The Source of Fear

I can hear you thinking “Is that even possible?” We all face fear. Fear has many ways of working into our thinking. Fear is sneaky. It can control you and manipulate you without you knowing your decisions and actions are rooted in fear. Fear is the single biggest threat to your soul. Learning about fear and getting free from fear is necessary to walk in victory. If you have fear operating in your life, you are not free.

God wants us free from fear because fear prevents us from obeying Him. Fear hinders the presence of God. If we admit fear we are saying whatever we fear is bigger than the Almighty God. Fear has tormented us since Adam sinned. Notice the first byproduct of sin is fear. If we have fear it is proof we are out of covenant relationship with the Lord, at least in the part of our heart that fears something other than Him.

Genesis 3:8–10 (NKJV)

8 And they heard the sound 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 among the trees of the garden.

9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

They ate the fruit in verse 6. That was sin. God instructed Adam specifically about not eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:17). Sin is disobeying God. Sin is simply not listening to God, and not obeying Him. In verse 7 they became aware their condition had changed. They knew they were different physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Their relationship with God was broken.

Sinful people can still hear the voice of the Lord. God calls to us no matter how deep we are entrenched in a destructive selfish lifestyle. Adam and Eve heard the Lord but fear had entered their heart. Fear makes us turn away from God because He is righteous and must judge sin. God does NOT judge people! He judges sin! And if we refuse to give up our sin, we will be assigned to hell forever. Not because He sent us there, but because we refused to repent of our sin. It is my sin that takes me to hell, not God who sends me there.

When the Lord asked Adam “Where are you?” in Gen 3:9, He was not looking for information. He knew Adam sinned because He knows our thoughts and intentions (see Heb 4:12, Matt  9:4, 12:25, Luke 11:17). God was telling Adam his choices caused the separation. God never moves away from us even when we are rebelling and running from Him! We move ourselves by our decisions. We can choose to pursue Him, or ignore Him.

You could make the argument that we choose fear. Preferring sin is preferring fear. Fear follows sin. The door of our heart opens to fear when we sin. This is simply because we have chosen to listen to another god, not the True God, not the Living God. That other god, Satan, always brings fear when you hear his words, just like the True God, the Lord Jesus Christ, always brings faith when you hear His Words. If I choose to do things “my way”, I also choose to rebel against His Way. Jesus is THE WAY, the Truth, and the Life. There is no other way but His!

John 14:6 (NKJV) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Selecting a path not approved by the Lord always produces fear. Doing things incongruent with the Word of God, listening to things inconsistent with His will, or just ignoring His counsel, allows fear to grow in our lives.

The Promise of Freedom

Fear may dominate us periodically, but it doesn’t have to. Even a soul completely overwhelmed by fear can be free. Nothing is too hard for God! I want to list a few verses promising freedom from fear to encourage you that there is a hope and a possibility of deliverance. Only believe!

John 8:31–32 (NKJV)

31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.

32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

As with most promises, this one is conditional. The key is IF. If you continue in His Word, if you always put the Word first place, if you seek Him faithfully through His Word, THEN revelation comes. If you receive this revealed truth and act on it you can be set free. We can be totally free from fear but it is according to how you honor and live by His Words.

Genesis 15:1 (NASB95) After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.”

The Lord revealed Himself to Abram (who later became Abraham, the Father of Faith) and told him not to fear. If God told him that, it must have been possible for Abram not to fear. God didn’t say pretend there is no danger, He said do not fear. Then He told Abram why he shouldn’t fear. God promised to be a shield to Abram. Can you imagine? A bully tries to rough you up at school and the Lord Himself steps in and runs off the bad guy! Yes please! The Lord is the best shield you can imagine.

Abram listened to the Lord and obeyed Him. Today his legacy is spoken of all over the world and that man is honored in all three of the world’s most influential groups of believers (Muslims Jews and Christians). That is a very great reward! If we (there is that conditional clause again) decide to listen to and obey the Lord He will protect us and bless us greatly.

Our last example is from the great Shepherd King David who learned how to bring himself into a place of peace and safety in the Lord no matter what he faced.

Psalm 27:1–3 (NKJV)

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?

2 When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell.

3 Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident.

When I make the Lord my light and my salvation who qualifies to bring fear to me?When I believe the Lord is the strength of my life who can make me afraid? Do you see it? He states, first, “the Lord is”. The Lord is first place in his heart. His eyes are on the Lord. His heart has become firmly established in the truth. When you are full of truth the lies of fear are meaningless to you.

Even when facing an army alone (vs 3) David says his heart shall not fear. In every situation we must see the Lord first. We must judge Him to be able to protect us and deliver us and provide for us. It is entirely possible for you and I to grow to the place of declaring boldly “I shall not fear!”. David did.

Shall Not Fear

Deuteronomy 3:22 (AV) Ye shall not fear them: for the LORD your God he shall fight for you.

This is referring to Moses reminding the people in the wilderness about the victory the Lord produced for Joshua (at that time commander of the army under Moses) over all the evil kings resisting their march into the promised land. Victory over giants like Og and Sihon who are thought to have been giant warriors over 10’ tall!

