations. We learn to walk in faith by practicing what God’s Word says to us.

One type of fear is an anxious anticipation of danger or pain. It is anxiety and fright. It’s also a distressing emotion aroused by impending evil, whether the threat is real or imagined. It causes us to be apprehensive with a sense of dread. Dread is like the darkness and eerie stillness just before a storm hits. It is an evil foreboding, which is a fearful or threatening feeling that something bad is going to happen at any moment. It brings a darkness of soul so heavy you can feel it. It can hang over us indefinitely if it’s not dealt with. When Jesus told the disciples He would be going away, He said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled [distressed, agitated].” In other words, don’t dread it. He was going to send the Holy Spirit, so the disciples didn’t need to live under a cloud of dread. Jesus had given them His assurance. He gives us the same assurance. “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Sometimes apprehension hangs over us like the lull before the storm, even when there is no storm. But we don’t have to go through that. We have God’s Word. We are not to live in a dream world and pretend that problems aren’t really there, but we don’t have to let dread convince us that it is bigger than God, because it’s not. We need to stay in the light. Remove all obstacles that block the Light. They only lead us away from Jesus.

Fear can also make us want to run or escape. It can happen when God asks us to step out in a new area, maybe to do something bigger than we are, or we are faced with a challenge. Fear will bring up every negative reason for us to run from the call. Fear says, “That can’t be God. He would never ask you to do that!” Have you ever just wanted to run away? That type of fear screams out, “David, you can’t kill Goliath!  Run while you have the chance!” Satan will call your name, too, and say you can’t do whatever it is God says you can. When you’re reasoning out if you can do it or not, don’t factor out God. If He is the One Who said it, you CAN do it! If Satan can trick us into listening to his voice and acting on it, he can snuff out our faith.  

Another type of fear is cowardice, timidity, withdrawing and insecurity. When we are alone in the house at night and hear a strange sound, the first thing most of us do is to freeze right where we are and try not to breath. That is a picture of someone who is withdrawn from life and is always hiding from things that do not exist.  This type of fear will immobilize us. Remember the man who received one talent from his master to tend while His master was away? This man was immobilized with fear and froze, so he lost everything. He was so afraid that he would do something wrong that he did nothing! We all had unfounded fears as children. When we get older our fears change, but most of them are still unfounded.  They turn to “what-ifs” – what if I fail?  I heard God wrong?  People reject me or come against me? What if this happens? What if that happens? I might do the wrong thing, so I will just do nothing. I’ll hide my talent in the ground and keep it safe.

There will always be someone to criticize us, to tell us how they would have done it better, to say “I told you so” if we fail, or to offer their inexperienced opinion of our performance. But God knows the heart and soul of the worker whether we win or lose. Keep following God. We cannot allow the opinions of others or our own feelings to stop what God has called us to. So many times we know what God has said, yet we keep questioning Him because we want Him to say something else, to change His mind. But He doesn’t say anything else because He has already told us what to do. We are stalling and He knows it. This type of fear will leave us in indecision and we will either compromise by doing something that seems a little safer or we will hesitate in confusion and insecurity until the opportunity passes.  Either way, fear has done its job…and we have lost out. We cannot allow fear to intimidate us if we want to move forward with God. Andy Andrews said: “I have a decided heart…Indecision limits the Almighty and His ability to perform miracles in your life.  He has put the vision in you ----proceed!  To wait, to wonder, to doubt, to be indecisive is to disobey God.” There is a difference in waiting on the Lord and procrastinating because we are afraid.

Philippians 4:6-7 says, “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.”

But sometimes, we expect bad results from every opportunity that arises rather than having confidence that God is working all things for our good. Or sometimes we just shut down and accept defeat from every bad circumstance that does come. We just hunker down and wait for the worst to come instead of hearing from God and acting in faith in the middle of the situation. Some people would have told Joseph, “you can’t become Pharaoh’s right-hand-man. You aren’t qualified, so just go back to your place in the prison and be content there. You were doing a good job there, but not in a position this big!” If Joseph had heard and taken that advice, he would have missed the will of God for His life. He trusted God through the worst of times and the best of times, and he was right in the center of God’s will. He was a vessel prepared to be used of God in a mighty way. 

·         We need to go to the Light. Get out of the darkness of fear and live in the Light of faith. Fear comes from hearing, believing and meditating on the words of the enemy.  It comes by practice. When we practice these things, we develop our fear.

·         Faith comes from hearing, believing and meditating on the living Word of God.  It comes by practice. When we practice these things, we develop our faith in God.

 

Fear not little flock for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom!