HOW TO HANDLE FEAR

Fear is to Satan
what
Faith is to God

Faith does God's work
Fear does Satan's work

God operates on the basis of faith, which enables believers to resist one of the devil's chief operative tactics -- fear. God has not given believers

a spirit of fear, but of power and love and discipline (sound mind or literally "a saved mind"). (2Ti 1:7-note)

Peter exhorts believers to resist our adversary, the devil, remaining firm (stable, immovable) in our faith (1Pe 5:9-note).

In this present evil age believers are to

walk by faith, not by sight (2Cor 5:7)

Paul instructs believers to take up

the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one (including those intended to make us fearful) (Ep 6:16-notes, see also sermon by Wayne Barber)

John adds that whoever

is born of God overcomes (keeps on continuously conquering) the world (including its fears) and this is the victory that has overcome the world-- our faith. And who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1Jn 5:4, 5)

The writer of Hebrews explains that...

Without faith it is impossible to please (God), for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." (He 11:6-note) 

And finally Paul explains how our faith can be fertilized and watered writing that...

faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." (Ro 10:17-note) (Click devotional)

Fear knocked at the door.
Faith answered.
No one was there.

Spurgeon writes that

IT SEEMS AS if doubt were doomed to be the perpetual companion of faith. As dust attends the chariot wheels so do doubts naturally becloud faith. Some men of little faith are perpetually enshrouded with fears; their faith seems only strong enough to enable them to doubt. If they had no faith at all, then they would not doubt, but having that little, and but so little, they are perpetually involved in distressing surmises, suspicions, and fears. Others, who have attained to great strength and stability of faith, are nevertheless, at times, subjects of doubt. He who has a colossal faith will sometimes find that the clouds of fear float over the brow of his confidence. It is not possible, I suppose, so long as man is in this world, that he should be perfect in anything; and surely it seems to be quite impossible that he should be perfect in faith. Sometimes, indeed, the Lord purposely leaves His children, withdraws the divine inflowings of His grace, and permits them to begin to sink, in order that they may understand that faith is not their own work, but is at first the gift of God, and must always be maintained and kept alive in the heart by the fresh influence of the Holy Spirit.

I take it that Peter was a man of great faith. When others doubted, Peter believed. He boldly avowed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God, for which faith he received the Master's commendation, "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." He was of faith so strong, that at Christ's command he could tread the billow and find it like glass beneath his feet, yet even he was permitted in this thing to fall. Faith forsook him, he looked at the winds and the waves, and began to sink, and the Lord said to him, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" As much as to say, "O Peter, thy great faith is my gift, and the greatness of it is my work. Think not that thou art the author of thine own faith; I will leave thee, and this great faith of thine shall speedily disappear, and like another who hath no faith, thou shalt believe the winds, and regard the waves, but shalt distrust thy Master's power, and therefore shalt thou sink." (Read full message Mr. Fearing Comforted)

Spurgeon in another sermon entitled Needless Fears (or see Pdf) writes that...

Things often influence us out of proportion to their value because of their closeness. For instance, the moon is a very small insignificant body compared with the sun, yet it has far more influence over the tides and many other matters in the world than the sun has, simply because it is so much closer to the earth than the sun is. The life that is to come is infinitely more important than the life that now is, and I hope that, in our innermost hearts, we consider that the things that are seen and temporal are mere trifles compared with the things which are not seen and eternal; yet it often happens that the less important matters have a greater influence over us than those which are far more important, simply because the things of earth are so much closer to us.

Heaven is infinitely more to be desired than any joy on earth, yet it seems so far off, and therefore these fleeting joys here may give us greater present comfort. The wrath of God is far more to be dreaded than the anger of man, yet sometimes a frown or a rebuke from a fellow creature will have more effect upon our minds than the thought of the anger of God. This is because the one appears to be remote, while, being in this body of flesh, we are so near to the other. Now, beloved, it will sometimes happen that a matter, which is scarcely worthy of the thought of an immortal spirit, will trouble and worry us from day to day. There is some oppressor, as the text puts it, whom we dread and continually fear, yet we forget the almighty God, who is on our side, who is stronger than all the oppressors who have ever lived, and who has all people and all things under his control. The reason why we act this way is because we think of God as if he were far off, while we can see the oppressor with our eyes, and we can hear with our ears his threatening words. (Read the full message Needless Fears or see Pdf)

