FEAR FACTOR
Scriptures: II Timothy 1:1-12, Psalm 27
INTRODUCTION
Fobia= from Greek phobos =fear
Definition: a persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that leads to a compelling desire to avoid it.
Many types of fobias/ fears:
a. Normal/ healthy fears: For example, running for cover during a tornado is a demonstration of a healthy fear. Walking carefully on a narrow sidewalk, walking carefully on a sidewalk covered with ice/ snow, fear of death.
As humans, God has given us both healthy and holy fears as gifts. Fear is both productive and protective. It will cause us to lock our doors at night and to keep check on our cholesterol. God has given us fear to help keep us alive and safe.
b. Imaginary fears: Fear of losing a job, fear of sickness, fear of future
c. Fears created by the present culture/ technology:
Nomofobia: No mobile phone fobia
Aviophobia or Aviatophobia- Fear of flying
A list of 1000s of phobias is available online at www.fobialist.com
d. Good fear: The Bible teaches us to fear the Lord. This is not a reference to the “spirit of fear” but to the spirit of worship (Matt. 10:28). The one who fears God the most, loves Him the best (Prov. 1:7). The fear of the Lord is a clean fear, not a filthy fear (Ps. 19:9; 89:7). Godly fear is holy. God is awesome, not awful!
Considering the recent terrorist attacks, the recent wars, economic recessions and slow recoveries, and the general uncertainties about daily living, Americans are now more fearful about the future than ever. Some are now fighting an inner psychological war. They have lost their sense of security. In a Business Week article (April 19, 2003), it was stated that more than seventy percent of all Americans are now worried about their future.
It seems that millions of people have allowed a “spirit of fear” to grip their lives. Jesus spoke of the last days and described men as having “hearts failing them because of fear” (Luke 21:26).
We need to remember that the ultimate terrorist is Satan himself. In Isaiah 14:12-17, the prophet describes the rise and fall of Satan. It was pride that made Satan the devil. Yet, the ultimate weapon of Satan is terror and fear. He went from the highest of the high to the lowest of the low. In the end, a person has to squint to see him. Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy. The way he keeps his slaves in tow is through the chief weapon of terror.
Yet, God commands us not to be terrorized by our adversaries (Phil. 1:28). Just as God will bring down Satan, He will also bring down the terrorists of our day.
Why would God command us not to be terrified if it is impossible to overcome terror? Terrorist want to keep us in terror. The Word of God has commanded us not to cooperate with the terrorists.
Normal fears are healthy. Yet, the “spirit of fear” is like a cold front that comes in and never leaves. Everyday is cold, dreary and dark. A normal fear is like a thunder storm that serves a purpose then leaves, but the “spirit of fear” is like a fog that never lifts.
How does one take the fear out of terrorism? How does one have peace of mind in a chaotic world?
In 2 Timothy 1:6-8, the Word of God gives the steps for taking terror out terrorism and fear out of our future.
I. THE HOLY SPIRIT ENERGIZES US WITH POWER (2 Tim. 1:8a)
Psalm 27:1
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear”? The person who can kneel before God can stand before anybody? No one compares to our awesome God!
We become weak and terrorized when we think we are inferior and that a greater force is coming against us. But, when we recognize we are on the side of God’s might and power, then we do not have to be afraid.
The Apostle Paul went on to say to Timothy that he was not afraid to die. He said, “I know who I believe.” He did not say, “I know what I believe.” He did not say, “I know why I believe.”
He did not say, “I know in Whom I have believed.” There was no preposition between Paul and Christ. He said, “I know Who I believe and I am persuaded that He will keep that which I have committed unto him” (1 Tim.1:9-12).The Apostle Paul did not write his inspirational words from an air conditioned room. He wrote them from prison while under the sentence of beheading. He found himself in a dirty, dank dungeon. Yet, even though others feared for their lives, Paul was free because of his proper perspective about his life and times. A number of years ago, I visited the very dungeon in Rome where Paul wrote these most astonishing words.
It is one thing to write out sermon notes; it is another to know God personally and to be persuaded that He is in charge of our lives. We need a firm grip on God. We must not doubt our beliefs nor believe our doubts. Once we have come face to face with God, we come to the place where we learn to doubt our doubts and to believe our beliefs!
People panic when their confidence is in the wrong place or person. Would you rather have a warehouse of stale bread or a Father who owns a bakery? “I know whom I have believed!”
