You cannot have fear and faith in God at the same time. Fear is an abomination because it is connected to the sin of unbelief. Fear places more faith in your enemy than in your God. It is a negative, paralyzing force that will demoralize and debilitate you. It is a roadblock and obstacle that will cause you to stay stuck in yesterday. Fear will shut down your progress and convince you that you can never succeed.
I have been told that the words “fear not” appear at least 365 times in the Bible. That is one time for every day of the year, indicating that it must be dealt with on a daily basis. I John 4:18 declares, “…perfect love casts out fear!” It takes an intentional, violent act to get rid of fear. It doesn’t just go away. In the Flintstone cartoon, Fred keeps putting the cat out of the house! That is the only way to handle fear.
Psalm 23:4
“…I will fear no evil for Thou art with me.”
Practical Application and Assignments:
Have you ever been on an obstacle course? You cannot proceed forward until you either remove the obstacle or find a way around it. Fear not only sets up road blocks, but even attempts to wipe out the road and turn it into a dead end. Fear is a destructive, immobilizing force.
- Read II Kings 6:8-17. The story unfolds on the battlefield with the report from a spy that the army was greatly outnumbered by its enemy. When fear began to invade the camp, Elisha cried out, “Lord, open his eyes that he may see.” Suddenly, the sky became like a massive screen in a modern day movie revealing the incalculable number of warring angels surrounding them like an army of super heroes ready to oppose, terrorize, and annihilate the forces of evil. “Lord, open our eyes that we may see.”
- Face your fears! When your faith in God meets fear head-on, it mobilizes God’s angelic forces to come to your defense and remove the obstacles. God always wins. Trust Him!
“…Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” I John 4:4
