9. Overcoming the Spirit of Fear
Spirit of Fear
Manifestations: Fears—Phobias, Heart Attacks, Torment—Horror, Fear of Man, Nightmares—Terrors, Anxiety—Stress, Fear of Death, Untrusting- Doubt
Scriptures: (Isaiah 13:7-8; 2 Timothy 1:7; Psalms 55:4-5; 1 John
4:18; Luke 21:26; John 14:1,27; Proverbs 29:25; Jeremiah 1:8; 17-19; Ezekiel 2:6-7; 3:9; Psalms 91:5-6; Isaiah 54:14; Hebrews 2:14-15; 1 Peter 5:7; Matthew 8:26; Revelation 21:8)
Roots: "The Works of the Flesh," Galatians 5:19–21.
"By their fruits you will know all men," Matthew 7:20.
According to Matthew 6:10; 11:12; 12:29; 16:18; 18:18; 28:18, Bind: Spirit of Fear
Loose: Love, Power, and a Sound Mind; Perfect Love casts all our fear, 2 Timothy 1:7; 1 John 4:18
Overcoming the Evil Strong Men Overcoming evil spirits and demolishing strongholds of Satan, which fight against the soul of man
The spirit of fear
The spirit of fear fights against faith. Its aim is to make you remain in unbelief or doubt as a result of your own fear. Fear can be described as an unpleasant feeling of anxiety or apprehension caused by the presence or anticipation of danger. Fear is a frightening thought. Fear can be terror, dread, anxiety, horror, distress, fright, panic, alarm, trepidation, apprehension, nightmare, or phobia. Fear can manifest in the form of worry; it can disguise itself as concern. There are people who have fear of height, fear of death, fear of failure, et cetera.
Do not fear "the reproach of men" (Isa. 51:7), "humiliation and depression" (Isa. 54:4), "gods of the nations" (Jer. 10:5), "captivity" (Jer. 30:10), or "terror" (I Pet 3:14).
Fear is the opposite of faith.
How to overcome the spirit of fear
If the heart feels concerned about something that threatens to bring or result in bad news, check it and rebuke the spirit of fear. For God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind. 2 Tim 1:7 KJV
God’s will is usually to comfort His people. When the people of Israel were in slavery in a foreign land, the LORD gave a word of prophecy to the nation through prophet Isaiah, making known to them Zion's happy future—that the ransomed shall return: Strengthen your weak hands and confirm your feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart: Be strong, fear not; behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with recompense; He will come and save you. Isa 35:3-4 KJV
They were of “weak hands” because they had fearful hearts; the people of Israel were of “feeble hands” because they were anxious. God gave them ‘hope for restoration.’ That’s what they needed. The Lord promised to them that He would come with vengeance, with divine retribution, for He is the God of salvation. Strength and fear cannot be associated; rather, fear is associated with weakness. In verse 4, God said, “Be strong, fear not." And then he said, "Behold, your God will come." Even the mighty become weak if they submit to fear. When you fear, you cannot be strong (when you fear, then you cannot use the weapon in your arsenal). At that moment, when you surrender to fear, you will be unable to see the God of salvation. To see victory in your life, you must conquer fear. And when you overcome fear, then you have "made level paths for your feet," so that the hands, which were weak, will become firm and the feeble and tottering knees will be strengthened (see Heb. 12:12).
The aim of the spirit of fear is to advance and stand before you and the glory of the LORD—for the devil knows that when you see Yahweh’s glory, then you will behold His Majesty and splendour and witness the excellence of the LORD, our od. The enemy knows that when you behold the King, you will blossom abundantly and rejoice even with joy and singing.
When God gave His warning to Israel through Prophet Isaiah, it was with a call to trust the LORD. The prophet records it this way: The Lord spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of these people. He said, "Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The Lord Almighty is the One you are to regard as holy; He is the One you are to fear; He is the One you are to dread; and He will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel, He will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem, he will be a trap and a snare. Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be broken; they will be snared and captured." Isaiah 8:11–15 NIV
The word conspiracy here stands for confederacy, which is a league or alliance (see it in the King James Version). In the time of battle, as in every other aspect of life, Israel had to depend only on THE LORD OF HOSTS, because He is THE LORD of Heaven's Armies—THE HOLY ONE of Israel.
Don't live in dread of what frightens the world! Reference The LORD—He is the One you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble. He will keep you safe. Fear GOD! Wait for the LORD, and you will behold the glory of Adonai. He says, So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My Righteous Right Hand. Isaiah 41:10 NIV
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. Verse 13
But now, this is what the Lord says—He Who created you, O Jacob, He Who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. Isaiah 43:1-3 NIV
When we properly fear the Lord, all evil will be afraid of us because of the Spirit of God in us. The fear of the LORD shuns evil (Job 28:28). Through the fear of the LORD, a man avoids evil (Prov. 16:6). The LORD delights in those who fear Him (Psa. 147:11). The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Psa. 111:10) and the beginning of knowledge of the Holy One (Prov. 9:10; 1:7). The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom (Prov. 15:33). The fear of the LORD is pure (Psa. 19:9). The fear of the LORD adds length to life (Prov. 10:27). The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life (Prov. 14:27). The fear of the LORD leads to life (Prov. 19:23).
The fear of the LORD is the key to heaven's treasures (Isa. 33:6).