Fear Not
Were you aware that the phrase "fear not" is stated 365 times in the Scriptures? The Hebrew word for 'fear' which is used most commonly (approximately 194 times) in the Old Testament is "yare". Yare means: be afraid, make afraid, dread, or to fear. Phobeo and phobos are the Greek words most commonly used translated 'fear' in the New Testament. Phobeo means: be alarmed, fear exceedingly, and sore afraid while phobos means: fear, fright, terror, and be exceedingly afraid. These words are used about 100 times.
Our body has a physiological reaction to fear. According to Shirley Davis, "Our heart beats faster, there is a rise in blood pressure, the eyes become dilated and all parts of the body considered unnecessary, for the moment, are shut off from a blood supply." Considering how dangerous the situation seems to you, two stress hormones are released which revs up the body for 'fight, flight or freeze'. Dr. Andrew Newberg states that, "Stress can undermine both cognitive and emotional stability. The longer the brain remains stressed, the more perceptions of reality are altered."
When you consider how 'fear' affects our bodies and reasoning skills, it is not surprising to hear the number of times the issue was addressed in the Bible.
One of the most effective weapons that satan uses is 'fear'. During this time of extreme upheaval in our world, with covid 19 and now, the variant, natural disasters, financial uncertainty, business closings from the shut down, concern over the loss of personal freedoms, the rise of perversion, drought and fire in the Western United States, flooding in the East, the abandonment of Americans in a terrorist controlled country, the adoption of CRT, a Marxist ideology, in our schools, etcetera, we can see that the enemy is using fear quite effectively. The media and societal leadership has been stirring that fear as never before. The enemy is very intentionally stirring up fear, to gain control.
Webster defines 'fear' as a feeling of anxiety and agitation caused by the presence or nearness of danger, evil, pain, dread, terror, or panic. I do not know anyone who, in the last year and a half, has not been touched by at least one of these emotions, if not all.
Let us look at 2 Timothy 1:7, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." The word translated 'fear' according to W.E. Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words is deiliao. Deiliao means: fear, fearful, fearfulness (from deos) and is "rightly rendered as 'fearfulness' in this verse. That spirit is not given us of God. The word denotes 'cowardice and timidity' and is never used in a good sense." Kingdom Dynamics in the NSFLB, says this about the 'spirit of fear', " The spirit of fear may find a place by reason of one's natural temperament, but it is not merely a human disposition; it is not from God; and it can immobilize and torment its victims, making them feel powerless and alone. Indecision or wrong decisions are then made that could give place to bondage and great human suffering."
The greatest source of peace and courage we can achieve comes from what God's Word has to say about the fear that greatly hinders us.
What the Word of God tells us about,
Why We Need Not Fear:
God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail nor abandon you. Deuteronomy 31:6, "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them, for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."
God is a shield around you. When you cry out, He answers. The Lord watches over you while you sleep. Victory comes from Him! Psalm 3:3-8, "But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head. 4 I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill. Selah 5 I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me. 6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. 7 Arise, O Lord; Save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly. 8 Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah”
God is your light (illumination), your salvation (physical rescue) and your fortress (KJ-strength: fortified place, protection, and safety. Psalm 27:1-3, "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."
You abide (live) under His shadow (protection and defense); He is your refuge and shelter from danger; He delivers (snatches away and rescues) from the snare (trap) of the fowler (bait-layer); His truth is your shield and buckler (shield that surrounds). Psalm 91:1-7, "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust." 3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. 4 He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. 5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you."
The Lord is on your side. Psalm 118:6, "The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"
He is with you. He will strengthen you. Isaiah 41:10, "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."
He sends His army when you are outnumbered. 2 Kings 6:16 and 17, "So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, "Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."
He provides food, clothing and drink. Matthew 6:31 and 33 (NLT), "So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' ... 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."
He gives you the Kingdom (blessings and benefits [present or future] of the Kingdom of Heaven or of God.)
Luke 12:31,32 (NLT), "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need. 32 "So don't be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom."
His peace will guard your heart and mind. Philippians 4:6 and 7(NLT), " Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."
John 14: 27(NLT), "I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a
gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7(NLT), "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."
The Lord is your helper. Hebrews 13:6(NLT), "So we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?"
Nothing is able to separate you from the love of God! Romans 8:38 and 39(NLT), "And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow--not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below-- indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."
I believe that fear is the opposite of faith. Job said, "For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me." (Job 3:25)
When Peter was walking on the water and keeping his eyes on Jesus, he stayed afloat, but, when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he became afraid and started to sink. (Matthew 14:29 and 30)
Isaiah 26:3 and 4 reads, "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed (leaning on, resting in, supported by) on You, because he trusts in You. 4 Trust in the Lord forever, for in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength."
A favorite line of mine from the Anne of Green Gables TV series takes place when Marilla tells Anne, "To despair is to turn your back on God." Do you trust Him?
Is it always easy to keep fear at bay? No! Are there times when fear jumps out and tries to grab a hold of you? Yes!
As I end this blog, I want to encourage you with these thoughts. God loves you. His love casts out fear. 1 John 4:18a( NASB20), "There is no fear in love (agape), but perfect love (agape) drives out fear..." 1 John 4 verse 8 states that God is love! (agape).
Note that, courage is not the opposite of fear, because you can be afraid and still do what you need to do. Courage is acting in spite of fear!
Reread God's provisions for 'No Fear'! Hide these Words in your heart! Build up your faith!
Fear knocked on the door, Faith answered and no one was there!