Fear Not!

Fear is one of the great enemies of mankind. At the end of the age, Jesus described men’s hearts failing them due to fear. I find it interesting that heart disease is one of the leading killers of men and women today, confirming what Jesus said 2000 years ago. That fact also shows us we have an issue with fear. And yet, it seems like the business of selling fear has grown. People seem to thrive on the rush of fear factors. Is it possible that we’ve become too accustomed to being afraid in a culture addicted to fear? And, if so, what can we do to break our own addiction to fear? That’s what I’d like to talk about in this post.

Fear sells, even among believers. It seems believers flock to fear based end times teachings predicting the end of all things. Best selling authors promote that addiction to fear based teaching predicated on failed predictions of future disasters…and it seems the Church loves to have it so. Even pastors, who should be the stalwarts of the Church can become promoters of fear based teachings that lead the Church deeper into fear. What happened to those teaching believers to not be afraid? Shouldn’t we preach messages that inspire faith, hope, and love?

The gospel is good news. The gospel liberates, it doesn’t subjugate. Fear based teaching leads those who follow it into a place of bondage. But faith based teaching breaks the chains of bondage, especially the addition to fear. The Church is meant to be a place where we become free from fear, are inspired to love, and live in a perpetual state of hope. God is calling His Church out of the place of fear and into the place of faith. And leaders within the Church should move away from the fear based teachings providing a temporary bump in numbers for the greater blessings of a fearless Church.

The Apostle Paul had much to say about fear. Nearly all God’s prophets called His people out of the place of fear. King David summed it up in his most famous psalm, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me”. Ps. 23:4. While still a shepherd boy, who had been anointed by the prophet Samuel, future king David understood that he was to lead God’s people, His sheep, out of the place of fear. Like the prophet Isaiah, he knew his message to God’s people was to “Fear not, for I am with you”.

That’s the message we desperately need to hear in our day. God is calling His leaders to bring messages that inspire faith and break the chains of fear. Fear is and always has been the tool of the devil to bring men and women into bondage. Jesus, on the other hand delivers us from all fear, especially the fear of death: “And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Heb. 2:15. So, fear has no place in the Church or in the life of the believer. No! We were made free from fear by the love of the Father.

Yes, know the Father’s love frees us from all fear, as the Apostle John teaches us, for fear has torment. 1 Jn. 4:18. That’s right! All fear based teaching springs from hell and is designed to keep us in the place of torment. That’s why we should have nothing to do with fear based teachings. Rather teachings that lead us into God’s perfect love cast out all fear based, control driven teachings that bring us into bondage. Every leader who uses fear based teachings to bring people under their control are being used by a spirit of fear. It’s not God! Nor is it godly.

The preoccupation the Church has with the devil is rooted in the demonic. Jesus taught His apostles a simple, yet powerful truth: “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” Lk. 10:19, NIV. Let that truth sink in. Right now, you have authority over the devil. It doesn’t matter what the size of the devil is — big or small, principality or power or ruler of the darkness of this world. No matter the size of the devil, it must and will yield to the authority of any believer — whether apostle or prophet or pastor or evangelist or teacher or regular joe off the street believer.

The Church’s leaders once knew and taught that truth. Lester Sumrall didn’t wring his hands when witch doctors tried to curse him. No, he laughed. Smith Wigglesworth, who said the devil to him at night, said, “Oh! It’s just you.” And he went back to sleep. My good friend Burton Seavey would go to psychic fairs to pray and shut them down. John Paul Jackson went to those kinds of fairs to bring God’s prophetic word and liberate people from the darkness of Satan’s kingdom. Yes, we have a rich heritage of faith. Let’s remember who we are!

We have nothing to be afraid of. “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?”, Rom. 8:35, NLT, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Rom. 8:37, Christian Standard Bible. As the psalmist said, “we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea”. Ps. 46:2, NKJV.

So today, rather than caving in to fear, choose to do what Jesus said, “Have faith in God.” Mk. 11:22.

Let us pray!

— Scott Wallis