Is 41:10
10So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
I believe fear is the number one thing that keeps us in bondage - fear of failure, fear of accidents, fear of sickness, fear of not getting well from a sickness, fear of men and so on.
The Bible says, “fear not” at least 84 times. (I have heard that you can find one “fear not” in the Bible for every day.) God knows about this yoke of fear, which is why He has mentioned it so many times, but even still we are so easily fearful.
Fear comes from lies. The enemy loves to put lies about God in our minds. If we really knew God fully we would know that he is trustworthy and we would not fear. He is the truth, and when we see the truth, the truth will set us free (John 8:32). The truth is that God will set you free from fear.
Love drives out all fear
1 Joh 4:18-19
18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19We love because he first loved us.
Remember that God loved us first, and there is nothing that can make Him love you more or less. This is why we are able to love Him back. Remember that to love is to choose to do an action and not a feeling. If we choose to love God it will help the fear go away. The fear will go away the more we love God. Some may think that this is too difficult, because they fear too much, so they must not love God. But remember that God has a lot of patience, and He does not condemn us, because He has loved us first. If fear has been your master you won’t be free of fear in one minute. God knows this. He wants to give you hope so you can be totally free.
When the devil shoots his condemning arrows some even start to fear the fear itself. If you are thinking: I can’t love God because I fear too much, then you have fallen into condemnation and fear the fear. God’s intention is always to set you free, not put a heavier burden on your shoulders.
What God is saying is: “Look at me and the love I have for you” He is hoping that this will bring you into loving Him more.
In many ways God can be compared to a man that is totally in love with his bride. He wishes to awaken the love to the one He loves. Even though He can meet some resistance and hard times, He doesn’t give up. God will never let go of us, but He is not importunate so he can also draw back. He respects your no, but it also hurts Him.
God showed His great love towards us when He sent his only begotten son, Jesus, down to this earth. Many didn’t, don’t and won’t receive this free gift of love.
To love someone is a choice, it’s not a feeling. We have been raised up to believe that love is all about feelings, but first of all it is a choice. You choose to be a child of God; you may not always feel like one. But, I am glad that God gave us feelings so we can feel our love for God, His love for us and our love for each other.
By the way, the Bible uses a lot of pictures of us as the bride and Him as the bridegroom. (See Songs of Songs and in Revelation).
When we see the great love that God has for us, we will be delivered from fear. When He wishes us the best, what do we then have to fear? If God is for me, who can be against me?
Rom 8:31-39
31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul wrote this to the Christians in Rome. They experienced brutal times with persecutions, and had a lot to fear from Nero, the Roman emperor at the time. He was one of the church’s worst persecutors of Christians. For instance, he used the Christians as torches in his private amusement parties. So, they were facing death all day long and were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
Many of us don’t experience this kind of persecution today, so we don’t have as much to fear physically as they did. Still, there are Christians today that are persecuted and killed in different countries and for them this scripture and knowledge about God must be a great encouragement.
Fear of men.
Scripture tells us that we don’t have to fear men.
Psalm 118:6
6The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
What is the source of fearing other men? Why do we have it? Fear of men comes from the fear of doing something wrong or unnatural, or we wish to avoid confrontation.
If you are a perfectionist, or being rebuked by a person that is a perfectionist, then I believe you are a person that struggles with the fear of men. You are afraid of making mistakes, because of the consequences.
When it comes to consequences, what will be the cost if I make a mistake in God’s kingdom? Often, it is just our pride that gets hurt.
Whatever fear you are struggling with, the above scripture is for you. What can man do to you? Man can take your life, but the only result is that you get to heaven faster. When God is for you, who can be against you? God is greater than your fear. God is bigger than any power on earth. You are on the side of the Mighty One! God is for you! Do not fear!
I hope the things I have written help you. Remember it is a process, but you can start today! God is there waiting!
