Fear - Counsel Yourself

Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Is there a “good” fear?

Not all fear is harmful, crippling, or destructive. Some fear is healthy and necessary! We are admonished time and time again in God’s Word to “fear the Lord.” (Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 10:27; Proverbs 31:30). Unsaved people should fear meeting their Maker (Matthew 10:28).

Harmful Fears

  • Acrophobia- Fear of high places
  • Agoraphobia- Fear of open spaces
  • Claustrophobia- Fear of small places
  • Bathophobia- Fear of deep places
  • Haptephobia- Fear of being touched
  • Taphephobia- Fear of being buried alive
  • Zoophobia- Fear of animals

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” –President Roosevelt

The root cause of all harmful fear is lack of faith in the sovereign Lord of the universe. God is in control of all life. What He purposes, He does (Isaiah 46:11).The presence of Jesus means the absence of fear. Another source of fear is concern that we don’t measure up to others of their expectations. Again, we must remember that we are called to please God, not man (1 Thess. 2:4b).

Counsel From God’s Word (2 Tim. 1:7)

  1. Acknowledge that harmful fear is not of God. Satan brings fear into our lives to try to get us to distrust the sovereign Lord. (Psalm 23:4)
  2. Check the source of your fear. Ask yourself if it’s bigger than God. God is greater than any problem I have!
  3. Trust in God to banish your fear. The presence of God means the absence of fear. (Gen. 26:24; Psalm 56:3; Isaiah 43:1b-2a)
  4. Confess all known sin to God and claim His forgiveness.
  5. Claim what God has actually given you.
    • We have God’s power in us, all we need to overcome any challenge Satan throws our way (2 Timothy 1:7; 2 Peter 1:3).
    • We have been given a spirit of love for God and others (1 John 4:18).
    • We have been given a spirit of self-discipline or a “sound mind”.
    • F-E-A-R= False Evidence that Appears Real
  6. Take authority and rebuke the spirit of fear.
    • Acknowledge that fear does not belong in your life.
    • Command Satan to stop bringing fear on your life.

Joshua Poe