Moses is telling his flock that the Lord will fight for them, and as they trust the Lord they shall not fear any enemy that dares rise up against them.

The KJV renders it “shall not fear.  Other versions translate it as follows:

– must not fear NKJV

– do not fear NASB, Tanakh, NRSV

– do not be afraid NLT, NIV, NET

– don’t be afraid CSB, MSG, CJB

– shall not fear JPS, AMP, ESV, RSV, ASV

– fear them not YLT

This is important because the wording changes how we understand what the Lord is saying. For example “must not fear” may suggest it is very important not to fear, but it is possible you could still be in fear. “Do not fear” or “fear them not” is a command or a suggestion depending on underlying language constructs, but it leaves it open for you to obey or not. “Do not be afraid” and “don’t be afraid” are weaker admonishments since they shift the emphasis to you and your condition (afraid), and miss the real enemy – the spirit of fear – which is what you must overcome to “not be afraid”. These two also allow the possibility of being afraid.

The strongest of them is “shall not fear”. Shall is an absolute in one sense. It leaves no room for other possibilities. It is a clear declaration of what is or is going to be in the future. It closes the door to other conditions or outcomes. The Lord is saying that if you place your trust in Him and His Word, your heart will no longer be tormented by fear. You shall not fear because you trust the Almighty God who is infinitely bigger and stronger and wiser than the puny spirit of fear.

The Fearless Blueprint

Anyone can become fearless. We all start with ignorance, unaware of how much real estate the devil occupies in our head. Salvation opens the door to freedom but you must actively participate in God’s redemption for it to fully manifest. Fear will not dissipate or weaken over time. It continually works to increase control. While you ignore it and refuse to acknowledge its grip on your soul it is steadily extending boundaries and building fortresses in your thought patterns. The Bible calls them strongholds.

2 Corinthians 10:4 (NKJV) For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

These strongholds are mindsets and beliefs and thought patterns (2 Cor 10:5). They are filters or switches that affect how we see the world and how we interact with our world. Almost all of them are lies and half truths and deliberate deception. The devil works to blind the minds of people so the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ is not believed and acted on (2 Cor 4:4). The devil knows if you hear the real truth and act on it there is nothing he can do to stop you!

Every person on earth prior to salvation has strongholds in their mind planted and built up by evil spirits. I don’t say this to accuse or hurt or offend, but to declare the work of God and how we can be set free from deception and lies. And every one of us must follow the same general path from darkness to light, from deception to truth, from confusion to clarity, from bondage to liberty.

In 2 Cor 10:4 we see strongholds but we also see weapons. Mighty weapons that God has given His children to obliterate the work of the enemy in our souls. These weapons and how to use them effectively are all found in the Bible.

1) Love

2) The Word of God

3) The Holy Spirit

4) Faith

5) Your Tongue

God has many more weapons and strategies than we have time for in this article, but these will get you started on the path to freedom.

Lets examine each one briefly.

Love

1 John 4:8 (NKJV) He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

As many notable ministers have said, God doesn’t just have love. He IS love. All His interactions with humanity are motivated by love. He has never done anything outside of His love. And He loves YOU! Say it out loud “God loves me.” Say it again “God LOVES me.” Say it louder “God loves ME.” It does wonders for your soul to hear yourself declare God loves you.

1 John 4:18 (NKJV) There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

Love casts out fear. We must know and believe God loves us (1 John 4:16). The presence of fear proves the absence of love. Love has not had its way in our heart, has not completed its work in us, when we fear. Spending time with God is spending time with love. God is the source of love. As we grow in knowing Him, we also grow in our understanding of His love for us. This pushes fear out of our thinking. Love breaks down negative thoughts and unrighteous beliefs. Yielding to fear locks out love. Yielding to love flushes out all fear and torment. Trusting God and His love for you is a key weapon to overcome fear.

The Word of God

John 1:1 (NKJV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Jesus Christ is the Word of God.

Jesus Christ is equal to God, and is God.

Therefore, the Word of God is equal to and is God.

Did you follow that? Each Word God spoke contains Himself. He created everything with His Words, by speaking out His thoughts which become the creative Word. Whatever He says is the essence of Him. His Words reveal His heart and His will.

We are born again by His Word.

1 Peter 1:23 (AMP) You have been regenerated (born again), not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm), but from one that is immortal by the ever living and lasting Word of God.

Salvation is the implantation of the eternal God Himself into our human spirit. We literally become pregnant in our spirit with God Himself. Mary become pregnant with the Lord Jesus Christ the same way.

His Word was seed that got us born again. His Word is still seed today!

Luke 8:11 (NKJV) “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

The parable mentioned is the parable Jesus shared about the four kinds of hearts and how the Word is treated by each kind. I think these four types of hearts are also stages of growth each person must develop and grow through to become mature children of the Lord.