Dr. E. Stanley Jones describes the relationship between faith and fear this way:

I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear. Fear is not my native land; faith is. I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life; faith is the oil. I live better by faith and confidence than by fear, doubt and anxiety. In anxiety and worry, my being is gasping for breath—these are not my native air. But in faith and confidence, I breathe freely—these are my native air.  A John Hopkins University doctor says, “We do not know why it is that worriers die sooner than the non-worriers, but that is a fact.” But I, who am simple of mind, think I know; We are inwardly constructed in nerve and tissue, brain cell and soul, for faith and not for fear. God made us that way. To live by worry is to live against reality." The only thing that conquers fear is faith in the Lord. 

Spurgeon commenting on “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee” (Psalm 56:3) writes...

IT must be a very difficult thing to be the first traveler through as unknown country, but it is a much more simple matter to travel where others have preceded us; however difficult may be the road, we discover our path by certain marks which they have left for us, and as we turn to the record of their journey, we say, “Yes, they said that here they came to a forest, and here is the forest; here they spoke of a broad river as here they forded it; here is so exactly the spot which is marked, we are in the right road, for we are following in the track: of those who have gone before.” Now God in his providence has placed us in “the ends of the world” as to time; a long caravan of pilgrims he preceded us, and they have left us marks on the way, and records of their joy.

A notable one among the pilgrims to the skies was David, for his pilgrimage was so singularly varied. Some travel to heaven amid sunshine almost all the way the; and some, on the other hand, seem to have story from beginning to end. But David’s case differed from these, for he had both the storms and the sunshine. No man had fairer weather than the King of Jerusalem yet no man ever ploughed his way through soil that was more deep with mire, nor through an atmosphere more loaded with tempest than did this man of many tribulations. He has been a kind of pioneer for us. I remember seeing, some years ago, the French army going through Paris, and noticing some of the big, tall fellows, old men that had been in the was of the first Napoleon. These went in front, and they seemed to be worth all the rest that were behind; they were the pioneers that cleared the way for the others. Now David, and such as he, of whom we read in the Scriptures, are the grand old soldiers that bear the standard and lead the way, and we are the raw recruits that follow on behind them. Let us be thankful that we have some veterans to lead the van. Our text is rather an extraordinary one, yet it represents the experience of many of us, and we are comforted by the thought that our feelings and David’s have very much agreed: “What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.” (Read the full sermon on Psalm 56:3 Faith Hand in Hand with Fear - Sermon by C H Spurgeon)

(Related sermon - on Isa 12:2, Ps 56:8, 41:14 - Ps 56:8; 41:14 - Fearing and Trusting - Trusting and Not Fearing - Sermon by C H Spurgeon)

Dr John MacArthur when asked how a believer should handle fear remarked that

there are two causes of fear basically. One is a guilty conscience. The other is a lack of trust. Two things cause fear: sin in your life that you haven’t dealt with (then you feel you have a right to being punished and so you’re afraid it’s going to come) (click OT illustration) or secondly, you’re afraid because you don’t think God can handle your situation. You’re afraid you’re going to die, you’re afraid you’re going to get sick, you’re afraid your kids are going to get hurt, you’re afraid the roof’s going to fall in, you’re afraid the demons are going to get you… Whatever it is, it comes from two things. Number one, you have a guilty conscience. Number two, a lack of faith. Now, you can deal with both of those. A guilty conscience: confess your sin and get it all cleaned out. A lack of faith: get your Bible open and read what God says about Himself and learn to trust Him....And pray.

Faith obeys God in spite of circumstances or consequences, and it is not afraid of what others may say or do. An “Elijah complex” in  (see below) can rob you of power and joy, so beware! Elijah went from victory to defeat because he started walking by sight and not by faith. He believed the wicked queen Jezebel's words but not God’s word, and he forgot how God had cared for him for three and a half years. Fear replaced faith, and he ran for his life. We need to obey the words

Do not be afraid; only believe (Mark 5:36).

