“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.” (Isaiah 41:10 NIV)

Galatians chapter five tells us that one of the nine fruits of the spirit is self-control. I am doing a short series discussing things that God has given us the ability to control. Here is another one.

You can have self-control over fear, i.e. terror, fright, fearfulness, alarm, panic, dread, dismay, anxiety, worry, foreboding.

Fear is not from God

  “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim. 1:7)

Don’t be anxious about anything! But, in every situation do these 3 things:

1) Pray

2) Petition God with your requests

3) Thank Him

And, in Christ Jesus, He will do these 3 wonderful things for you:

1) He will give you the peace that transcends understanding.

2) He will guard your heart.

3) He will guard your mind.

Here is the Bible verse that says it clearly: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7)

God’s promises about fear

“But now, this is what the Lord says…Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1)

“When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.” (Psalm 94:19)

“I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.  He freed me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:4)

Note: The Bible says “do not fear” 365 times, one for each day of the year! It is a command that God truly wants you to understand. You must exert self-control over all fear! You can control it! Do NOT let the devil tell you otherwise!

Quotes:

“There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.” – Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” – Nelson Mandela

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“For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” (Isaiah 41:13 NIV)

The late President, Ronald Reagan, once said jokingly, “Some of the scariest words ever spoken are, ‘I am from the government, and I’m here to help you!’”

Unfortunately, many feel the same way about God! He says, “I am the LORD … and I will help you.” And yet, they treat that statement with fear instead of with delight!

Why is this so? 

It’s because many don’t understand the true nature of God (love)! They picture Him wrong! They don’t understand that God loves them and really wants only the very best for them.

Understand this about God

“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 John 4:16)

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

Therefore…

“Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God, Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever, Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners.” (Psalm 146:5-7)

“So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Heb. 13:6)

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“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me” (Psalm 23:4 NLT)

According to the dictionary…

• Fear is defined as: an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. 

• Some synonyms for fear: terror, fright, fearfulness, horror, alarm, panic, agitation, trepidation, dread, consternation, dismay, distress.

What are you afraid of?

No matter what you are afraid of, God promises to be there to help you! The good news is that the Bible has a lot to say about fear.  In fact, the Bible says, “don’t be afraid”, 365 times! One for each day of the year! So, if you struggle with fear, you can read and apply one every day!

False Evidence Appearing Real

The above is a well known acrostic using the word FEAR. It states the truth about fear very simply and clearly. Fear is often just a delusion and only exists in your own head. We can easily fear things that we have amplified in our mind and turned into frightening prospects. However, when they are faced with truth and faith, they will disappear.

Therefore…

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Tim. 1:7 ESV)

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:4 ESV)

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” (1 John 4:18 ESV)

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Josh. 1:9 ESV)

Quotes:

“If the Lord be with us, we have no cause of fear. His eye is upon us, His arm over us, His ear open to our prayer - His grace sufficient, His promise unchangeable.” – John Newton

“Seeing that a pilot steers the ship in which we sail, who will never allow us to perish even in the midst of shipwrecks, there is no reason why our minds should be overwhelmed with fear and overcome with weariness.” – John Calvin

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“I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:4 NIV)

Two Wonderful Things!

A very simple and powerful, answer for dealing with any fear is found in the above passage! When fear attacks, you must immediately seek the Lord! And then two wonderful things happen:

1) He ANSWERS you!

2) He DELIVERS you from all your fears!

Activated by faith!

Of course, this is an act of faith (all promises are faith activated! See Hebrews 4:2)

I heard this promise stated simply the following way:

Fear knocked, faith answered, and there was nobody there!

Therefore…

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Tim. 1:7 ESV)

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isa. 41:10 ESV)

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“I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good;blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” (Psalms 34:4-8 NIV)

With great confidence!

I love the fact that we serve a personal and powerful God who we can approach with great confidence knowing that He hears us, answers us, and does something about what we ask! And I love that he frees me from ALL my fears and ALL my troubles.

Negative Feelings

As I was thinking about the part of this verse referring to “all of my fears,” I noticed that it was plural and not singular, meaning more than one fear was being talked about here. He didn’t explain what each fear was, but it was definitely more than one. Usually fearful people are fearful in many areas at the same time. Fear is really just negative feelings, and you can actually do something about your fearful feelings when you understand it is something you have the power to control. 

Recognize and take control!

The first step to overcoming a negative feeling is to recognize it and then take control of it. (Fear, anger, or some other negative thing). A helpful principle to understand: “A feeling named is a feeling tamed!” Explanation: An unidentified feeling can take control of you. But, you can take control of a named feeling once you have recognized it and then take control of it. Then ask God to help you knowing that He can and He will.

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Today’s Promise to Memorize* 

Another short memory verse - only nine words. You can easy memorize this! 

“Do not be afraid for I am with you.” (Isaiah 43:5)

Two important things to remember about this passage

1)    “Do not be afraid” (this is a command, not a suggestion). 

2)     “for I am with you.” (This is a promise to trust in!)

Just a reminder that God tells you 365 times in the Bible NOT to fear, one for each day if the year! Therefore, you are NOT to fear! Ever! Keep in mind that God would never command you to do what He has not given you the ability (control) to do. To recognize and resist fear is a matter of self control. Self control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (see Gal 5). You CAN control your response to fear! Here are just three of many verses to help you see and understand what Gods says about fear. 

Additional References

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Tim. 1:7)

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isa. 41:10)

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Phil. 4:6)

Today’s Promise to Memorize* 

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)

 Additional References

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12 ESV)

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Rom. 12:21 ESV)

Therefore…

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!” (Psalm 37:7 ESV)

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” (Rom. 12:9 ESV) 

“Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” (Psalm 34:14 ESV)

A Reminder

*Over the next few days I am posting Bible promises every believer MUST know (and commit to memory) to be fully equipped no matter what they are faced with. Meditate on them and memorize them. 

Proven ways to help memorize:

1.     Hand write it on 3x5 card.

2.     Always include the Bible reference at the beginning and repeat it again at the end. 

3.     Read it through several times and think about what it means (mediate on it). 

4.     Say it out loud a few times.  

5.     Refer to it throughout the day and say it to yourself (a few words at a time if necessary) until you can say it correctly without looking.