Isaiah 41:10, NKJV
It has been said, there are “365
‘fear nots’ in the Bible.” Though there are many “fear nots” in God’s Word,
e.g. Isaiah 41:10; 35:4; Daniel 10:19; Jeremiah 10:17, etc., Satan, the Enemy
of our souls, delights in using fear to cripple us. However, we don’t have to
succumb to it. The Lord tells us, “Fear
not, for I am with you…,” because He knows there are many kinds of fears we
face in this life.
Whereas some may fear snakes or storms, others are afraid of flying or facing the unknown. One of my fears is jumping from high altitudes. Though I have not had an opportunity to do so yet, I have attempted jumping from a tree. One time, some international friends and I were at a campsite playing some outdoor games. One of events, intended for building trust, was climbing up a tree and going for a free-fall and letting your friends catch you. That was a tough one for me, even though it was just jumping from a tree branch approximately ten feet up. After contemplating for a while, I decided to go for it. Of course, I was still afraid even as I stood on one of the tree limbs ready to face my challenge of the day. However, as soon as I jumped off the tree, my fear vanished.
Whereas some may fear snakes or storms, others are afraid of flying or facing the unknown. One of my fears is jumping from high altitudes. Though I have not had an opportunity to do so yet, I have attempted jumping from a tree. One time, some international friends and I were at a campsite playing some outdoor games. One of events, intended for building trust, was climbing up a tree and going for a free-fall and letting your friends catch you. That was a tough one for me, even though it was just jumping from a tree branch approximately ten feet up. After contemplating for a while, I decided to go for it. Of course, I was still afraid even as I stood on one of the tree limbs ready to face my challenge of the day. However, as soon as I jumped off the tree, my fear vanished.
The experience
of jumping off a tree proved to be safe and secure and taught me an important
lesson: “Faith overcomes fear!” To
demonstrate my faith, I had to trust that those many friendly and strong arms
below could catch my heavy-set body and not let me fall on the ground. The
Charles Stanley Life Principles Bible gives this commentary to the phrase, “Do
not fear, for I am with you,” (taken from Isaiah 41:10):
“At some point, each of us will face circumstances that cause
anxiety. When we do, we must remember we are God’s children. We have power to
overcome fear when we apply His Word to our lives—remembering that He is always
with us and He will never fail or forsake us.”
Fearful situations cause some
anxiety and to overcome them, we must choose to have faith instead of
surrendering to them. To develop faith
that eliminates anxiety, every Christ-follower needs an intake of God’s Word through
reading or hearing it daily (cf. Romans 10:17). When David faced Goliath, he did not do it in
his own strength for the two were no match to each other. Instead, David faced
him with faith in the power of the Lord. He recalled that God had delivered
him from the lion and the bear and he believed that He could deliver him from
this giant of a man that everybody in Israel dreaded.
As David came face to face with
Goliath, we also encounter our “Goliaths.” At such times, the devil would
rather keep us in his den of fear so we do not effectively execute God’s plan
or work with the power of the Holy Spirit. One of the best ways to defeat him
is to use “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17).
Consequently, the Word of God liberates us to do great exploits for Him without
any hindrance. Let us, therefore, learn
to retrieve the memorized Word of God which can create faith in us and thus
providing a haven for us from the devastating effects of fear.
To counteract any fear
encounter, we must trust God with all our hearts and not lean on our own
understanding (cf. Proverbs 3:5-6). For instance, when fear knocks at the
door, we must let faith answer the door. In other words, when we encounter
a fearful situation, we should not be anxious about it but rather trust the
Lord to handle it for us. A man of faith put it this way: “The beginning of
anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of
anxiety”—George Mueller.
“Let faith arise,” is an exhortation we find in Chris Tomlin’s song titled, “I Lift My Hands” (2011). It is also an important truth for conquering fear. Along with letting faith arise, we must fall in love with the Lord for “perfect love casts out all fear” (cf. I John 4:18). King David, “a man after God’s own heart,” faithfully prayed and he gave this testimony: “I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4, NIV). The sooner we also prayerfully identify our fears, the better off we will be in facing them by seeking God’s overcoming power. An Anglican prayer for dealing with fear goes like this: “Draw us into your love, Christ Jesus. Deliver us from fear.”
“Let faith arise,” is an exhortation we find in Chris Tomlin’s song titled, “I Lift My Hands” (2011). It is also an important truth for conquering fear. Along with letting faith arise, we must fall in love with the Lord for “perfect love casts out all fear” (cf. I John 4:18). King David, “a man after God’s own heart,” faithfully prayed and he gave this testimony: “I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4, NIV). The sooner we also prayerfully identify our fears, the better off we will be in facing them by seeking God’s overcoming power. An Anglican prayer for dealing with fear goes like this: “Draw us into your love, Christ Jesus. Deliver us from fear.”
Several songs especially those
linked with Scripture encourage us to overcome fear. May the following lyrics
of Tomlin’s song encourage you to deal with any fear you might have right now:
Be still, there is a healer
His love is deeper than the sea
His mercy, it is unfailing
His arms are a fortress for the weak
Let faith arise
Let faith arise
I lift my hands to believe again
You are my refuge, You are my strength
As I pour out my heart, these things I remember
You are faithful, God, forever
Be still, there is a river
That flows from Calvary's tree
A fountain for the thirsty
Pure grace that washes over me
So let faith arise
Let faith arise
Open my eyes
Open my eyes
I lift my hands to believe again
You are my refuge, You are my strength
As I pour out my heart, these things I remember
You are faithful, God
You are faithful, God, forever
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