Only he who can say, “The Lord is the strength of my life,” can say, “Of whom shall I be afraid?” -Alexander Maclaren

God incarnate is the end of fear; and the heart that realizes that he is in the midst... will be quiet in the midst of alarm. - F. B. Meyer

This is a wise, sane Christian faith: that a man commit himself, his life, and his hopes to God; that God undertakes the special protection of that man; that therefore that man ought not to be afraid of anything. - George Macdonald

C H Spurgeon advises believers to

Fear to fear. Be afraid to be afraid. Your worst enemy is within your own bosom. Get to your knees and cry for help; and then rise up, saying, “I will trust, and not be afraid." He goes on to add that we need to "Get away from the world and nestle under God’s wing. Exchange doubt for certainty and fear for confidence. Faith laughs at what fear weeps over. Faith leaps over mountains at whose feet mere mortal strength lies down to die."

A W Pink  (An Exposition of Hebrews) writes that

Faith not only elevates the heart above the delights of sense, but it also delivers it from the fear of man. Faith and fear are opposites, and yet, strange to say, they are often found dwelling within the same breast; but where one is dominant the other is dormant. The constant attitude of the Christian should be,

“Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid;
For the LORD GOD is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation (my Yeshua = my Jesus)." (Isa 12:2)

But alas, what ought to be, and what is, are two vastly different things. Nevertheless, when the grace of faith is in exercise, its language is,

“When I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee” (Ps 56:3)

SOME OF THE FEARS
SATAN'S MINIONS CAN TAUNT US WITH

a). FEAR OF DEATH:

On September 7, 1851, the unbeliever Henry David Thoreau wrote in his journal,

Nothing is so much to be feared as fear.

Fear of death enslaves individuals, keeping them in bondage. Hebrews records that Jesus' death rendered powerless the devil "who had the power of death" and that Christ's death on the Cross was able to "deliver (release, completely set free from bondage) those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives." (He 2:14, 15-see notes He 2:14; 15).

The Greek for "subject to" (enechos) pictures one who is ensnared, entangled or held in the grip of the fear of death. "Slavery" (douleia) describes servitude, dependence or the state in which an individual is prevented from freely possessing and enjoying their life. Outside of Christ all of mankind is pictured as a bondslave continually subject to a cruel master named "fear'! Satan uses the fear of death as a terrible weapon to gain control over the lives of people. His kingdom is one of darkness and death.  The gospel is used by God to

open (unsaved, enslaved mankind's) eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified (set apart from the world and unto God) by faith in (Jesus). (Acts 26:18)

Believers are now free of the fear that permeates Satan's kingdom of darkness, for God has

delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son" (see note Colossians 1:13)

We who trust in Jesus Christ have once and for all been delivered from Satan’s authority and from the terrible enslavement to fear of death. All those who do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior face eternal death and thus are eternally held in slavery. Only Jesus sets man free from this slavery. (Click devotional; or here)

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God has not given us a spirit of fear
(of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear)
(see note 2 Timothy 1:7)

Read the brief testimonies of how two men were enabled to face the very real and imminent fear of death at the hands of the Nazis in World War II - Martin Neimoller and Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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Pastor John Piper has the following thoughts on why believers do not need to be afraid...

We will not die apart from God's gracious decree for his children.

James 4:14-15, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."

Matthew 10:29-30, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."

Deuteronomy 32:39, "See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand." (See Job 1:21;1Sa 2:6; 2Ki 5:7)

Curses and divination do not hold sway against God's people.

Numbers 23:23, "There is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel."

The plans of terrorists and hostile nations do not succeed apart from our gracious God.

Psalm 33:10, "The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples." (Spurgeon's comment )

Isaiah 8:9, 10, "Take counsel together [you peoples], but it will come to nothing; speak a word, but it will not stand, for God is with us." (See 2Sa 7:14; Neh 4:15)

Man cannot harm us beyond God's gracious will for us.

Psalm 118:6, "The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" (Spurgeon's comment)

Psalm 56:11, "In God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Spurgeon's comment)

God promises to protect his own from all that is not finally good for them.

Psalm 91:14, "Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name."  (Spurgeon's comment )

God promises to give us all we need to obey, enjoy, and honor him forever.

Matthew 6:31 (note) "Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' . . . Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

Philippians 4:19 (note) "And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

God is never taken off guard.

Psalm 121:4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. (see commentary notes)
 

God will be with us, help us, and uphold us in trouble.

Isaiah 41:10, "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Isaiah 41:13, "For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, 'Fear not, I am the one who helps you.'"

Terrors will come, some of us will die, but not a hair of our heads will perish.

