Casting Out the Spirit of Fear
“Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, …For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Tim 1:6,7).
“Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread” (Isa 8:13).
Why did God keep admonishing Joshua as he was preparing to enter the Land of promise to be strong and very courageous? “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Josh 1:19). This is because fear can prevent the people of God from entering into their inheritance. It is the enemy of faith. Fear is a manifestation of belief in the suggestions and the power of the enemy at the expense of believing in the promises of Almighty God. Fear is a proclamation of the might of Satan and a declaration of God as a failure.
“God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (Tim 1:7). Fear does not originate from your spirit man; it comes from the outside, from the enemy. It is an attack by the evil one, trying to get you to succumb. He comes at you like a roaring lion, intending to cause you to be afraid, dump your confidence of faith, and then able to defeat you. Otherwise, he’s got no chance against you, and he knows it. So he employs his old tricks to get you to lose your confidence in the word of God by causing you to fear and thereby erode your faith.
What do you need to do in this case? Resist him, Resist fear; do not confess fear, but instead confess the Word and the power of God. Confess the love of God. Confess that you have a sound mind, an overcoming mind. Take on the shield of faith and quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Fear is the evil one’s weapon against the believer. When a believer entertains fear, he stops walking by faith. When fear is allowed to come in, faith goes out. Don’t confess doubt; confess faith. Talk about who you are in Christ Jesus. Say it aloud, don’t keep quiet. The enemy is constantly throwing bombs at you to create doubt and fear, so don’t just stand there staring at him, throw your own bomb back at him. Keep speaking the Word: “He will never leave me nor forsake me ..”.; “The Lord is my Rock and my Salvation”; “The Lord is the Strength of my life”; “No weapon fashioned against me shall prosper”…
Confessing your fear gives fear dominion over you. Fear becomes stronger and stronger as you meditate upon it or confess it. When you confess your doubts and fears, weakness and sicknesses, inabilities and diseases, you are openly confessing that the word of God is not true or that God has failed to make it true.
You must recognize fear when the enemy throws it at you in all its shades and forms. We are not to be ignorant of the devices of the evil one who comes at us in myriad ways to pull us down. You must keep these words before you at all times: that God has not given you the spirit of fear, but of love and of power and of a sound mind. Fear is not from God.
What kind of fear has the enemy been attacking you with? Is it the fear of failure? Is it the fear of not achieving what the world expects from you? Is it a fear of lack or of not being able to take care of yours? The Lord said: “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”(Isa 41:10). The Lord shall “supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:19).
Is the enemy attacking you with the fear of loneliness, of losing a loved one, or of being forsaken? The Lord says He will never leave you nor forsake you. If the Devil is lying to you and saying that God, like everyone else, will leave you or forsake you and that you’ll be alone, remember, the Lord said that He will never leave you nor forsake you.
“But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me” (Isa 49:14-16).
“He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation” (Psa 91:15-16).
“For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye” (Zec 2:8).
“But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee” (Isa 43:1-3).
Is it the fear of man he’s intimidating you with? Is it a fear of what people might say about you? Or is it the fear of isolation or calumny? Is it the fear of what they might do to you? Remember the word of wisdom from the Book of Proverbs: “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe”(Prov 29:25). The apostle writing by the Holy Ghost reminds us of what God said in the book of Hebrews:”For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Heb 13:6).
The Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples said:
“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mat 10:28).
Is it a fear of attack, a fear of sickness or of catching an incurable disease? Believe His promises, accept what He has done for you, and confess it.
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isa 53:4-5). He is your healer, your balm of Gilead, your resident physician.
Is it the fear of death? The Lord partook of death to deliver you from this fear. “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Heb 2:14-15).
Is it the fear of the unknown? Is it the crippling anticipatory fear of what tomorrow might bring? Fear not, only believe. Put your trust in He who holds tomorrow. Remember what Jehovah told Abram after he stepped out into the unknown: “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward”(Gen 15:1). “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went” (Heb 11).
God is your shield, your buckler, your mighty fortress, and your high and mighty tower. He is your very present help in trouble.
“But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head” (Psa 3:3).
The sum of the message is that God has not given you the spirit of timidity or the spirit of bondage to fear. Instead, He has given us the spirit of love, of power and of a sound mind. And 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” (1Jo 4:18).
Meditate on these words from God; let them not depart from your eyes nor from your mind until they become part of your system. Feed on these words until they become part of your being, until they are so absorbed into your spirit that you breathe them and act them without thinking.
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD (Isa 54:17).
So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in, like a flood the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him (Isa 59:19 ).
For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock (Psa 27:5).
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world ( 1Jo 4:4)
For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee (Isa 54:10).
Perfect Love Casts Out Fear
“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: 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.
We love him, because he first loved us” (1 Jn 4:17-19).
- Revelation knowledge
- Understanding of what Christ did for you
- Your righteousness, no condemnation, no inferiority complex
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- Intimacy with the Almighty
- Believe in His perfect love for you
Fear the LORD
“For the LORD spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,
Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid” (Isa 8:11,12).
