The word fear is mentioned about 500 times in the Bible. The phrases, “Fear not” or “Be not afraid”, occur 103 times in the King James Version of the Bible. One of the most commonly used Scripture is 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Many times I’ve used Isaiah 41:10 “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
Satan had me wrapped in fear most of my life, like a chain link fence, over and over, tightly bound up. The abuse in my life taught me to fear. When you are in an abusive situation, you learn to walk on eggshells, never knowing when the abuser is going to explode for no reason. This fear entangled itself in my walk with Jesus. Instead of being set free, I continued for many years to walk in the fear I had been subjected to. I have heard stories of people who have miraculously been set free from all kinds of things. The Bible records many such miracles.
Instead, God chose to walk me out of the fear. He took me through a process that took a long time. Not due to any shortage on His part, but on mine. Besides, when you have to “learn” about something, the best way is to go through the process of understanding it. Miracles are from God, but many times, when we get a miracle, we don’t necessarily learn a lesson. God wanted me to learn how to walk out of fear, and in so doing, it would keep me from walking back into it.
It can be like going to college. Some classes are easier than others. Others not so much. We can cheat if we want, but in the end, what have you gained. In this lesson of walking out of fear, it wasn’t possible to cheat. I had to learn to stop being afraid of doing the wrong thing, or not doing the right thing, according to someone who didn’t have a set standard of rules. They changed on a whim, according to the mood they were in. And in this class, God did not want to take me out of the abuse. He wanted me to learn this lesson as the abuse continued. Guess what? I failed.
I failed because I wasn’t learning what God was trying to teach me. I was so focused on getting out of the abuse, that I wasn’t listening to the Teacher who was trying to show me how to do that very thing. I wanted OUT! NOW!!! God, was trying to teach me how to walk out of the fear, in order to come out of the victim mentality that kept me bound up. Abuse teaches us to fear. Satan wants us so bound up that we cannot hear what God is saying. Job 33:14 says “For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.” God was trying to tell me to take the earplugs out and to listen to Him!
But He wasn’t doing it the way I wanted Him to, nor did I understand His ways. Eventually He did take me physically out of the abuse, even as I continued to walk in fear. I was still looking over my shoulder. I don’t know what could have happened had I listened to Him back then. But Jesus is faithful and He doesn’t quit on us as long as we hang on, if even by only a thread. Eventually I was able to walk out of the fear. Not just by coming out physically. I had a long process of coming out of the abuse and fear mentally and emotionally.
Many times in Genesis, when God created the heaven and the earth it says “God said”. It says in Hebrews 4;12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, …
God’s Word is powerful. He spoke things into existence. His Word tells us to follow His example in speaking out loud the Word of God. I learned a lot of Scriptures. I could quote many from memory. But I was still walking in fear. Romans 8:7 “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”
I wanted a relationship with Jesus, but we cannot serve fear and walk in faith. When in fear, we don’t believe. We don’t trust. Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Faith means trusting God. As I have experienced the power of God over the years, the fear has gradually resided. I’m still not where I want to be and in what God wants of me, but I no longer look over my shoulder and I have learned who I am in Christ. That makes a big difference. Being told I was nothing and had no value, kept me with no self-esteem, and that made it easy for the devil to keep me bound up in fear.
I wanted a miracle. Instead, God taught me a lesson that I will remember the rest of my life. Even when we don’t understand His ways, if we will follow what He is trying to teach us, we will see our life change in ways that we cannot begin to imagine. Ask Him if fear is infecting your faith. Learn His Word. Speak it out loud. Believe it. It’s real and God’s power is available for you to overcome.
From Cowardly to Courageous
