Has anyone listening today ever been scared? I mean literally paralyzed by fear – unable to take another step?
I have suffered most of my life with a severe fear of heights. One particular incident I will never forget is when I went to the University of Las Vegas to recruit engineers for Bechtel, where I worked as an engineering manager. Our son, Dan, was attending UNLV at the time.
Now the Luxor Hotel and Casino had just opened, and it was available for the public to tour for a short time. So, Dan invited me to go with him on a ride up the inclinator, which was an elevator on about a 30-degree incline. So, we went to the 34 floor.
When you exit the inclinator, you could walk about 10 feet to a clear, lucite enclosed platform, which allowed you to look over the edge and see 34 floors straight down … with nothing under you.
Dan quickly walked over to the edge and was excited about looking over the edge.
Then, he turned around to see me … down on my hands and knees, still dressed in my coat and tie from recruiting that day. I had broken out in a cold sweat.
I was desperately trying hard to get to the edge to take a quick glance over the edge. His only comment was “Dad, what the heck are you doing?” Long story short, I never made it to the edge. Fear can definitely have a dramatic effect on a person’s life.
Well, we are all in luck today because we begin a 4-week series titled “Fear Not”. Perhaps it is surprising for some of you to learn that the Bible has a LOT to say about fear, as we shall see over the next 4-weeks.
In fact, the command, “Fear Not” appears in one-form-or-another 365 times from Genesis to Revelation. It is specifically given to dozens of different individuals and groups in a variety of circumstances.
It is abundantly clear that God does not want His people to FEAR in the face of adversity or decision. To put it another way, God has given us a different “FEAR NOT” encouragement for every single day of the year.
With such a clear daily prescription from our creator, why do we so often respond with literal fear? Why do we choose to live in fear? And what can we do about this circumstance of fear?
We are going to address the topics of Unhealthy and Healthy Fear today, which we can generally define as follows…
Unhealthy Fear is when we choose to respond to circumstances in a typical cultural way, which ignores the fact that a Christian has God on his/her side.
Whereas, Healthy Fear is a response to a dangerous situation where common sense helps us take an action to avoid a bad circumstance.
So today, we are going to explore Paul’s advice to Timothy from his second letter to him…
“…God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7
Paul says God does NOT give us fear. So, where does fear come from? We have also been taught that the beginning of wisdom starts with the fear of the Lord, so what does that mean?
As we start addressing these questions, I am going to start with one important fact, and that is there is both Unhealthy and Healthy fear.
Understanding the difference could protect you from danger, perhaps even save your life, and understanding the difference will certainly help you follow God’s command to “Fear Not”.
So, first, let’s take a look at Unhealthy Fear
Unhealthy fear is when we choose to respond to circumstances in a typical cultural way, which ignores the fact that a Christian has God on his/her side.
Unhealthy fear can paralyze and stagnate you, and this is not God’s plan for you.
As Paul explained in 2 Timothy 1:7, “God did NOT GIVE us a spirit of fear. God gave us a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”
Our journey through life is often called a process of sanctification, which is being made holy or becoming more Christ-like. Sanctification is described frequently throughout the New Testament. For example, in his first letter to the church at Thessalonica Paul says…
“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified…”
1 Thessalonians 4:3
And in his letter to the church in Jerusalem, James says…
“Consider it pure joy … when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James 1:2-4
God wants us to persevere, to finish the race so that we will be mature and complete, not LACKING anything. But we need to recognize that the process of living has many potential problems and obstacles that INCITE fear in our lives.
Early church members faced all kinds of ridicule and persecution, which often led to their death. Nowadays, I can’t say that we fear death in our country, but the potential is there to experience ridicule, bullying, and even ostracizing because of your faith in Christ.
Oh, and don’t forget that your allegiance to Christ makes you an enemy of the Prince of this world … Satan. There are powers and principalities, spiritual wickedness that opposes your faith. It is in the face of both earthly and eternal enemies that the Lord would remind us to “Fear Not”.
In fact, Jesus says in Matthew 5…
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12
Unhealthy Fear can ROB you of joy and PARALYZE you from moving forward to become all that God has called you to be. Instead of a spirit of fear, Paul said you have been given a spirit of power, a spirit of love, and a spirit of self-discipline. Let’s take a moment to look at those three key concepts, and how they can help to strengthen your faith and allow you to …
“Fear Not.”
But as we begin, make a note that unhealthy fear’s proper place is in the hands of the same almighty God, who has given us STRENGTH through his son Jesus to be FREE from the grip of unrighteous fear or unhealthy fear.
We’ll talk more about this next week, but first let’s consider that we have been GIVEN a Spirit of Power
What I am about to tell you is some of the most exciting and important news that a believer can receive. The same word that Paul uses to encourage Timothy is also the word that Jesus used in Acts 1:8, when He said…
“And you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” Acts 1:8
The key is … that kind of power leaves NO ROOM for fear or doubt. When a believer has the Holy Spirit working in and through them, there is nothing that CANNOT be accomplished in accordance with the will of God.
Not to mention…
“…if the Spirit … is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.” Romans 8:11
If you are experiencing UNHEALTHY FEAR that is hindering your walk with Christ, then you need to check yourself, and remember that you were GIVEN A SPIRIT OF POWER … a miracle working, death-defying, grave robbing power in Christ to do all things in accordance with the will of God.
The second key word or concept Paul used was a Spirit of Love.
