Fighting Fear and Winning

#10 - “Fear Not”

Those who are only able to kill the body

Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to koll the soul; but rather fear
him which is able to destroy both the soul and body in hell – (Matthew 10:28)

Study question: Why did David have no fear when he faced Goliath but fled for his
life when he faced Absalom?

“The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God, you fear
nothehing else - whereas if you do not fear god, you fear everything else.” Oswald
Chambers

Why is Fear so Destructive?

Hundreds of times in scripture we are instructed not to fear and not to be afraid. At
the same time, we are told to fear the Lord.

The same Hebrew and Greek words are used to describe both the fear that we
should not have toward man and the fear that we must have of the Lord.

The primary Hebrew word used for fear is yare. It means “to revere, to frighten, to
make afraid and to be dreadful.” The Greek word for fear is phobeo which means “to
be alarmed, to be frightened, to be in awe of and to revere.” Fear is extremely
important because we worship what we fear.

If we fear man, we will worship man and be intimidated by him. If we fear our
children, we will worship them, and they will control us. But if we fear God, we will
worship Him and give Him His proper honor and reverence.
 How Does Fear Oppose Faith?

Scripture warns that, “the fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in
the Lord shall be safe” – (Proverbs 29:25)

A snare is a trap that is cleverly concealed so that the intended victim does not see it
until it is too late. The trap holds it’s victim tight until the victim’s life is destroyed.

God gives us accounts in the Bible of people who feared men rather than God and
suffered the consequences.

How a Tall Man was Short on Faith

Saul stood a head and shoulders above all the other men of Israel. However, he was
plagued with fears. Fear caused him to run and hid when he was chosen to be the
king. (ISAM 10:21-24)

Fear prompted Saul to disobey the direct command of God regarding the
Amalekites.

The Amalekites were a morally corrupt nation. God was in perpetual war with them
and sent King Saul to utterly destroy them. The Amalekites were direct descendants
of Esau, who God describes as a profane person and fornicator. (Hebrews 12:16)

Esau named his firstborn son Eliphaz which means god of gold. It was as live with a
Canaanite woman who gave birth to Amalek. His descendants performed while
asked the corrupted them and all that they possessed.

Instead of cleansing the land of them as God commanded Saul spared their king and
the best of the sheep and oxen. When Saul finally admitted his disobedience he
said, “I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and they words because I
fear the people in obeyed their voice.” (I Samuel 1524).

The consequences of his fear was that God took the Kingdom from him and gave it
to David (I Samuel 15:24 through 28).
When Saul saw the anointing of God on the life of David he was afraid of him and
tried to have and tried to kill him. However, David behaved himself wisely and Saul
became "yet the more afraid of David" (I Samuel 18:29 and also I Samuel 18:12)

Fear corrupts worship

They justification Saul gave for not caring about God's judgment on the Amalekites
has significant application for us today. "Saul said the people spared the best of the
sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice them to the Lord that God; and the rest we have
utterly destroyed.” (I Samuel 15:15)

We do the same thing when we fear the rejection of our friends or children and allow
them to take “the best” of the worlds corrupt entertainment and music and try to use
it to worship the Lord.

Samuel's answer to Saul is the same answer God gives to us "Hath the Lord as
great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord.
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams. For
rebellion is as a sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from
being king.”
(1 Samuel 15:22-23)

Side quotes:
What we do not understand we fear. What we fear we tend to worship. What we
worship controls us.

Lest Satan should get an advantage of us for we are not ignorant of his devices
(II Corinthians 2:11)

Boldness by those who suffer motivates boldness and those who are living for the
same cause.

And many of the brother in the Lord waxing confident by my bonds are much more
bold to speak the word without fear – (Philippians 1:14)
 Fear of man disqualifies us from fighting God's battles.

Since the fear of man leads to worshiping men rather than God those with such fear
are in no condition to come against evil men who despise and reject God's ways.
Their fear disables them and disqualifies them from the Lords battles. For this
reason, God established a commandment in Israel that no soldier who had fear of
the enemy was to go out to war. Fear is like a contagious disease. One fearful
soldier will cause many others to become fearful. Therefore when an Israelite army
came together the leaders were to say "what man is there that is fearful and faint
hearted? Let him go and return into his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well
as his heart" (Deuteronomy 20:8)

The Causes of Fear

There are several causes of destructive fear. However, each one is the direct result
of not fearing the Lord.

