Breaking Free From Fear

In John 8:36 we read, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” We all desire abundant life, but if we are held in bondage then we are not experiencing true life; and one major thing that holds us captive is “fear.” Frank Herbert, in his Dune Chronicles, says that the “fear of death is the beginning of slavery.” He says that “every person is completely free at any time to take any action that is physically possible for them . . . The reason this is not true in practice is because of fear.”

Herbert says, for example, that “office workers fear they will lose their jobs and ultimately, their means to support themselves. Soldiers fear punishment, [and] slaves fear death. [He postulates that] ultimately, it is fear itself that is the captor . . . A person who can overcome his or her fear of death cannot be coerced and is completely free, because death is always an option”(1) – such as with the slave who fears that his master will put him to death if he does not obey his master’s commands. If the slave does not fear death, then he is truly free, as death is another form of freedom.

Fear – especially the fear of death – can turn us into slaves living in bondage. This morning we will take a look at how the devil uses fear to rob us of our freedom and abundant life. He uses fear to seize us, take hold of us, and suck the life right out of us! American journalist Dorothy Thompson says, “Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live.” We will see this morning how, in order to have true life in the Lord, we must begin to walk in faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7), and that we must place our lives completely in God’s hands and face fear head on.

Hebrews 2:14-15

14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

To begin, I want to first of all focus on verses 14b-15 which tell us that Jesus came to destroy the devil – or the one who had the power of death and utilized the fear of death to enslave people and to subject them to bondage. We are seized and placed in bondage by fear. Mentioned here specifically is the fear of death, which I will address in a moment; but I want to first look at how fear enslaves us.

Isaiah 33:14 states, “The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness has seized the hypocrites.” Jeremiah 49:24a shares with us, “Damascus has grown feeble; she turns to flee, and fear has seized her.” The word “seized” can mean, “to take possession or control,” or “to capture [and] take into custody.”(2) Fear can halt us dead in our tracks, and it will capture and imprison us.

Allow me to share some quotes that reveal how fear leads to bondage: William Shakespeare said, “Fear can neither fight nor fly,”(3) revealing how fear can lead to emotional or spiritual paralysis. Aung San Suu Kyi, the 1991 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize,(4) said, “The only real prison is fear, and the only real freedom is freedom from fear.” In the movie Blade Runner (1982), the character Roy Batty said, “Quite an experience, to live in fear, isn’t it? That’s what it is to be a slave.”

When we fear we tend to hide, seeking security behind self-imposed walls, but the very walls we build to protect ourselves become the walls of our own prison. Helen Keller became blind and deaf after a childhood illness, but she did not allow this to crush her spirit. She later became an activist for social equality and reform. Listen to something she said: “Security is mostly superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” We have a choice. Lay hold of true life or live in the bondage of fear. Keep in mind Romans 8:15a, which says, “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption . . .” – or the Holy Spirit.

1 John 4:18 says that, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” If we abide in God and His love, then there is true peace and security. If we are living in fear then we are living apart from trusting God. We are telling God that we do not trust Him with our lives, and we then try to take our lives into our own hands. The problem with trying to assume full responsibility for our life’s course is that this task is too big for us and we crack under the pressure.