God's Word on
THE SPIRIT OF FEAR
by:  Pastor Max Solbrekken

"For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not, I will help thee."  (Isaiah 41:13)

MY PEACE I GIVE TO US - LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED

Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27)

The Word of God states: "Fear thou not, for I am with thee"

Since God does not give anyone the spirit of fear, it is evident that fear comes from Satan, and Satan is the ENEMY of God.  Satan is also the enemy of man.

When Jesus'  powerful blood sweeps over our souls, fear must leave immediately!  There is no room for Satanic bondage of any kind in the life of a Christian.

"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God:  I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."  (Isaiah 41:10)

A marvelous story of faith has come to us from the Second World War:

In the Battle of Britain, the German Luftwaffe rained down about thirty-five thousand bombs upon London during nightly air raids, causing terrifying fear and tremendous destruction and mayhem in large parts of the city.

For months, as sirens wailed out warnings of approaching German bombers, the general population automatically hurried toward the nearest Air Raid Shelter! People learned to look after one another during the nightly raids and the ’morning after’ walk abouts and clean-ups.

After a terrible night of bombardment, an elderly woman was not seen in a certain neighborhood for several days. Her neighbors assumed that she had either been killed by the falling bombs or that she had gone to the countryside to escape the danger, disruption of life and incessant noise.

Some time later, a neighbor spotted the elderly woman walking down the street and articulated his happiness that she was alive and well.

"It’s nice to see you back", he said.

"I have not been away", she replied.

"Where have you been?" he asked.

"I’ve been at home", said the woman.

"What have you been doing at home during the air raids?” inquired the neighbor.

"Sleeping", she answered.

"How could you sleep with all the noise and explosions?" he asked.

"Oh", she replied, "I was reading my Bible and found in Psalms 121: 4 where it declares that God doesn’t slumber nor sleep, so I thought there was no point in both of us staying awake."

The Bible says: ”Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea. I will uphold  thee with with the right hand of My righteousness.” (Isaiah 41: 10)

WHAT IS FEAR?  AND WHAT DOES FEAR DO TO US?

Fear is a corrupting, constricting and crippling agent! Fear corrupts us.  Fear consumes the thoughts and controls the mind.

Fear is divisive, demeaning and destructive! It creates a divided heart which brings only condemnation and confusion.

When we allow fear in our minds and in our hearts, we are not allowing the Lord to give us the peace that he promises us in the scriptures.

The Holy Scriptures declare: ”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.” (1 John 4: 17-18)

The Bible states, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and He shall direct thy paths."

Fear destroys the perfect love that God gives us

Fear destroys the perfect love that God gives us by the unbelief it breeds in our hearts!  When we put our full trust in the Lord, we give him our troubles and our fears.  We are released from fear through the Lord Jesus Christ, and as we walk with Him, read the Word of God and pray, he gives us perfect peace.

The Bible says, "Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not:  behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense: he will come and save you."  (Isaiah 35:4)

It constricts the flow of the Holy Spirit and reduces the fruit that faith produces! Its crippling effect erodes the peace and joy that results from receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.

Why? Fear hampers the normal functions of the Gifts of the Spirit, making victims and spiritual cripples of servants and emissaries of our Lord.

The Bible states: ”But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1: 7-8)

Fear is a Universal Enemy

Fear is demeaning because it makes you think, say and do things that makes you look foolish, puts you outside the will of God and is out of character with Christian living! It is destructive because it destroys your confidence in God and His Word and therefore your fellowship with Him.

The Bible confirms: ”For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” (1 John 3: 20-22)

What is the underlying cause of condemnation? Plain and simple: Sin.

And what is the antidote or solution for the serious problem of sin? The answer in a nutshell, is the Blood of Jesus.

What can wash away my sin?

The Bible says: ”If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sins. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all sins.” (1 John 1: 7,9)

When the sin is cleansed away, condemnation leaves and faith leaps to the forefront! Then, miracles occur as God answers prayer in response to sincere faith-filled petitions coming from a clean heart!.

Fear brings trepidation, torment and terror! It is an enemy, but fear can be neutralized, beaten and vanquished.

The Bible states: ”God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of love and power and a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

Since God does not give anyone the spirit of fear, it is evident that fear comes from Satan, Satan who is the ENEMY of God. Satan is the enemy of man.

The Holy Scriptures declare: ”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.” (1 John 4: 17-18)

Jesus said: ”The thief (Satan) cometh not but for to steal, and to kill and to destroy. I am come that ye may have life, and that ye might have it more abundantly.” (John 10: 10)

Former alcoholic and drug addict, James Payne, wrote a Gospel song titled John 3: 16. Here are the lyrics:

"Alone one night at the end of my rope
In a hotel in Nashville praying for hope

In my hand was a Bible I had read as a child
On the table was the bottle that was driving me wild

I poured the whiskey into the glass
Praying that somehow I could forget my past
Then I remembered how Jesus had died on the tree
I poured out the whiskey and fell down on my knees
The night old Jack Daniels met John 3:16

God’s Word broke the chains that he had over me
I traded Tennessee whiskey for Calvary’s tree
The night Ol’ Jack Daniels met John 3: 16

That is the exact reaction of the spirit of fear meeting the blood of Jesus.

When Jesus'  powerful blood sweeps over our souls, fear must leave immediately!  There is no room for Satanic bondage of any kind in the life of a Christian.

The Blessed Holy Spirit makes us free from sin, free from guilt and free from fear. And He keeps us free for God’s glory.

US President Roosevelt stated: "The only thing to fear is fear itself."

In many cases that is true. Because fear is a spirit, when it digs its deceptive tentacles into a victim, raw fear often proves to be far worse than the object of the fear.

In Middle East folk lore there is story of a great warrior who meets a mythical rider called Death, carrying a gigantic scythe! . Addressing him, the warrior says: ” I have just come from a battle where I left 5,000 men dead.

Where have you been and where are going?” Replying, the mystical rider says: ”I have just left the area to which you are heading."

Inquiringly, the warrior asks: ”How many dead will I find there?” Death answers: ”The plague killed 5,000."

The next week, the great warrior again meets the mythical rider on the windswept desert. He hails the scythe - carrier with a shout: ”You lied to me. The plague left 50,000 dead . You told me that you had killed only 5,000!” Death replies: ”I told you the truth. 5,000 perished from the plague. The rest died of fear!"

An old adage says: ”Cowards die a thousand times before their death.

The valiant tastes of death but once!’ Without doubt, fear is a real enemy and robber. The Bible character Job, after having been attacked by Satan, confessed: ”The thing which I greatly feared is come upon me.” (Job 3: 25)

DO NOT BE AFRAID - CALL UPON GOD IN TIMES OF TROUBLE

When things go wrong and it appears that the bottom has dropped out of everything, that is not the time to become afraid or to panic.

God’s Word says: ”And call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.” (Psalms 50: 15) Jesus said: ”Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you life.” (Matthew 11: 28)

helpful links, medical facts, medical information for phobias and anxiety

PHOBIAS & ANXIETY - Medline
American Psychiatric Association
NMHA MHIC Factsheet: Anxiety disorders - phobias
Useful information on phobias, panic, fear