Luke 21:10, 11, 18, "Then [Jesus] said to them, '. . . there will be terrors (!) and great signs from heaven. . . . and some of you they will put to death. . . . But not a hair of your head will perish.'"

Nothing befalls God's own but in its appointed hour.

John 7:30, "So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come." (Cp John 8:20; 10:18)

When God Almighty is your helper, none can harm you beyond what he decrees.

Hebrews 13:6 (note), "So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?'"

Romans 8:31 (note), "If God is for us, who can be against us?"

God's faithfulness is based on the firm value of his name, not the fickle measure of our obedience.

1Sa 12:20, 21, 22, "And Samuel said to the people, 'Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. . . . For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name's sake.'"

The Lord, our protector, is great and awesome.

Neh 4:14, Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome.

Trusting firm promises with you in fragile times, Pastor John (Ref)

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For the believer, “death is swallowed up in victory” (1Co 15:54), because for a believer death simply releases us into the presence of our Lord.

Spurgeon in fact once said that

Your dying hour will be the best hour you have ever known. Your last moment will be your richest. Better than the day of your birth will be the day of your death. It will be the beginning of heaven, the rising of a sun that will never go down forever. Let the fear of death be banished by faith in a living Savior.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I fear no evil For Thou art with me.
Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me Psalm 23:4
 

Spurgeon has these comments on Psalm 23:4 (ref)...

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. This unspeakably delightful verse has been sung on many a dying bed, and has helped to make the dark valley bright times out of mind. Every word in it has a wealth of meaning.

Yea, though I walk, as if the believer did not quicken his pace when he came to die, but still calmly walked with God. To walk indicates the steady advance of a soul which knows its road, knows its end, resolves to follow the path, feels quite safe, and is therefore perfectly calm and composed. The dying saint is not in a flurry, he does not run as though he were alarmed, nor stand still as though he would go no further, he is not confounded nor ashamed, and therefore keeps to his old pace. Observe that it is not walking in the valley, but through the valley. We go through the dark tunnel of death and emerge into the light of immortality. We do not die, we do but sleep to wake in glory.

Death is not the house but the porch,
not the goal but the passage to it.

The dying article is called a valley. The storm breaks on the mountain, but the valley is the place of quietude, and thus full often the last days of the Christian are the most peaceful of his whole career; the mountain is bleak and bare, but the valley is rich with golden sheaves, and many a saint has reaped more joy and knowledge when he came to die than he ever knew while he lived. And, then, it is not "the valley of death," but the valley of the shadow of death, for death in its substance has been removed, and only the shadow of it remains. Some one has said that when there is a shadow there must be light somewhere, and so there is. Death stands by the side of the highway in which we have to travel, and the light of heaven shining upon him throws a shadow across our path; let us then rejoice that there is a light beyond. Nobody is afraid of a shadow, for a shadow cannot stop a man's pathway even for a moment. The shadow of a dog cannot bite; the shadow of a sword cannot kill; the shadow of death cannot destroy us. Let us not, therefore, be afraid.

I will fear no evil. He does not say there shall not be any evil; he had got beyond even that high assurance, and knew that Jesus had put all evil away; but "I will fear no evil;" as if even his fears, those shadows of evil, were gone for ever. The worst evils of life are those which do not exist except in our imagination. If we had no troubles but real troubles, we should not have a tenth part of our present sorrows. We feel a thousand deaths in fearing one, but the psalmist was cured of the disease of fearing. "I will fear no evil", not even the Evil One himself; I will not dread the last enemy, I will look upon him as a conquered foe, an enemy to be destroyed,

For thou art with me. This is the joy of the Christian! "Thou art with me." The little child out at sea in the storm is not frightened like all the other passengers on board the vessel, it sleeps in its mother's bosom; it is enough for it that its mother is with it; and it should be enough for the believer to know that Christ is with him. "Thou art with me; I have, in having thee, all that I can crave: I have perfect comfort and absolute security, for thou art with me."

Thy rod and thy staff, by which you govern and rule your flock, the ensigns of your sovereignty and of your gracious care -- they comfort me. I will believe that thou reignest still. The rod of Jesse shall still be over me as the sovereign succour of my soul.