● Fear from guilt

A major cause of fear is personal guilt. When Adam and Eve disobeyed the
commandment of the Lord, they experienced fear quote and they heard the
voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the Day; and Adam
and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the
trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam and said unto him,
Where art thou? And he said, I heard voice in the garden, and I was afraid,
because I was naked; and I hid myself" (Genesis 3:8-10)

● Fear of a more powerful adversary

Believing that the enemies of the Lord are more powerful than He is, or that
God is not able to deliver us from a trial or tribulation, will also cause fear.
In response, God says “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there
anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27)
He also assures us, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 12:3)
When a great host of Syrian horses, chariots and soldiers surrounded Dothan
in order to capture Elisha, the servant of Elisha was terrified. Elisha was
 peaceful and had no fear because he saw the greater army of God
surrounding the army of the enemy. So, he said to his servant, “Fear not: for
they that be with us are more than they that be with them” (2 Kings 16:6)

Side quotes:
Fear is contagious. It weakens all those who come in contact with those who have it.

"Fear ye not me? Saith the Lord; will ye not tremble at my presence, which have
placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, but it cannot pass it;
and though the waves thereof tossed themselves, yet can they not prevail; though
they roar, yet can they not pass over it?" (Jeremiah 5:22)

● Fear of ridicule and rejection

A further cause of fear is the dread of being rejected, ridiculed, or reviled.
Many leaders believed in Jesus, but for fear of the Jews, they did not openly
confess their faith. (John 12:42)
The parents of the blind man who was healed by Jesus refused to state that
Jesus healed him, "because they feared the Jews for the Jews had agreed
already that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of
the synagogue" (John 9:22)

● Fear of Personal Loss

There are two powerful motivations that God puts in every person’s heart; a
desire for gain and a fear of loss. The ultimate gain is eternal life in heaven,
and the ultimate loss is eternal destruction in hell. Those who reject God and
his ways will experience fear of God's discipline through the loss of
possessions, money, and health. Thus, scripture warns, "the fear of the
wicked, it shall come upon him" (Proverbs 10:24)
Even believers who sit their hearts on things will experience fear of loss. This
was the testimony of Job. "For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon
me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me" (Job 3:25)
Side Quotes:
The Lord Revealed:

Jehova-Saboth: Lord of Hosts - The Lord of hosts is with us; God of Jacob is our
refuge. (Selah - Psalm 46:7)

“Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.”
(Psalm 24:8)

Lion of Judah – “And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold the Lion of
the tribe of Judah, the root of David, hath prevailed to open the book and to loose the
seven seals thereof.” – (Revelation 5:5)

Shield – “The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my
salvation, my high tower and my refuge, my saviour; thou safest me from violence.”
(II Samuel 22:3)

If all that we are and have as truly dedicated to God, we have nothing to fear
because we have nothing to lose.

“For ye had compassion of me in my bonds and took joyfully the spoiling of your
goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring
substance.” (Hebrews 10:34)

● Fear of Death
The ultimate cause of fear is the prospect of death. Fear of death puts a
person in bondage and renders him helpless for effective living for the Lord.
For this very reason, Jesus conquer death by his death and resurrection to
"deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to
bondage"
(Hebrews 2:15)
 How to Conquer Fear

Fear is a major enemy and must be overcome if we are to fulfil the purposes for
which God created us.

1. Give God your reputation and anticipate rejection.

Fear of rejection causes many people to compromise Godly standards and be
silent about the truth of God. Jesus knew this and therefore proceeded the
command with this instruction: "you shall be hated of all men for my name’s
sake; but he that endures to the end shall be saved… the disciple is not
above his master, nor the servant above his lord…If they have called the
master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his
household?” (Matthew 10:22-25)

There is great reward for those who fearlessly acknowledge their faith in the
Lord and their obedience to him. "Whosoever therefore shall confess me
before men, will I confess also before my father which is in heaven. But
whosoever shall deny me before men, him well I also deny before my father
which is in heaven" (Matthew 10:32-33)

It is a wise step to give God your reputation and to be concerned only about
the reputation of the Lord. It is not important what people think of us
personally. It is only important that they see Christ in our lives and that we are
accurately representing His truth and love.

Side quotes:
It makes no difference whom we please if we displease the Lord. Neither does it
matter whom we displease as long as we please the Lord.

“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear until myself, so that I
might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord
Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” (Acts 20:24)
2. Dedicate all your possessions to God
We will have no fear of loss if we have nothing to lose! This was the secret of
Paul's life and his triumph over fear. He stated, "what things were gain to me,
those I counted loss for Christ. Yay doubtless, and I count all things but loss
for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord; for whom I have
suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win
Christ." (Philippians 3:7-8)

A mature believer knows that whatever he gives to God will come back to him
a hundredfold in this life and that he will receive eternal life. (Matthew 10:29)

This was also the experience of Job in all that was taken from him. He lost
7000 sheep, 3000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 donkeys. God restored
14000 sheep, 6000 camels, 1000 yoke of oxen and 1000 donkeys.

