God created all things including fear for a divine purpose. Revelation 4: 11 says you are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created. However, the enemy misapplies fear but even so, God permits it because his divine purpose cannot be changed.
Predicated on this irrefutable fact, God continues to be in charge and dominates fear. Romans 1: 20 says ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. There are two categories of fear; the fear of God which leads to life, thus positive; and the fear of Satan which leads to death, thus negative.
Positive fear or fear of God
Originally, fear was meant for the Lord. Deuteronomy 10: 12 says, so now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? Only to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD your God and his decrees that I am commanding you today, for your own well-being. In effect fear means to show reverence to God by observing his will and his scriptures.
Also, Deuteronomy 6: 24 says, the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our lasting good, so as to keep us alive, as is now the case. Reverence for God leads to a long good life. Deuteronomy 8: 6 says therefore keep the commandments of the LORD your God, by walking in his ways and by fearing him. The purpose of fear is thus to obey God and to hallow his name.
In exercising the fear of God, we gain wisdom. Psalms 111: 10 says the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. Job 28: 28 says truly, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding. Thus the fear of the Lord gives wisdom from wisdom we gain understanding to keep us away from evil, Proverbs 8: 13; 16: 6; 19: 23.
Fear as in reverence which God intended for us gives knowledge, Proverbs 1: 7; 2: 5. It prolongs life, Proverbs 10: 27. It gives strong confidence, Proverbs 14: 26. It is the fountain of life, Proverbs 14: 27. It gives us grace to live and grow in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, Acts 9: 31. So, God’s intended purpose of “fear” if properly understood, should not be negative or destructive or misunderstood.
Negative fear or fear of Satan
Negative fear enslaves us to doubt God and rather revere Satan. It is Satan’s tactics to intimidate us through doubts in our faith in God. Satan resorts to harm, death, sorrow, deprivation or emptiness to cause us to believe that he is the boss though false. Jeremiah 51: 46 says do not be fainthearted or fearful at the rumours heard in the land one year one rumour comes, the next year another, rumours of violence in the land and of ruler against ruler.
Negative fear is to cause us to counter God’s commandments or to corrupt God’s perfect will for us. Some of the nature of negative fear is mentioned in Psalms 91: 5-6, you shall not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day, or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday. Negative fear is therefore our failure to live through stress and/or calamity.
How to overcome negative fear
The Lord should be our refuge. Psalms 91: 9 says because you have made the LORD your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent. We must be led by the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote in Romans 8: 15, for you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption.
We must always allow Jesus as Lord and Saviour always. 1 Peter 3: 14-15 say do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. In other words we must overcome negative fear with positive fear in all circumstances. We must be faithful to God. Jesus said in Revelation 2: 10 do not fear what you are about to suffer. Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested… Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
We must know the extent of God’s power. Jesus said in Matthew 10: 28; Luke 12: 4 do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. If Jesus has the keys to life and death and Hades, we must not be afraid if we have him as our Lord. He said in Mark 5: 36; Luke 8: 50 do not fear, only believe. Also Isaiah 35: 4 says, say to those who are of a fearful heart, be strong, do not fear!
We must know that God fights for us. God instructed Gideon in Judges 7: 3… whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home. Our battles are the Lord’s. 2Chronicles 20: 15 says… do not fear or be dismayed… for the battle is not yours but God’s. God’s steadfast love covers us. Psalms 118: 4 says let those who fear the LORD say, His steadfast love endures forever. Psalms 25: 10 says all the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and decrees.
God’s love never ceases. Lamentations 3: 22-23 say the steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Psalms 27: 1-3 say the Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?… my heart shall not fear, though war rises up against me, yet I will be confident.
Jesus is our peace. He said in John 16: 33 I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world! Upon these assurances, we must not be entrapped in negative fear but the reverence for God in all circumstances. Do we harbor fear when the storms of life roar even with Jesus in our sail?
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, we reel under the bondage of negative fear because we live in sin. Heal our fears through your blood on the cross so we may boldly defend the way of the cross and give you reverence. Because we have died with you and live with you in the spirit of faith, help us to fear no evil because you have overcome death by your blood. In your holy name we pray, Amen!!
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