Many persons profess to receive much comfort from the hope that they shall not die. Certainly there will be some who will be "alive and remain" at the coming of the Lord, but is there so very much of advantage in such an escape from death as to make it the object of Christian desire? A wise man might prefer of the two to die, for those who shall not die, but who "shall be caught up together with the Lord in the air," will be losers rather than gainers. They will lose that actual fellowship with Christ in the tomb which dying saints will have, and we are expressly told that they shall have no preference beyond those who are asleep. Let us be of Paul's mind when he said that "To die is gain", and think of "departing to be with Christ, which is far better." This twenty-third psalm is not worn out, and it is as sweet in a believer's ear now as it was in David's time, let novelty hunters say what they will.

b). FEAR OF FAILURE:

And so you reason that it is safer not to do anything, concluding "If I do it I will fail" and you become effectively immobilized. Click illustration of paralyzing effect of fear.

A W Pink adds that

Fear is the result of distrust, of taking the eye off God, of being unduly occupied with difficulties and troubles." (from An Exposition of Hebrews, page 808) (Click devotional)

When the servant of God obeys and trusts the Word of God, he or she need not fear failure. 1 Kings 19 records the story of Elijah who had just defeated Jezebel's false prophets, thus incurring the queen's scorn and wrath. (1Ki 19:2). What was Elijah's reaction? Scripture records that

he was afraid and arose and ran for his life... (1Ki 19:3)

Why did Elijah fear he would fail now after only hours earlier he had exterminated several hundred of Jezebel's false prophets? James 5:17 reminds us that Elijah had “a nature like ours,” and thus was a man of clay subject to the same trials and failures as any believer. Yet still it seems strange that Elijah should be able to face several hundred angry prophets and not be afraid, and then run away from the threats of one woman!

Certainly there may have been a physical cause to his failure as the Mt. Carmel confrontation (read 1Kings 18) must have wearied him. But the main cause for Elijah’s failure was spiritual, for Elijah focused on the death threats of Jezebel, rather than the definitive promises of Jehovah. In every step prior to this time, Elijah had waited for God’s command (1Ki 17:2, 8; 18:1, 36), but now his fear led to disobedience. He was no longer risking his life for God’s glory, but instead was trying to save his life for his own sake. In a moment of testing the man of faith was transformed into a man of fear. Don't we all tend to react at times like Elijah did?

c). FEAR OF CRITICISM:

Someone has said that if your enemy cannot fool you, he will try to frighten you. One of the ways he does it is by  the use of opposition which can paralyze us with fear. This fear can prevent us from living out the truth of Christ in us the hope of glory or of verbally proclaiming God’s truth. Or it may lead to compromise, so that we “give in” in order to protect ourselves from criticism. Are you afraid of rejection (click here)? Do you fear being left alone?

Because we know we have been accepted by God and are righteous in Jesus Christ, we need not fear or fret when Satan throws his accusations at us. Often Satan will use people—including Christians—to slander and accuse us; and we are tempted to fight back. But these “fiery missiles” must not be allowed to penetrate and hit the vital organs. Rest on the finished work of Christ; realize that you are “accepted in the beloved” (Ep 1:6-note) and know that God’s righteousness, placed on your account will never be removed.

Know who you are in Christ and whose you are, Christ's!

If you fear God, you need fear nothing else for you are safe in the Father’s hands. So live your life in such a way that God could publish a book about you and you would not be ashamed for the whole world to read it. Live with eternity in view, and people and circumstances are less likely to make you fearful.

The writer of Hebrews addresses fear of rejection and being left alone exhorting his readers to

Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU," so that we confidently say, "THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT SHALL MAN DO TO ME? (see note Hebrews 13:5; 13:6) (See the notes on the encouraging name of God, Jehovah Ezer: The LORD our Helper)

A W Pink comments that

One of the Divine promises is quoted, which if it be duly appropriated by us, we shall be dissuaded from covetousness and persuaded to contentment. Resting on this Divine assurance will both moderate our desires and alleviate our fears. “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee” is a guarantee of God’s continual provision and protection, and this rebukes all inordinate desires and condemns all anxious fears...The comfort of our soul does not depend upon outward provisions, so much as on our appropriation and enjoyment of what is contained in the Divine promises. If we rested more on them, we would crave less of this world’s goods. What possible cause or ground for fear remains when God has pledged us His continual presence and assistance? ...“I will never, no, never leave thee, nor ever forsake thee.” In view of such assurance we should fear no want, dread no distress, nor have any trepidation about the future. At no time, under any circumstances conceivable or inconceivable, for any possible cause, will God utterly and finally forsake one of His own. Then how safe they are! how impossible for one of them to eternally perish! God has here graciously condescended to give the utmost security to the faith of believers in all their difficulties and trials. The continued presence of God with us ensures the continued supply of every need." (An Exposition of Hebrews)

Pink goes on to comment that

So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my Helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” Once more the apostle confirms his argument by a Divine testimony, for he quotes from Ps 118:6. In this citing of David’s language, Christians are again taught the suitability of O. T. language unto their own case, and the permissibility of appropriating the same unto themselves: “we may boldly say” just what the Psalmist did! It was in a time of sore distress that David expressed his confidence in the Lord, at a time when it appeared that his enemies were ready to swallow him up; but contrasting the omnipotence of Jehovah from the feebleness of the creature, his heart was emboldened. The believer is weak and unstable in himself, and constantly in need of assistance, but the Lord is ever ready to take his part and render all needed aid.“The Lord is my Helper” implies, as W. Gouge pointed out, “a willing readiness and a ready willingness to afford us all needed succor.” Those whom He forsakes not, He helps—both inwardly and outwardly. Note carefully the change from “we may boldly say” to “the Lord is my Helper:” general privileges are to be appropriated by us in particular. “Man can do much: he can fine, imprison, banish, reduce to a morsel of bread, yea, torture and put to death; yet as long as God is with us and stands for us, we may boldly say, ‘I will not fear what man can do.’ Why? God will not see thee utterly perish. He can give joy in sorrow, life in death” (Thomas Manton).

Pink ends this section with a prayer it would good for all saints to pray at all times, but especially when experiencing fearfulness:

May the Lord graciously grant both writer and reader more faith in Himself, more reliance upon His promises, more consciousness of His presence, more assurance of His help, and then we shall enjoy more deliverance from covetousness, discontent, and the fear of man. (An Exposition of Hebrews)

d). FEAR OF EXPOSURE OF ONE'S WEAKNESSES:

The enemy of our soul likes tongue-tied, ineffective Christians and plays on our secret fears and inferiorities to make us one of them. We reason to ourselves "If I do a work for God, and am out where people can see me, then my weaknesses will be exposed and that would bring criticism, etc." As a result we are neutralized by our perceived weaknesses or shortcomings. We focus on our areas of weakness rather than on the truth that we can

do all things through Him Who strengthens us (Php 4:13-note)

Jay Adams reminds us that

"God wants you to seek to please Him first, and think about the problem of fear secondly. That is why when speaking of worry (a lesser form of fear), in Mt 6:33 (Note) He commands “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” If you put anything else first—even the desire to rid yourself of a terrifying fear—you will discover that you will fail to achieve either goal. God will not take second place, even to a legitimate concern to be free of fear..." Adams goes on to advise that "Whenever you catch your mind wandering back into the forbidden territory (Ed note: those thoughts which incite fear and anxiety) (and you can be sure that it will—more frequently at first, until you retrain and discipline it...) change the direction of your thought. Do not allow yourself one conscious moment of such thought. Instead, crisply ask God to help you to refocus upon those things that fit into Paul’s list recorded in Php 4:8 (note), Php 4:9 (note). The attitude must grow within you that says: “So if I have a fear experience, so what? It’s unpleasant, it’s disturbing, but I’ll live through it—at least I always have before.” When you honestly can think this way without becoming (fearful or) anxious, you will know that the change has been made" (from his pamphlet “What Do You Do When Fear Overcomes You?”, 1975]).

As someone else has well said "When fear knocks at your door, let faith open it."

Anxiety disorders—from generalized anxiety to panic attacks and full-blown phobias—are the number one mental-health problem in the United States, affecting as many as 1 in 10 people and costing tens of billions of dollars in treatment and lost productivity. (see John Piper - Anxieties: To Be Cast Not Carried) Fear may on occasion be so profound that it produces a "panic attack" which is often related to an unfounded fear, albeit still overwhelming and overpowering such that it  causes rapid heart rate (tachycardia), chills, flushing, or excessive perspiration. The person with such an attack feels completely unable to cope with the moment (Click here). In the succeeding section we will discuss Biblical ways of handling our fear.

