Faith & Fear Part 1 - 2 Timothy 1:7
2 Timothy 1:7 - For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.1
Psychologists define fears and anxieties as, ‘what a person experiences when faced with an event that they cannot control or predict or that which seems threatening or dangerous. Fear is a reaction to a perception of immediate danger that is characterized by a strong desire to escape the situation.’2
It’s not so much that fear is a sin. Fear is not the problem; it’s how we respond to it. As that great theologian Pastor Dave Berry says: “All of us are born with a set of instinctive fears: of falling, of the dark, of lobsters, of falling on lobsters in the dark, of speaking before a Rotary Club, and of the words: ‘some assembly required.’”
Romans 8:15 - For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”3
During the Gulf War of 1991, Iraq launched a series of Scud missile attacks against Israel. Many Israeli citizens died as a result of these attacks. After the war was over, Israeli scientists analyzed the official mortality statistics and found something remarkable. Although the death rate had jumped among Israeli citizens on the first day of the Iraqi attacks, the vast majority of them did not die from any direct physical effects of the missiles. They died from heart failure brought on by fear and stress associated with the bombardment.
After the first Iraqi strike turned out to be less cataclysmic than feared, levels of stress declined markedly. As in other wars, the people adapted to the situation with surprising speed. Then as the fear and anxiety subsided, the death rate also declined. There were 17 further Iraqi missile attacks over the following weeks, but Israeli mortality figures over this period were no higher than average.
It was fear and the psychological impact of the missiles, not the physical impact, that claimed the majority of victims.4
Too many times it is fear that incapacitates us. It’s fear that keeps us from realizing our full potential. Not lack of skill, not lack of opportunity, not lack of money or influence. It’s fear and the paralyzing grip that it gets on us that threatens to keep people from trusting and obeying God.
Matthew 14:26 - When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. 5
Depending on your translation, there are approximately 366 verses with the phrase “fear not” in them.
Fear usually comes when there is an element of risk. How we respond to the fear is determined by if we are willing to take the risk or not – Are we willing to pay the price for success or failure?
Too often, we aren’t willing to pay the price. The risks SEEM too big.
There is, however, a price to pay for not taking the risk. Susan Jeffers puts it like this: “Pushing through fear is less frightening than living with the underlying fear that comes from a feeling of helplessness.”6
Consider the cost of living in fear:
1. Loss of Self-Esteem
“The American Psychological Association published a book a few years ago that summarized all the research that has been done in recent years on self-esteem. They looked at a basic paradox: Why are there so many people lacking in self-esteem who have many reasons to have high self-esteem? They accomplish many things – they are gifted, attractive, and well liked – yet struggle with self-esteem. Even people who accomplished a great deal and are apparently successful are often prone to feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy. Not only that, many people who receive much affirmation and admiration from significant others tend to disbelieve it and wrestle with self-esteem all the same.
All research suggests that self-esteem largely boils down to one issue: When you face a difficult situation, do you approach it, take action, and face it head on, or do you avoid it, wimp out, and run and hide?”7
One possible solution to begin to win this battle is for us to give ourselves permission to fail.
2. Loss of Destiny
If you live in fear, you will never experience the potential that God has placed in you. As I have already said, fear usually comes when there is an element of risk. It’s the pushing past that risk that promotes growth.
Too many people never step out on faith and consequently never experience walking on water because they just aren’t willing to take the risk.
3. Loss of Joy
There’s no way around it. Fear kills joy. Living in fear, worry or anxiety will destroy your joy.
Too often those who are caught on the grip of fear play the “what if” game.
What if something bad happens? What if this doesn’t work?
What if I fail? What if...What if…What if?
4. Loss of Authentic Intimacy
Fear and hiding seem to go hand in hand. Too often our biggest fear is that others might see the “real me”. Fear is usually translated – weakness. The last thing we want is to get in a position of vulnerability and let others see our weaknesses.
“I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” – Adam
In the church, we MUST cultivate an acceptance of others regardless of performance. We must give others permission to fail.
5. Loss of Availability to God
The paralyzing grip that fear has on us will cloud our vision. When we are in bondage to fear, we have a hard time hearing and responding to God. We most likely don’t want to have anything to do with Him. We can’t see the freedom and life that He offers because we are so distracted and deceived by our fear.
“According to our nation’s Bureau of Standards, a dense fog covering seven city blocks to a depth of a hundred feet contains less than one glass of water. All of that fog, if it could be condensed into water, wouldn’t quite fill a drinking glass. Compare this to the things we often worry about. Like fog our worries can thoroughly block our vision of the light of God’s promises, but the fact is, they have little substance to them.”8
So how do we break free of the grip of fear?
1. Plugging into God’s power.
Develop a positive and active faith.
Faith can be described in these two words, assurance and certainty.
Faith is believing in God’s character -- He is who He says He is.
Faith is believing in God’s power -- He can do what He says He will do.
Faith is believing in God’s promises -- He will do what He says He will do.
Ephesians 3:16-21
2. Being loved in order to love.
1 John 4:18 – …perfect love expels all fear.9
3. Exercise self-discipline.
The Discipline of Honesty - 2 Corinthians 10:5 – “…we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”10
The Discipline of The Word – Refuse to allow your circumstances to define your identity.
Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 11
Jeremiah 23:29 - “Is not my word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? 12
2 Timothy 3:16, 17 - All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.13
Psalm 1, 19, 119
The Discipline of Community - Hebrews 10:23-25
Psalm 23
1Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.
2 John Ortberg, If You Want To Walk On Water, You’ve Got To Get Out Of The Boat, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 2001.
3The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
4 Citation: Paul Martin, The Sickening Mind (Harper Collins, 1997), pp. 3-4; submitted by David Holdaway, Kincardinshire, Scotland
5The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
6 John Ortberg, If You Want To Walk On Water, You’ve Got To Get Out Of The Boat, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 2001.
7 John Ortberg, If You Want To Walk On Water, You’ve Got To Get Out Of The Boat, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 2001.
8 Citation: Brian Heckber, Southeast Christian Church
9Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.
10The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
11The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
12The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
13The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.