Job lost even sons and three daughters, and God gave him seven more sons
and three more daughters. This indicated that God heard his appeals for the
first ten children and that he would meet them in heaven. (Job 42:12,13)

3. Consecrate your body to God and look forward to a productive death.

Scripture states that believers overcome Satan “by the blood of the Lamb, and
by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death”
(Revelation 12:11)

Many who suffered dreadful persecution refused to flee or to be delivered,

“that they might obtain a better resurrection.” (Hebrews 11:35)

The Apostle Paul conquered the fear of death because he knew that “to be
absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8)

He longed to see the Savior who he first persecuted and then served. Thus,
he balanced the benefits of staying alive to serve the believers with the
benefits of departing, which were greater. “I am in a strait betwixt two, having
a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to
abide in the flesh is more needful for you: (Phil 1:23-24)
 Those who live and die for the Lord will give great boldness to others to follow
the Lord without fear. Therefore, those who die a martyr’s death are given a
special crown of life in heaven. “Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee
a crown of life” (Revelation 2:10)

Side quotes:

Dare to be a Daniel
Standing by a purpose true, heading gods command, honor them, the faithful few! All
hail to Daniels band!

Many mighty men are lost, daring not to stand, who for God had been a host by
joining Daniels band!

Many giants great and tall, stalking through the land, headlong to the earth would fall
if met by Daniels band!

Hold the gospel banner high! On to vict’ry grand! Santan and his host defy, and
shout for Danie’s band!

Chorus: Dare to be a Daniel, dare to stand alone! Dare to have a purpose firm! Dare
to make it known! - Philip P. Bliss

O God, Our Help in Ages Past - O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to
come, our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home!

Under the shadow of Thy throne still may we dwell secure; sufficient is Thine arm
alone, and our defense is sure. - Isaac Watts

4. Learn to fear the Lord

Solomon stated “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God,
and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall
bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or
whether it be evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)
Jesus preceded this command with the same truth: “Fear them not therefore
for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not
be made known.” (Matt 10:26)

● Three Levels of fearing God - The Hebrew dictionary gives variations

for the word yare. The first form means “to fear” (3372 strongs
exhaustive concordance). The second means the “state of fearing”
(3373) and the third has been translated as “exceeding fearful.” (3374)

In Psalm 34, these three forms are listed in sequence. A progression of

levels of fear can be seen in this sequence.
The first level, mentioned in verse 9, is a general fear that all believers
should have toward the Lord. “O fear the Lord, ye his saints” (3372)
This general fear of the Lord is also mentioned in the other passages,
such as Psalm 33:8 “Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the
inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him” and Psalm 67:7 “God shall
bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.”

The second level is accompanied by a promise of reward to those

who fear him. “There is no want to them that fear (3373) him.”
God’s salvation is available to those who have a proper fear of Him.
“Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him: (Ps 85:9) God
honoureth them that fear” (3373) the Lord – (Ps 15:4)

The third level involves the highest rewards of fearing the Lord. It is a
level of fear that we must learn, therefore Psalm 34:11 states “come,
ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord”
(3374) This level of fear is the beginning of wisdom (Prov 9:10) - it is
clean, enduring forever (Psa 19:9) it prolongeth days (Prov 10:27) it is
a fountain of life (Prov 14:27) and it produces riches, honor and life
(Prov 22:4)
These marvelous rewards come to those who are devoted to achieving
this intimate level of the fear of the Lord. “Stablish thy word unto thy
servant, who is devoted to thy fear” (Ps 119:38)
Side Quotes:

Boldness in Fearfulness
Boldness is welcoming any suffering that comes form doing what is right, because it
will produce a greater power of love.
Fear of God will destroy the fear of man.

“The righteous are bold as a lion.” (Prov 28:1)

“Greater is he that in you, than he that in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace,

whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
For our God is a consuming fire. (Heb 12:28-29)

5. Remember God’s loving concern for us

God has made every provision for our needs and protection. Therefore, there
is absolutely no reason for us to fear. This loving concern is explained by
Jesus after giving the command not to fear. “Are not two sparrows sold for a
farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But
the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of
more value than many sparrows” (Matt 10:29-31)

God has promised, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb 13:5)

Paul asked a good question “If God be for us, who can be against us?”
(Rom 8:31).