"Take the helmet of salvation
and the Sword of the Spirit,
which is the Word of God."
(Ep 6:17-note)

In this verse, the Christian soldier is commanded to deliberately and readily take to themselves the helmet of salvation (not a call to be saved for he is speaking to believers), which pictures a saved mind controlled by God. Satan seeks to destroy the believer’s assurance of salvation with the fear that he or she might not be saved. The believer's helmet serves to protect the mind from fears that one might lose his or her salvation. Paul writes elsewhere that the helmet symbolizes the "hope of salvation" explaining that this hope is not a "hope so" but is certain because of the fact that "God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1Th 5:8, 9 - See 1Th 5:8; 5:9) 

Second, our only offensive weapon in battle is the Word of God. When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, He used the "Sword of the Spirit" and defeated the enemy, three times declaring “It is written” (Mt 4:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)

A single (relevant) passage of Scripture is more effective in our battle against fear, than all the wisdom the world might offer. The moment we cease relying on the Sword of the Word, relying instead on human reasoning to conquer our fears, that is the moment we have set ourselves up for defeat. We become like a soldier who even though involved in fierce, active combat, decides to throw away his sword and use only his hands to meet the advancing well armed adversary.

We must remember that

"though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." (2Cor 10:3, 4, 5 - see notes)

God gives us a powerful weapon against the spirit of fear, and that weapon is the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. (Click devotional)

An Old Testament Illustration:
Gideon's "Sword"

In the book of Judges when

"Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD... the LORD gave them into the hands of Midian seven years." (see note Judges 6:1)

Fearing the power of the Midianites,

"the sons of Israel made for themselves the dens which were in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds." (see note Judges 6:2)

God explained that their fear was the result of disobedience, declaring

"I am the LORD your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live. But you have not obeyed Me." (see note Judges 6:10)  In those dark, fearful days, God raised up a deliverer named Gideon. 
 

"The Angel of the LORD " (click study) appeared to him and said "The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior...Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?" (see note Judges 6:12, 14)

Judges 6:22-24 (note) : "When Gideon saw that He was the angel of the LORD, he said, "Alas, O Lord GOD! For now I have seen the Angel of the LORD face to face." And the LORD said to him, "Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die." Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and named it the LORD is Peace (Jehovah Shalom- part 1 ; Part 2)" 

As Israel faced the huge Midianite army ("as numerous as the sand on the seashore"!), the LORD told Gideon

The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, lest Israel become boastful, saying ‘My own power has delivered me’ (see note Judges 7:2). 

Only after Gideon had reduced his force to 300, was the Lord satisfied. Faced with overwhelming odds, would Gideon choose to believe God or fear the enemy?

The LORD recognized Gideon's fear and gave Gideon instructions to

"Arise, go down against the camp (of the enemy) for I have given it into your hands. But if you are afraid to go down, go with Purah your servant down to the camp and you will hear what they say; and afterward your hands will be strengthened that you may go down against the camp.” So he went with Purah his servant down to the outposts of the army that was in the camp."(see note Judges 7:9-11).

What happened to Gideon's fear? Gideon received God's Word of instruction, responded in obedience and received reassurance which alleviated his fear (read (see Judges 7:13-25 for the rest of the story). Faith in God's Word which promised victory regardless of the "odds" strengthened Gideon and conquered the fear that had previously incapacitated him, even causing him to winnow wheat in a wine press out of fear that the enemy might spot him winnowing in the usually more elevated threshing floor (see note Judges 7:11).

There is a little of Gideon in all of God's saints isn't there? How often we too fear men rather than God and "hide" so others can't see who we really are! But like Gideon we can have victory over these seemingly unconquerable fears by choosing to place our trust in God's unchanging and trustworthy Word. Strengthened by His Word, we can experience victory over the fears that bombard our mind like flaming missiles. Faith can break the stranglehold of fear.

 "Thou wilt keep in perfect peace,
whose mind is stayed on Thee
because he trusts in Thee
Trust in the LORD forever,
for in God the LORD,
we have a Rock of Ages."
Isaiah 26:3, 4
 

We are stayed upon Jehovah when we choose to set our minds on the truth about God and His Word, which is our "sword of the Spirit." The result is that in place of fear and anxiety, we begin to experience perfect peace. Click Like A River Glorious and sing this wonderful hymn, as you ask God to help you deal with fear by setting your mind on the truth about Him in His Word.

“Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest,
finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest."
(Like A River Glorious)
 

WHAT DOES GOD'S WORD
SAY ABOUT FEAR?

PERFECT LOVE CASTS OUT FEAR:

By this, love is perfected (brought to its intended goal) with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world (The believer who has practiced love during his earthly life will be able to approach the judgment seat of Christ without any shame). There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment (or torment), and the one who fears is not perfected in love." (1Jn 4:17-18) (O Love That Casts Out Fear)

Dearly beloved, as a believer in Christ Jesus, one of the first things you need to do is to accept and understand that God loves you with a perfect love. His love is not like most human love which has conditions attached, but is a perfect, unconditional love. Do you truly believe this? It is the truth about God and nothing you can do, good or bad, can alter His love for you because you are accepted in Christ Jesus, His Beloved (Ep 1:6-note).

Wiersbe adds that

Just as truth is victorious over lies (1Jn 4:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), love is victorious over fear (1Jn 4:17,18). As you mature in your love for God, you realize that you have nothing to fear, for your Father has everything under control. You trust those you love, and faith and love will give victory over fear." (With the Word Bible commentary: Thomas Nelson)

AN OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE

Failure to trust God's love kept Israel from inheriting her possessions. To be sure Israel’s tragic delay in arriving at the Promised Land was caused by conscious, willful disobedience of God’s command. But where did that disobedience stem from? Moses identifies fear of the Canaanites as the immediate cause of the disobedience. Their fear in turn was rooted in a failure to trust God’s love, Moses reminding them --

you grumbled in your tents and said, ‘Because the Lord hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us." (Dt 1: 27) and added that even in face of God's divine protection, "you did not trust the Lord your God." (Dt 1: 32) 

In the same way, failure to trust God's love can keep believers from inheriting their possessions which Paul describes as being

blessed...with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Ep 1:3-note).

Being secure in God's love lays the foundation for dealing with all other fears and enables us to encounter the world and the fears that bombard us. It is then that we understand that because He loves us with a perfect love, He will not let anything happen to us that is not for our good and our growth in Christ-likeness. When that truth guards our mind, we are prepared to handle the fears that may come.  When we have such a mindset, we filter the fearful circumstances through the grid of an all powerful, all knowing God (click to study His attributes) Who loves us with a perfect love and Who is totally sovereign, in control of every circumstance. This mindset amplifies the great truth found in Isaiah 26:3,4 -- keep your mind (not your feelings which may deceive you) steadfastly fixed on Jehovah, stayed on the Truth about Him as revealed in His Word. The result will be that you will grow in grace and knowledge (2Pe 3:18-note) and in understanding that the Almighty, All Powerful God of the Universe loves you personally with a perfect unconditional love and that as you take refuge in this Truth, fear is cast out.

In general fear does not come from God. John MacArthur notes that

"from a negative perspective, we can be sure that any spirit of timidity we might have is not from God. Both testaments speak of a fitting and proper fear of God, in the sense of awe and reverence. But deilia (Greek word translated "fear" or "timidity") is a timid, cowardly, shameful fear that is generated by weak, selfish character. The Lord is never responsible for our cowardice, our lack of confidence, or our being shameful of Him. The noun deilia (timidity) is used only here in the New Testament and, unlike the more common term for fear (phobos), carries a generally negative meaning. (MacArthur, J. 2 Timothy. Chicago: Moody Press or Logos)

Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44) and when a negative thought comes it is not from God but from the enemy of our soul. Acknowledge the truth in this Scripture when faced with fear, recognizing that instead of fear, the resources we have been granted from our heavenly Father include power (effective, productive, supernatural energy) and love (cf Ro 5:5-note - volitional and selfless love that desires and works for the best interests of the one loved) and discipline (a secure and sound mind with the added idea of a self-controlled, disciplined, and properly prioritized mind). When we experience fear, vacillation and apprehension we can be sure that it is because our focus is on ourselves and our own human resources rather than on the Lord and the truth about His available, all sufficient, supernatural resources.

Annie Johnson Flint beautifully expresses in rhyme where a believer's focus should rest when fears come in the windows of our mind, writing...

BUT GOD
  Annie Johnson Flint

I know not, but God knows;
Oh, blessed rest from fear!
All my unfolding days
To Him are plain and clear.

Each anxious, puzzled “Why?”
From doubt or dread that grows
Finds answer in this thought: