BY PROPHETESS SANDRA BORIS
For the believer (the body of Christ), it is essential that we refuse to become a slave to fear. We must not walk in the old spiritually dead human nature. We must allow the flesh to be crucified. Galatians 5:24-25 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. We must be alert to the dangers and hurts that the Spirit of fear brings upon us and how it destroys the blessings of God in our lives. We as believers have a wonderful inheritance set before us. Revelation 21:7-8 He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. But for the cowardly (fearful) and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake of fire that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. Do you see the outcome of our future if we allow ourselves to become slaves to the spirit of fear? If we are to be free from the bondage of fear or any other sin, we must first recognize it. Most Christians will not admit that they are living in fear! This is because they do not recognize it.
Did you know that there are two types of fear? As we do our study, we will address them as unhealthy fear and healthy fear. Both of these are spirits. 2nd Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us the spirit of timidity (fear), but of power (truth & faith by the Holy Spirit) and love (unconditional) and discipline (obedience). First we will talk about unhealthy fear. To live in this type of fear, is to be confined in a self-made prison. Because it is not from God, it disguises itself in many ways. We will only cover a few of them that are most common.
Disguises of unhealthy fear
A) Doubt= Luke 24:38 Why are you troubled and why do doubts arise in your hearts.
B) Anxiety= Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let you requests be made known to God.
C) Worry= Matthew 6:34 So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Results of unhealthy fear
A) Spiritual weakness
B) Stress
C) Disobedience
D) Unbelief
The above results of unhealthy fear produce the following
A) No witness
B) No testimony
C) No discernment
D) Even sicknesses
We see just some of the effects that an unhealthy fear can do to us. This type of fear is not from God, but from Satan himself. Prayerfully we have a little more of an understanding and can at least admit that we just might have some unhealthy fear in us. Once we see this, we can begin to deal with it and overcome it and no longer be a slave to it. With everything we have seen so far is it any wonder why Satan attacks us in this way? His main mission is to keep every Christian from witnessing for God. God’s main reason for calling you and I is to witness for Him! To be His ambassador!! His very first commission to the church is found in Acts 1:8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in al Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. Each believer has this commission!! Why is it then that not all witness for Jesus Christ? We cannot say that we are waiting for the Holy Spirit to direct us, because He has already given us directions. You might ask yourself, where do I begin? Acts 1:8 tells us where to start! Jerusalem (This means in our immediate family; (Dad, Mother, Brother, Sister) next Judea and Samaria (Our relatives) and finally the remote parts of the earth (friend’s neighbors, strangers, etc.) What seems to be stopping us from achieving Gods main purpose in our call? THE UNHEALTHY SPIRIT OF FEAR! Jesus said if we refuse to acknowledge Him before others, He will not acknowledge us before His Father. Pastor and I are the first to admit that the most difficult place to witness is in our own family because we fear what the outcome might be. So then, as we sum up the teaching on unhealthy fear we can ask ourselves this question. What does this type of fear do to us? For starters, it keeps us in bondage, hinders us from trusting in God and stops us from having our prayers answered. James 1:6-8 But he must ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in his ways. Some biblical examples of unhealthy fear by the disciples of Jesus are found in Matthew chapter 26. After Judas betrayed Jesus and the crowd arrested Him, verse 56 tells us that all of His disciples left Him and fled. Later on at the trial of Jesus, when the high priests and elder got angry and began to beat and torture Jesus, we see Peter, who was watching from afar denying His discipleship because the spirit of fear entered into him. Mark 4:35-40. Remember the disciples of Jesus in the boat when they came into the storm? Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat and they awoke Him saying teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? Again we can see the power of this unhealthy spirit of fear if we allow it to enslave us. After Jesus stilled the storm, He asked them these questions. Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith? They saw the many miracles that Jesus performed, but because they allowed unhealthy fear to enter their minds, they questioned Jesus’ concern for their safety. You and I sometimes allow this same type of fear to cause us to distrust the word of God and hinder our prayers from being answered. Remember, when we fear man, we lose the fear of God. When we fear God, we lose the fear of man.
Let’s look at the second type of fear! We are going to call it healthy fear or (Godly fear). How can we recognize if we have healthy fear? Some of the ways are as follows.
Attributes of healthy fear
A) Trust= Psalm 56:11 In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? This attribute removes doubt from us!
B) Confidence= Proverbs 3:26 For the Lord shall be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught. This attribute removes anxiety from us!
C) Faith= 2Corinthians 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. This attribute removes worry from us!
What are the results of this healthy fear?
A) Obedience
B) Peace of mind
C) Spiritual strength
D) Belief
These results produce the following
A) Becoming a better witness
B) Being a testimony for God
C) Discernment
D) Bring healings and health
Now that we have studied the two different types of fear, let’s look at some of the biblical examples that healthy fear produces. The book of Numbers chapter 13 gives a good example of healthy fear verses unhealthy fear. We see that God promised the land of Canaan to His people. All of them came out of Egypt together. This is important to see! Amen!! The same promise was given to each tribe. What happened?? The leaders, 12 of them, one from each tribe, went to see the blessing that God had given them. It’s important to know that God had already given them the land. After spying out the land, they returned with their reports. Ten of them allowed the spirit of UNHEALTHY FEAR to guide them. Look above at the study on unhealthy fear to see how they allowed this to happen. What was the result of this fear? (Talk about this) Numbers 13:21-29 & 31-33 &14:1-5. Two of the leaders allowed the spirit of healthy fear to guide them. Let’s go back to the study on healthy fear and compare the results. We read the report and saw the reaction of those who allowed the unhealthy fear to enslave them. Now read Numbers 13:30 & 14:6-9. Did you see the different testimonies and the results between the two? There are many more examples concerning healthy fear. Here are a few more that you might want to read. Daniel 3:19-30 (The three Hebrew Children). 2 Kings 4:8-37) (The Shunammite woman). In conclusion, remember you have a choice of what type of fear you allow yourself to be enslaved with. Psalm 111:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Psalm 56:3 what time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.