II. THE HOLY SPIRIT ENRICHES US WITH LOVE (2 Tim. 1:8b)
God gives us love in the midst of terror. Love is a mighty force for overcoming fear. If the terrorists can make us fearful, then they have won. If the terrorists can make us hate, then they have been successful. Jesus taught us to love our enemies (Matt. 5:44). While Jesus was being nailed to the Cross, He was prayerful and forgiving of those who sin against Him.
We need to remember who is really behind all the terror in the world. The terrorists, though hateful, are simply pawns in the hands of Satan. We must love our enemies through Christ, so they will see the love of Christ constraining us to reach out to them. Will there be justice? Absolutely! Will their empire of tyranny be brought down? Most definitely! God will see to it that there is justice, and He often uses governments to accomplish His will. We need to allow God to be responsible for raising up and bringing down governments. He knows what is best for Christians, in particular, and the world in general.
When fear comes our way, we have the tendency to shield and protect ourselves. However, one of the most liberating ways to overcome the fear of our enemies is to be baptized in God’s love. The question is not, “Am I brave enough?” The question is, “Am I able to love enough?” While love looks for opportunities to give to others, fear causes one to look for ways to hide. Love focuses on today. Fear focuses on tomorrow. Love is the expression of a trusting Christian. Fear is the expression of doubt and the lack of love. We are in the world, but not of the world. We are not like our enemies, but are trying to win them to Christ. These are days of great opportunity to reach out to others and to show them the love of Jesus.
You may say, “I do not have what it takes to overcome fear and to love others.” Then, you are near to victory. When we realize that we cannot do this alone, then we will better understand the meaning of “the love of God is shed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5). Just look at Jesus on the cross. He it did curse his assassins, he prayed,” Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” This is the kind of love that God desires for us to have for a fallen world.
1 John 4:18
"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."
III. THE HOLY SPIRIT ENLIGHTENS US WITH A SOUND MIND (2 Tim. 1:8c)
A person of a “sound mind” is one that is disciplined, under control and cannot be stampeded.
II Timothy 1:7
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
Romans 8:15
"For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
The spirit of bondage to sin comes from the Devil, which leads people to sinful living. Where there is a spirit of bondage rules, fear is the natural outcome.
Once a person has the “spirit of fear” he/she is not only afraid of the thing that originally caused the terror, but becomes afraid of other things (Prov. 28:1). People have the “spirit of fear” if they are fleeing even though no one is chasing them.
The late, renowned pastor of the Metropolitan Church in London, England, Charles Haddon Spurgen said: “It is impossible for any ill to happen to those who are loved of the Lord. The most crushing calamities can only shorten his journey and hasten him to his reward. Ill to him is no ill. Losses enrich him. Sickness is his medicine. Reproach is his honor. Death is his gain. No evil in the strict sense of the word can happen to him. For everything is overruled for good. Happy is he that is in such a case. He is secure while others are in peril. He lives where others die.”
King David wrote, “Though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil” (Ps. 23:4). It is possible to walk in deathly places and not be filled with fear. We are able to keep moving forward when we realize “whose” we are and “where” we are in life. Psalm 23 is a “valley Psalm” that is nestled between two pivotal mountains. In Psalm 22, we read about Mount Calvary; in Psalm 24, about Mount Zion. Psalm 22 represents the blood-covered mountain where Jesus died for our sins. Psalm 24 is the mountain where Christ will descend and then establish His millennial kingdom. On the one side of Psalm 23 is the first coming of Christ; on the other side of Psalm 24 is the second coming of Christ.
It is amazing to me that Christians want to go to heaven, but do not want to die in order to get there. For the Christian, death is simply a gateway to glory and a valley that leads to everlasting life. Death is not to be feared, but ultimately welcomed.
As we fight the good fight of faith, we live between the death of Christ and the reign of Christ, between the first and second comings of Christ. While we are presently in a valley that is filled with anxiety, we must keep our eyes of faith on the mountains around us. We need to remember, “my God is with us.”
CONCLUSION
We must never lose hope in our God in the midst of societal upheavals. There are only two places where there is no hope: there is none in hell and none is needed in heaven. Today, we can take comfort in the biblical promises of God. How does one take terror out of terrorism? We overcome the spirit of fear through the Holy Spirit energizing us with power, enriching us with love, and enlightening us with a sound mind.
Psalm 56:3
David said, "Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You."
Psalm 91:5
"You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day"
Psalm 34:4
I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.