Not only are we to remember the personal, sustaining care that God has for
us, but also how much more powerful He is than any person on earth.
Therefore, He asks the question “I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who
are thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son
of man which shall be made as grass…? (Isaiah 51:12)
Side quotes:
“If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us”… (Daniel 3:17)

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other
creature, shall be able to separate us form the Love of God, which is in Christ Jesus
our Lord” – (Rom 8:38-39)

6. Overcome fear with genuine love

The most powerful way to conquer all fear is to dedicate ourselves and all that
we have to becoming a channel of God’s love to all those around us.

This dedication means that we are going to use our possessions, our time,
our energies and our very lives to demonstrate the love of Christ to everyone
He brings to us.

The power of channelling His love to others is described in I John 4:17-18.

“Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of
judgement: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love;
but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is
not made perfect in love.”

Side Quotes:

Fear is evidence of our lack of love. The greater our fear, the weaker our love.

“Perfect love casteth out fear” – (1 John 4:18)

We can be quite sure that the people we fear are also dealing with their own fears.

“Who comforteth us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort them which
are in any trouble, by the comfort where with we ourselves are comforted of God.”
(II Corin 1:4)
 Practical Steps to Learn the Fear of the Lord

God gives several specific actions that are designed to teach us to fear Him. The
following instruction are found in the book of Deuteronomy. Jesus quoted scriptures
from this book in response to Satan’s temptations in the wilderness.

1. Learn God’s statutes and teach them to your children

“Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgements…. Keep therefore and do
them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding…. The Lord said I will
make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that
they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children” (Deut
4:5-6,10)

2. Honor God with the tithes of all your increase

“Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase….that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord
thy God always” (Deut 14:22-23). Failing to give tithes reveals a lack of fear
toward God and a lack of understanding about the benefits that will come from
Him. (Malachi 3:10-11)

3. A daily reading of the Word of God

Leaders in Israel were to make a personal copy of the Word of God and read
from it daily. God instructed that this copy “shall be with him, and he shall read
therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to
keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them” (Deut 17:19)

The same scriptures that the leaders were to read every day were also to be
read by the people, that they might learn to fear the Lord.

“Gather the people together …that they may hear, and that they may learn,
and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: And
that their children, which have not known anything may hear and learn to fear
the Lord your God.” (Deut 31:12-13)
Why did David Not Fear?
When David faced Goliath he had no fear, because he realized that Goliath was not
defying him or even Israel, but the armies of the Living God. He was, therefore,
confident that God would protect His own reputation by allowing him to conquer
Goliath by using the same method through which God had allowed him to conquer a
lion and a bear.

In contrast to this, David was fearful when his own son Absalom rose up against him.
He fled for his life, because he knew that Absalom’s wrath was against him
personally and that this was part of the judgment of God for his sin with Bathsheba.

When a man cursed him along the way, David said, “Let him alone, and let him
curse; for the LORD hath bidden him.” (2 Sam 16:11)

How Does This Command Reveal Christ?

Jesus did not fear people, because He understood their thoughts and motives. He
did not fear Satan, because He Overcame the temptations in the wilderness. And He
did not fear death, because He had already purposed to give His life for the salvation
of all who believe on Him.

Side Quotes:

Goliath struck fear in the men of Israel who viewed him as too big to hit. David had
no fear, because Goliath defied God and was therefore too big to miss.

Each day we spend in God’s Word, He gives a deeper understanding of His Ways.

“Incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding…
Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.” –
(Prov 2:1-5)
PERSONAL APPLICATION:

God’s repeated instructions to “fear not” affirms that we have the ability to overcome
this debilitating emotion. The first step is to identify the fears that hinder our walks
with God and our openness with other people. Once these fears are identified, we
can take steps to resolve them.

1. Whose ridicule do I fear?

2. What will they ridicule me for if I full do what I know is right?

3. Do wrong friends know things about me that I feel guilty about?

4. Do I fear:

a. Failure

b. Rejection

c. Loneliness

d. Poverty

e. Singleness

f. Pain

g. Sickness

h. Public Shame

i. Future

j. Death

5. I have given my reputation to God and am only concerned that I represent

Christ in all that I do

6. Ways I will develop a fear of God

Affirmations for Not Fearing

● I will look toward God’s rewards more than the praise of men or the riches of
this world.
● I will learn to obey God’s commands above all else.
● I will recognize the importance of having a bold heart in the Lord’s battles.
● I will remind myself that God is more powerful than any enemy.
● I will give my reputation to God.
● I will dedicate my possessions and myself to God.
● I will learn God’s commands.
● I will develop a love for God and others.

Personal notes: