2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of fear but a spirit of power, of love and of a sound mind.
Fear is a spirit. It does not come from God. God does not create fear in people's heart or mind. But God does ask you to fear him. Fear in this case means respect and honor. It is reverence for God. God is love and we must respect and honor Him. Loving somebody is a willful decision. So when we love God with our heart willfully, it is an act of faith which pleases God. God’s nature is love and so we have an obligation to love God as well as love others with the same attitude that we use to love God. God has poured in our heart love which means we have the potential to love others because of what God has done for us through Jesus Christ on the cross.
As a result of our love for God, we come to a position where we realize that love drives out all fear. So we don't need to fear anything. God's love for us is enough to protect us from all fear. Fear does not come from God as I said earlier. Fear comes to people from a number of places. One kind fear is natural human fear and the other is fear from our enemy which is Satan and his demonic spirits. Another kind of fear is the fear of God which every person should have. Fear of God is respect and reverence for God. As our text says:
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". (KJV)
One of the reasons we human beings get into problem with fear is the fact that we live in a world which is dominated by Satan and so he will do everything possible to make his way into people's lives’ using fear as one of his tactics.
How does fear enter into people's lives?
When we willfully yielding ourselves to it. Along with fear comes, torment and restlessness. God wants us to stay in faith but when we give ourselves to fear, we put ourselves in a position where we are helpless.
What are some of the causes of fear?
1. Fear can come from Satan and his demonic spirits.
2. Fear can come from nature for example natural disasters such as hurricane or Tsunami.
3. Fear can come from a sudden shock or a bad news.
4. Fear can come from sickness.
5. Fear can come from the danger of the unknown.
I have listed a few of the major areas where fear can grip people's heart and make them vulnerable to sickness, stress and depression. Often times I have seen people speak and act in fearful tones of their speech. Firstly, they have allowed themselves to be open to fearful spirits and secondly they want to continue living in this state of mind. So any help given to them will be of little value in this area. On the other hand there are people who want to be free from fear and live a good and a victorious Christian life. With this attitude in mind, I have presented an outline as to how a person can be delivered from fear.
How can a person free himself/herself from fear?
The first thing he/she should do is to have faith in the one who can deliver us from fear. So many years ago I had faced problem in the area of fear. I was paralyzed with fear. In fact fear had gripped my heart so much that I could not sleep well. My sleep would be disturbed and I would stay awake in the night thinking what would happen next. I had the fear of disease and death. I was suffering with multiple sicknesses in my physical body. Pain would strike me in the middle of the night. I would start to have dreams of death and funeral service. Some of my Christian friends would tell me about Jesus and how He can deliver people. That sounded interesting to me since I was in the same situation as other people were. So arrangements were made to meet some people who knew how to pray in Jesus name. They had counseled me to have faith in Jesus Christ. Faith is something a person believes in. I had to believe that Jesus Christ could deliver me from fear. I had to believe it in my heart. I said a prayer something like this:
"Dear father in heaven, I believe that Jesus Christ is the one who died for me on the cross. I believe that by his sacrificial death on the cross, all my sin is forgiven. I invite you to come into my heart and make me the kind of person you want me to be. Dear Lord Jesus, deliver me from fear. You said in your word to call upon your name. So by faith I call on the name of Jesus and I believe that you will help me. Thank you. I pray in Jesus name. Amen"
After I said that prayer I experienced joy and peace in my heart. Fear had not no place in me. Since I believed in the name of Jesus, I was expecting answers to my prayers. God did deliver me but it was through my willful decision to accept what God was offering me. God had shown mercy and love towards me to help me. I started to attend bible classes and learn about Jesus and how Jesus delivers people from fear. Thank God I was free from the bondage of fear and death as my faith grew more and more in Jesus.
Today I can proudly say that Jesus Christ has delivered me from the spirit of fear. If you are looking for someone to help you come out of fear, I would say that it can happen in one name and if you would dare believe in him, he will deliver you. That name is Jesus Christ.
So the first step to free yourself from the spirit of fear is to have faith in Jesus. I have seen people who want to see result first than they would believe. Faith does not work that way. It works when we put our trust and confidence in Jesus, not in any person, organization, society or in anything else. Jesus said in John 14:6:
“I am the truth..."
So when we put our trust in Jesus, He will help us. He said that anyone who comes to Him, He will give rest in Matthew 11:28
"Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you a rest".
So come to Jesus expecting miracles and healing. Have faith in Jesus. Faith is the substance of things hoped for. What you believe in your heart about Jesus and His word will come to pass if you exercise your faith in Him.
The second step is to believe that God can deliver you as you are. Some people think that you have to become a good person and live all bad or sinful things before God will help you clean up your life. Nobody has ever been able to do that. You come to God as you are by trusting and believing that God can help you overcome fear in the mighty name of Jesus. Than as you study the bible in the area that is affecting you, God will help you to overcome and live a good and victorious Christian life.
How does a person believe?
He believes it in his heart. The heart is the place where Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit lives. It is not the physical heart but the spiritual heart. God deals with human beings through man's spirit. When a person gets born again, it is his spirit that is born again and he has in him the nature and love of God. The bible says in Romans 10:10
"For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified..." So believe in your heart without doubting.
The third step to receive help in the area of fear is to receive the deliverance from fear by accepting the word of God in your heart. The bible says that when you pray, believe that you have received what you have prayed for. Then it will come to pass (Mark 11:24). We receive answers to our prayers by faith. You may not feel anything or see any changes physically but as you trust God, you will come to a place in your life that what you believe and say is bound to happen.
The forth step to receive deliverance from fear is to praise God for the answer. Praise brings the power of God down in our lives. God dwells in the praises of His people and so when you praise God with your heart and you mean it, you are going to see the glory of God in your lives. Praise is a very powerful tool God has given us to do his work. Begin to praise God with your heart and expect answers to your prayers. At the end of this teaching I have written some prayers on how to overcome fear. You may want to say these prayers until it takes a hold in your spirit.
Some scriptures on fear are:
1. Isaiah 54:14
2. Psalms 46:1
3: Psalms 23:4,5o
4. Psalms 27:1, 3
5. Psalms 91:4-6
6. Psalms 43:4
7. Proverbs 3:25, 26
8. Proverbs 29:25
9. Proverbs 18:10
10. Deut. 31:8
11. Romans 8:15
12. Hebrews 13:6
13. 1 Peter 3:12-14
14. 2 Timothy 1:7
15. Isaiah 41:13
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for listening to my prayers. I praise you as to who you are. You are almighty God and there is none like you. You word is true and can be trusted. You said in your word to ask according to Matthew 7:7. Therefore I ask you to help me overcome fear. Your word also says that you have not given me the spirit of fear but of power and love and sound mind according to 2 Timothy 1:7. Therefore I ask you to deliver me from the Spirit of fear. Fear, I command you to leave my mind and do not trouble me anymore. Jesus said not to be afraid in John 14.1. So fear cannot rule my life anymore. I am a child of God and the power of God lives in me. Thank you dear God for helping me and for being with me always. I praise you Father. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Some helpful points to keep in mind to overcome fear are:
1. Fellowship with other Christian believers
2. Pray with other Christian friends
3. Read the word of God loud.
4. Seek help from other Godly people
5. Resist fear if it comes back
6. Abstain from watching horror movies and from places which lead you to fear. Instead get strong in the word of God.
7. Any sinful activities that lead you away from God should be avoided.
What should you do if fear strikes you?
a. Get back into the word of God
b. Start confessing 2 Timothy 1:7
c. Praise God as often as possible.
I believe the above notes and prayers have been a blessing to you. Continue in your faith.
Enjoy your day.