“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.” (1 John 4:18)
What is it that can destroy our faith? What is it that can cause us to stumble? What can grip our heart to an uncanny exhaustion? Fear! Fear can cause worry and insecurity. Insecurity then can cause doubt, and doubt is totally opposite of faith. The Bible tells us whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Fear is sin.
A long list can be given of the different types of fear. Fear of man, fear of death, fear of the future, fear of flying, and the list goes on and on. It may come in many ways, but still, fear is fear. Fear is a spirit and does not come from God. The Word tells us in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
Satan uses the spirit of fear to destroy homes, plans, minds, and anything else that he can. Anyone, saint or sinner, can yield over to the spirit of fear because it begins in the mind. A perfect example of this was the life of Job. He was a man of great wealth and prosperity due to his faith in God. In just a short while, everything he had was gone. Why? Because of fear. Job 3:25 says, “For the thing which I greatly feared has come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.” Job’s fear of loss was satan's key to unlock and open the door of destruction in his life. The Word says, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
Fear can be caused by unbelief. The reason we do not experience more miracles and divine manifestations of the Holy Ghost in the Church is because of unbelief. Unbelief in God to perform the things He has promised. Worry is in your mind because a seed of unbelief has been planted into your heart. That seed of unbelief develops into a hedge of fear that will grip your heart and torment you.
What does the Word say about worry? “Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what you shall drink, nor yet for your body what ye shall put on; but seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:25). We are not to worry ourselves about anything because our Lord shall supply all our needs according to His riches. To the Christian, worry is wrong. When we worry, we're actually saying that our Lord can't, or won't, live up to His promises. We must learn to habitually put our trust in a Lord that will never fail us.
What is worry? Essentially, worry is fear. Fear of what may happen. It robs men and women of their peace of mind and destroys trust in a never failing God. What can worry do? Nothing good, that's for sure. All the worry in the world cannot change the outcome of the situation, but prayer can. Prayer can move mountains and destroy all fear and worry.
There are ways to overcome fear. I want to show you five ways here now.
First, Be preserved in Christ Jesus. Psalm 32:7 says, “Thou art my hiding place, thou shall preserve me from trouble, thou shalt compass me with songs of deliverance.” There is peace in the time of trouble. There is peace in the midst of the storm in the shelter of His arms, preserved from all harm and danger. So why do we fear? Why do we worry? The Lord is our rock, He is our strong tower. Of whom shall I fear?
Second, Trust God for all things. Psalm 37:3-4 says, “Trust in the Lord and do good, delight thyself also in the Lord and He shall give thee the desires of thy heart.” If we can learn to put total trust in the Lord, imagine how smoothly our lives would go. How could we fear the unknown, if our spirits were in tune to His? If we don't put our trust in God, then what is that called? Mistrust. No wonder so many people have fear in their lives.
Third, Rely solely on God for strength to overcome fear. Psalm 46:1-2 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble. Therefore we will not fear.” So many times, we, as Christians, try to rely on our own strength to see us through troubles and fears, only to find out that there is no strength outside of Christ Jesus. He is all the strength you'll need and then some. Our biggest fault in our Christian walk sometimes lies in the fact that we just can't give totally to Him, that we don't totally yield ourselves unto the Lord for victory. He is our strength. Remember always, “greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.”
Fourth, Let perfect love rule your every motive. 1 John 4:18 says, “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.” The greatest of all gifts is love. This perfect love mentioned here will conquer all. Nothing is too big or too powerful that it can't conquer. Love will overcome spiritual obstacles that you may not have an answer for. This perfect love. It is a unity between you and your Lord. Nothing can separate this bond. Circumstances cannot separate you, hard times cannot separate you, trials cannot separate you, nothing can remove this love. Perfect love casteth out fear. Learn to love your fellow brothers and sisters, despite your differences. Cultivate love. Perfect love will destroy fear and leave no room for that dreaded spirit to ever enter again. Love locks the door to keep fear out.
Fifth, Accept Christ’s peace. John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Jesus spoke these words to His disciples on the evening before His crucifixion. From a natural standpoint, it seemed the disciples had much to be troubled about and much to fear. But here Jesus counsels them to not be afraid or troubled because He was giving them, and all others to come, His peace. When we commit ourselves to Him, He will calm our fears, and He will bring peace into our lives.