The book of 1 John uses the same word that Paul uses when he tells Timothy that he has a spirit of love. John wrote…
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…”
When we walk in a spirit of love, as Christ did, unhealthy fear is hard to accept … in fact, it is DRIVEN far away from us. Jesus walked to the cross in a spirit of love, and we can assume that he walked out of the grave in the same spirit of love.
Don’t forget, this is the same spirit that is alive in you today since your Baptism. The next time you sense fear, or any of its associates like anxiety, worry, or doubt, then take a quick inventory of yourself to make sure you’re walking in a spirit of love. Obviously, we are talking about agape love (or sacrificial love) here.
So far, we have heard that with the Spirit of Power there is nothing that we cannot accomplish in accordance with the will of God. Then, with the Spirit of Love, we see that there is NO FEAR in love. In fact, perfect love drives out fear.
Now the third and final key concept that Paul used was the Spirit of Self-Discipline.
How many here today struggle with self-discipline? I can tell you that you are in good company, but I can also tell you that I have some good news to share with you.
We all realize that it takes a lot of discipline to recognize fear and then deal with it appropriately. We see this today as our country attempts to deal with the COVID 19 pandemic.
To mask, not to mask,
social distance or hug your neighbor who just lost a spouse, wash your hands frequently or use hand sanitizer,
stay home or go out,
stay home or go to church, and the list goes on and on.
We are working so hard to determine what is best for us and for our families. I wish there was a one-size fits all solution. But this I do know … God WAS, IS and always WILL BE in control.
I believe the issue is this, living in fear is not the life God has in mind for you in Christ. Paul wrapped up his encouragement to Timothy by reminding Timothy that he has been given a spirit of self-discipline along with the spirit of power and love.
Discipline is an imperative ingredient in the process of sanctification … in the process of becoming holy and more Christ-like. We need discipline to both (1) take the necessary time to accurately diagnose the fear we are experiencing, and then (2) we need even more discipline to deal with it.
Isn’t it just like God though to give us exactly what we need? He knew that all three key ingredients would be necessary to deal with fear this side of heaven.
And for all of us who struggle with self-discipline, don’t forget that this is an area where you have been given power through the Holy Spirit to assure victory.
Now let’s transition to Healthy Fear, which we previously said is a response to a dangerous situation where common sense will help us take an action to avoid a bad circumstance Healthy Fear
Healthy fear can protect you from dangerous circumstances. We teach our children about danger and how to avoid it … hot things may burn them, eating nasty things can make them sick, hold my hand so I can keep you safe.
Let’s pretend for a moment that you’re hiking in the woods, and you come upon a momma bear and her three cubs. What would you do?
Would you share some of your go-to Bible verses with the bears and keep walking, or should you slowly back away, turn, and run like a cheetah across the African plains back to safety?
Healthy fear can heighten and sharpen your senses, which in many situations is a great benefit. There is ample evidence that a person’s internal FIGHT or FLIGHT mechanism is simply a natural response to harmful situations … like coming in contact with wild animals, or seeing a tornado coming or sensing an avalanche.
Whether you call it fear, or maybe just common sense, there is a healthy fear in life that can be a beneficial thing to recognize. I have many HEALTHY FEARS. For example, when Naomi and I target shoot or hunt wild hogs, I can tell you that I have a HEALTHY FEAR of a gun discharging accidently when it is pointed in a wrong direction. I am obnoxious about gun safety.
I also have a healthy fear of deep water since I DO NOT swim. I wear a life jacket, or I stay in the kiddie pool.
It is also important to note that as followers of Christ, to have a HEALTHY FEAR of the Lord is not only beneficial, it is biblical. Let’s look at a few verses here to frame this idea…
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…” Proverbs 1:7
The Hebrew word for “fear” here means reverence or honor or respect, which is important as we consider a healthy posture towards the Lord. It is good and right to hold Him in a place of awe and reverence.
David says, “…in reverence I will bow down…” Psalm 5:7
Solomon added, “… the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Proverbs 9:10
Divine reverence brings godly understanding. What an amazing gift. Interestingly, Godly fear and reverence are fundamentally about acknowledging the proper place of God as the divine creator and sustainer of all of creation.
As we conclude, we need to recognize just how DESTRUCTIVE Unhealthy Fear can be in our lives. That is precisely why Paul teaches us that we need the Holy Spirit’s power, love, and self-discipline to help us OVERCOME it.
We desperately need the self-discipline to check ourselves throughout the day. We need discipline to form new habits in identifying healthy fear from unhealthy fear, and we need abundant power and love in all our responses.
This week the challenge for us is straightforward. When you feel fear, take time to identify whether it is a healthy or unhealthy.
However, if you encounter a momma bear in the woods, I would suggest you don’t take too long trying to figure that out, just run.
On the flipside, when you recognize unhealthy fear, you can pray for the Lord to keep you walking in a spirit of power and love all the while trusting that through the Holy Spirit you can experience a breakthrough in the area of self-discipline.
Learning to diagnose fear is an important step in dealing with it. And learning to deal with it will help you keep moving down the path God has laid out for your life. AMEN
Next week we will discuss the fact that Fear has a proper place and that place is in the hands of God. Many of us don’t ever stop to think about how we hold onto fear (and anxiety) throughout the day instead of immediately giving it all back to God. We will see that it is possible to live free from fear and anxiety.