The Physiology Of Faith - Class 6 Series

XI. THE FEAR FACTOR

“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." (Isa 12:2)

A. One of the greatest truths of Christianity is God's promise to always be with us.

Yet, this is the one truth we know but fail to believe! When the storms of life come, when you are frightened or overwhelmed, fear will most often be the first response. Fear is one of the devil's greatest tools to destroy unbelievers and believers. It has been said that faith is the currency of Heaven, and fear is the currency of Hell. Jesus asked the question; "Why are ye fearful?" (Matt.8:26)

1. The Greek word for "fear" is ‘phobia.’

There are over 600 different kinds of phobias. (See Appendix) The fear of losing one’s job, not advancing in business, family, friends, wealth, career, growing old, dying, death, health, nuclear war, the future, failure, rejection, spiders and insects, evil people, being alone, punishment, animals, water, (to name a few) have left many people troubled, worried, restless, anxious, and perplexed.

2. Fear is, first and foremost, a God-given emotion that prepares your body and mind to deal with life's challenges.

It is a feeling of anxiety and agitation caused by the presence of real or imagined danger, evil, or pain from memories of traumatic experiences. Fear is not a disease; it is a process of thinking. While your body's chemistry is set up to react to potential danger, unfounded or irrational fears are something you allow to happen.

3. The average person thinks 60,000 thoughts daily; over 95% of those are the same ones you had yesterday.

Thoughts are wholly made up in the mind, and while the experience feels real, it is a false perception.

4. Many are held as prisoners because of fear!

Job cried out, "The thing which I greatly feared is come upon me." (3:25) NIV. As a result, we try to take precautions to protect ourselves. We buy insurance policies to cover those things we consider valuable. We put bars on our windows and doors. We buy alarm systems to protect our automobiles. We buy deadly weapons for security.

5. Fear can be an intimidator.

It causes you to worry, fret, and be anxious. It can rob you of confidence and faith. Jesus said that men’s hearts would fail them because of fear. (Luke 21:26) Fear can consume your thoughts and keep you from getting anything done. It brings confusion and can lead you to sin. It can cause you to hide, keeping you from interacting and loving others. It can keep you away from having intimacy with God and serving Him. It can open a door for the enemy to take a stronghold that can cause many physical, emotional, and spiritual problems. (See Genesis 3)

B. Types of Fear

People can have a fear of just about anything. Listed below are some of the common fears:

1. Animals: snakes, rats, mice

2. Atmosphere: dark, shadowy, gloomy, foreboding, being alone, strange or unknown setting. Authority figures: being told what to do, being embarrassed

3. Disaster: fire, hurricane, tornado, lightening, losing a job or being fired, injury or pain (self or others), death (self or others), losing security and financial stability

4. Events: nuclear holocaust, war, crime, riots, terrorist attacks

5. Family member: getting ill, being lost, running away

6. Feelings about oneself: feeling guilty, ``not being good enough'', being unstable or crazy, being held accountable, being pressured to produce, explaining your behavior, being exposed for the weaknesses or failures in your past, being useless or unwanted.

7. Guilty Fear can be both real and imagined. When you have done something immoral, unethical, or illegal, you are supposed to feel guilty, just as Adam did in the garden after eating the forbidden fruit.

8. Illogical fear is fear when there is no basis for fear. Proverbs 28:1 says: “The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.” This type of fear can torture, destroy and debilitate you when there is nothing to fear.

9. Objects: guns, knives, computers

10. Paralyzing fear can make a person incapable of doing what he should, just as the Israelites were terrified to leave Egypt (Ex 13 & 14). It can keep you from doing the things you should do

11. People: men or women, strangers, homosexuals, making problems or trouble for others, feeling over-responsible, not doing enough for others, losing others

12. Places: school, church, crowds, planes, or enclosed places heights above or below ground

13. Protective fear is the fear of real danger and can be a very healthy emotion because it can keep you alive by causing you to take the appropriate and necessary caution. It helps you avoid dangerous situations, such as driving too fast, jaywalking in heavy traffic, respecting electricity, turning the gas off when you smell a leak, etc.