“The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together. They saw it, and so they marvelled; they were troubled, and hasted away. Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail” (Psa 46:6, 48:4-6).
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah” (Psa 46:1-3).
Wait! What is there for us, for which reason we will not fear? Someone said when you see a “therefore” in the word of God, you should check closely, because there must be something good there for you. What is it? It’s in the preceding verse of this passage.
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” That’s the something good that the “therefore” is there for.
Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early” (Psa 46:2-5).
Shall Not Fear Bad Report, Or Conspiracy Theories
“He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD” (Psa 112:7). When we abide in the word of God and the word dwells in us richly, the revelation of Jesus Christ produces faith in us. This will uphold us in the face of bad news. Bad Lab or Doctor’s reports, and other bad news do not result in serious panic that breed fear and unbelief.
Rumors and conspiracy theories can breed fear. The word of God teaches us not to go about this like the people of the world do. Fear not their fear,He warns. The Lord of Host is to be our fear, and He’s to be our dread. In other words we should conduct our lives in obedience, honor, and reference before the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We should approach Him as one will approach His Majesty the King, and the Creator and Owner of heaven and earth.
“This is what the Lord says to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people:
Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it.
The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear” (Isa 8:11-13, NIV).
Staying away from news or escaping community life and going to live in a city where all the inhabitants are “holy” saints with no TVs, no Internet, no Newspapers, no Malls, or any other facility of corruption, will not do either. The Lord left us here to be the salt of preservation, and the light in the midst of this present darkness.
But if all the “lights” should gather themselves together in a hall leaving thick darkness outside in utter hopelessness, what is the use for the lights. What is the usefulness of the salt if it does not savor. It is worthless and could just as well be discarded. This is reason behind our Lord’s heartfelt prayer to the Father in the 17th chapter of the Gospel of John:
“I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (Joh 17:15-17).
The Lord was essentially asking the Father, ‘Don’t take them out of the world, but empower them so they can continually overcome the adversary’, “By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left” (2 Cor 6:7).,
This prayer, as you can feel in your spirit when you read it, weighed very heavily on His heart as He prayed for us His people when He was about to leave this world. Let’s individually read this prayer with full attention and let the Holy Spirit reveal the mind of Christ to us concerning this communication with the Father.
“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.
As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one;I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” (Joh 17:14-26, NIV).
How to Overcome Fear
“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: 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. We love him, because he first loved us” (1 Jn 4:17-19).
The key to overcoming fear is knowing God personally. When we submit to God, draw near to Him and get to know His mind and His ways and walk in it, fear will have no place in our lives.
In the natural world, we are fearful of things we have little knowledge of. When you were in school, you probably attended class taught by teachers who asked students to stand and answer questions in turn while lecturing. You probably, like all of us, had occasions when you were afraid of attending the class. Why? Because there’s an anxiety and fear you might be asked a question for which you did not know the answer, and might look like an idiot in the front of the entire class. The same will happen if you were to make a final project presentation to your company’s major client, and you have not prepared adequately.
On the other hand, the good students who are constantly revising their lecture notes, completing their homework assignments, and are therefore knowledgeable in the subject matter do not have such fears. They are usually in front of the class, sometimes they are ‘show-offs’, answering every question including those not directed at them. Their answers may not always be exactly right, but they display confidence and a relevant applicable understanding of the subject matter, which is what the teacher is looking for.
Adequate preparation, which enhances knowledge of the subject matter increases confidence and reduces or eliminates fea. Therefore
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”.
Study under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit. Do the homework He gives you. Work out the exercises. Reflect on the questions and meditate on the many you do not yet have answers for and listen carefully to Him as He answers them. Don’t use memorized formulae you heard from someone else, develop a personal relationship with God for yourself. Get to know God by yourself. And keep it active, a life-long drawing closer and closer to the Father’s heart.
In summary, concentrate on the following to build faith, trust, and confidence in God, a spiritual life of victory over fear:
- Revelation knowledge—meditate in the Word in a Holy Spirit charged atmosphere of worship and prayer. Create a personal atmosphere of worship and prayer in your home with absence of distraction or interruption
- Study, meditate upon, and gain an understanding of what Christ has done for you in the work of redemption, we will examine that later in this book)
- Know and understand “Your righteousness status” (1 Cor 1:30),
- Meditate on the revelation that “Christ is your righteousness” until you are persuaded that there is now “no condemnation for you”. (Rom 8:1),
- Daily practice entering His presence, reverently but boldly, by the Blood of Jesus
- Develop an intimate relationship with the Almighty—Draw nearer to God, seek Him with all your heart
- Believe in His Love for you—trust Him, leave your life under His control, He has your best interest in mind. Do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.
Sanctify the LORD of Hosts, and Let Him be Your Fear
“For the LORD spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,
Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid”
Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread” (Isa 8:11,12).
