Fear Not For I Am With You

I believe the greatest stronghold that people face on a daily bases is fear. This unfortunately includes many believers. Webster's Dictionary 1828 defined and describes fear in two way. The first, "a painful emotion or passion excited by an expectation of evil, or the apprehension of impending danger. Fear expresses less apprehension than dread, and dread less than terror and fright. The force of this passion, beginning with the most moderate degree, may be thus expressed, fear dread, terror, fright. fear is accompanied with a desire to avoid or ward off the expected evil. Fear is an uneasiness of mind, upon the thought of future evil likely to befall us." This may be considered normal for most yet, it is an unhealthy fear that promotes worry, anxiety, stress, depression, insomnia and can lead to constant health problems and even death.

The second type of fear defined and described by Webster's Dictionary 1828 is taken from scripture. "Fear is used to express a filial (respectful, affectionate) passion. In good men, the fear of God is a holy awe or reverence of God and his laws, which springs from a just view and real love of the divine character, leading the subjects of it to hate and shun every thing that can offend such a holy being, and inclining them to aim at perfect obedience." This type of fear is healthy and is able to withstand fear that comes with dread, terror and fright. The Holy Spirit revealed to David, "You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday." (Psalm 91:5-6) The Holy Spirit also reveals to Isaiah, "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)

However, for believers to escape the bondage of unhealthy fear, and live on this planet in the rest and freedom that Jesus has provided, they must stand firmly on these three things. First, we must know who we are in Christ; who Christ is in us and how the Father truly sees the believer. Second, we must stand, without wavering, on integrity of God's Word knowing that every Word of God "shall not return to Him void, but it shall accomplish what He pleases, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." Third, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." In other words, believers are to live by faith, "the just shall live by faith." (Romans 1:17) Believers are to live in the realm of faith, irregardless of the circumstances that oppose, knowing that our Heavenly Father is greater than all and that no one is able to snatch us out of the Father’s hand.

Keeping in mind that Jesus was every bit a human as you and I are, yet without sin, let's look at some aspects of His life as He walked this planet. Jesus had no sense of inferiority in the presence of God. He spoke of Him as a loving son speaks of his loving father with whom he has been in business with for years. The Holy Spirit reveals to us through the Apostle John, "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God..." (1 John 3:1) Believers are God's sons and daughters and can approach the Father in the same manner that Jesus did. Jesus never needed forgiveness. He never grieved over His past. Believers must realize that the day they were born again, the Father had completely forgiven us and has blotted out our sin as though it never happened. (Isaiah 43:25)

Jesus had no fear of Satan. Unhealthy fear finds its origins in Satan (2 Timothy 1:7) and that fear has kept believers in bondage, has robbed them of joy, and filled them with worry, anxiety and oppression. Therefore, man's struggle for freedom, even for many believers, has actually been a struggle against fear, that is to say, the many aspects attributed to the unhealthy type of fear. The scriptures reveal, "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him." (Acts 10:30) "(Jesus) Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it." (Colossians 2:15) "Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil." (Hebrews 2:14) "He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil." (1 John 3:8)  PTL...

So, let us shed ourselves of unhealthy fear and live on this planet in the abundant life that the Lord Jesus has provided us, exercising faith, knowing, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7) "...If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4) The grace of our lord and Savior Jesus Christ be with you...