The point is, the Word of God as a seed is also a weapon against fear in your heart. Plant the seed! Sow the seeds of love into your thinking. Muse, ponder, cogitate, meditate the Word! Day and night is recommended. Deliberately replace fearful thoughts with His Words, his thoughts.

The Holy Spirit

John 14:26 (NKJV) But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

The word “Helper here is a Greek word translated as follows:

     – helper

     – advocate

     – counsellor

     – called to one’s side to help

     – legal assistant

     – comforter

The Holy Spirit will help us win over fear. He will teach you, protect you, encourage you, and guide you. He knows what we need and is given to us as part of our inheritance from the Lord. Fear has no chance in our lives if we trust and obey the Holy Spirit. If you know how, praying in the Holy Spirit (speaking/praying in tongues) is a powerful mechanism that works many blessings into your life.

Faith

Faith is the shield God gave us to overcome the fear-filled thoughts the enemy continuously lobs over our fence.

Ephesians 6:16 (NKJV) above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

Your faith can quench every possible fearful thought the devil can muster against you. Your faith is much more powerful than fear. Fear attracts the devil but faith attracts the Living God. Fear is believing the devil’s words and taps into the devil’s power. Faith is believing God’s Words and taps into His almighty infinite power! Who do you think has more power? It is impossible for the devil to defeat God at anything. He can only hurt God’s people, and only if we let him.

Believing God and what He said in his Word (the Bible) slams the door on fear. That is why the enemy works so hard to get you in doubt, wondering about stuff, trying to figure it out. Stop it! Fix your mind on God! Fix your mind on what He said about it. Find the Bible verses (there are hundreds of them) where He tells us not to fear, not to be afraid.

Faith is contained in God’s Word. Faith comes to you as you hear and believe His Word. If you want more faith, hear more Word! Your faith is powerful! It is the same faith God used to create you. And your faith can overcome anything the devil can do against you.

1 John 5:4 (NKJV) For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

If you are not overcoming it is likely due to you not knowing about faith, or how to use it. But if you are born again, you have enough faith right now to walk in total victory over whatever is working against you. Go get ‘em tiger!

Your Tongue

This is actually the most important weapon you possess. Faith is helpless if you won’t release it. Faith is released by your speech, your words, by what you say. The Holy Spirit cannot help you or work with you if you do not say appropriate words. You cannot experience the love of the Father if you never say so. And the Word of God is lifeless in your phone app. It must be spoken. Out loud! With conviction!

Here are some verses demonstrating how vitally important our words are.

Mark 11:23 (NKJV) For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

Jesus just told us we can have whatever we say. YOU CAN HAVE WHATEVER YOU SAY. You determine what you have by what you say.  Therefore, quit saying what you have! Start saying what you want. Start saying what God says about it. Quote Bible verses instead of reviewing endlessly where it hurts and why you can’t and how hard it is. Shift your future by changing what you say today. Say seeds of blessing, seeds of increase, seeds of health and wellness. Every seed you plant with your tongue will produce whatever you said.

John 14:13 (NKJV) And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Jesus says if you ask something in His name He will do it. “In His Name” means consistent with His name, congruent with His will, agreeing with His values. Every promise in the Bible is available in His name! Find those promises and speak them aloud over yourself.

John 15:7 (NKJV) If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

It sounds simple, and it is, but it is a lifetime of relationship with the Lord to grow up into this promise. But what a promise! It means that as we allow His Word to rule our hearts and thoughts, we develop to a point where we only ask what is within His will. Our desires become the same as His desires.

It is the will of God we are not in fear. My prayer for you is that you will take steps to change your life by incorporating these concepts into your daily routine. And I say over you “You shall not fear!”

Prayer for Repentance and Salvation.

If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and your Saviour, I invite you to ask Him into your heart. If you knew the Lord but have not been hungering for Him I invite you to consider your ways and repent. He is faithful and righteous to wipe your slate clean when you confess your sin to Him! (1 John 1:9)

1 John 1:9 (NASB95) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

He gave His life for you, and you honour Him when you give your life for Him. It is the right thing to do!

1 Corinthians 6:20 (AV) For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

You must give yourself to God for Him to come into your life and help you change. He will not force you! Ever. But oh! The joy and peace and hope He gives you!

Romans 12:1–2 (NKJV) 1) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Romans 10:9 (NKJV) that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

You must acknowledge Jesus Christ is Lord, and you must believe He was resurrected from the dead by the Father.

Say this prayer out loud.

Heavenly Father I turn to you and acknowledge You as the Almighty God, eternal and sovereign over all. I have been rebellious, selfish, and deceived trying to live without you. I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He died on the cross to redeem me from death and sin, and that He rose from the dead, alive forever with You. I ask you to forgive me of all my sin, known and unknown. Please come into my life as my Lord and my Saviour. Thank you for forgiving me, and redeeming me from sin. I choose to trust You and put You first in every area of my life. I will love You and serve You with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind, and all my resources, for the rest of my life, beginning right now. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen!

If you prayed this to the Lord, please let me know! I have some resources to share with you, and will help you on your journey with the Lord.