Overcoming Fear
Sermon Series – Overcoming the Ten Major Threats to God’s People
(Deception, Fear, Hopelessness, Restlessness, Lack of Compassion, Rage, Wickedness, Idolatry, Perversion, Selfishness)
1. The Lord is my Light and my Salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the Strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
5. For in the time of trouble, He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock.
Psalm 27:1, 5
Reasons for Fear
Fear is something you cannot see but you certainly know when it attacks and renders you ineffective against dangerous threats. Fear and trepidation impacts people differently. One person may suffer from one type of anxiety, while another is not phased at all. Why are we afraid? What should a Christian do when they are terrorized by the pressures of this world? Why is fear a sign of the end times? Those are some of the issues that we will explore in this study.
In and of itself, to have some level of fear is healthy because it is an internal monitor that detects threats and pending danger. Little babies demonstrate this internal monitor by crying and seeking refuge in a parent when they are exposed to someone or something that may cause them pain and discomfort. In the Bible, those who lived by faith had a different approach to such pressures and painful conditions. The psalmist David, found that God was his place of safety from every care, every hurt, and every enemy assault. With complete confidence in God’s Strong Arm, he proclaimed, The Lord is my Light and my Salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the Strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Did David always possess that kind of confidence or did God teach Him through the ups and downs of daily struggles that came his way? Here is the first point: if you never had a threat, you would not have fear and if you never had fear you would not know that God could calm those fears. In order to arrive at that level of faith, you would have to go through the struggle. In order to find that God is you Light and Salvation, you would have to face some hardships in life. I’m not saying that God causes trials in your life, but I am definitely saying that God uses those trials to build your faith and ultimately help you to overcome every fear.
Why is this important in helping us deal with the threats that will come about in the end times? It is absolutely critical to know that God is with you during those times to prevent fear from gaining the upper hand in your life. For the end times will be marked by events beyond anything that human history has ever witnessed. Jesus put it this way in Luke 21:25-26. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring … men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. The end time will be marked by disasters never seen before. There will be unexplained threats from the heavens, the atmosphere, and on the earth itself. Those who live on this planet will be thrown into total chaos because of the extent of the pending perils. People will be seized with fear but in the midst of all this, our Lord admonishes His believers to look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draws near. Luke 21:28.
Rather than being swept up in the end time panic, Jesus encouraged His children to not allow fear to become their focus. At this point we distinguish between healthy fear that draws us to God and the spirit of fear that leaves us hopeless. In the time of fear, the believer turns to their faith: for God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7. Giving in to that spirit of fear will leave a person hopeless and helpless. The Bible is clear in reminding us that is not the Spirit of God. No matter what the circumstance, God gives us love, power, and a sober state of mind. Rather than being drawn into a frantic state, the child of God looks to the Lord for help. We look up because God is still in control. We look up because God will bring about a great deliverance. We look up because the Lord is our Light. He will bless us to see but we must look up. He will bless us to understand that a brighter day is coming but we must look up. Look up because the Lord is our Salvation and Saving Power from all trouble. Look up because we are on the Lord’s side and that automatically makes us an overcomer. Look up because Jesus forecasted these stormy times but through it all we will be delivered from it all. Look up child of God so that you may overcome fear.
Answering the Psalmist Question
There is a presumption made in David’s proclamation that there is nothing to fear for the one who trusts in God, that includes the end times. Whom shall I fear? Of whom shall I be afraid? Honestly, we do have fear and there are times when we are afraid of what a circumstance may bring. That is normal. What is not normal is for the children of God to give in to the fear. This brings us to the second powerful point. No matter what the time – God is always on time. That is more than a cliché, it is an expression of faith. If we believe that God is in complete control and that He is totally sovereign, that means that there is no future threat that He will not conquer. Let me put it in stronger terms. We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us and gave Himself for us. Romans 8:37.
In order to answer the question of whom shall I fear, we must evaluate how fear works and how it impacts a person’s life. Fear has three basic goals: to paralyze, to traumatize, or to compromise. The response of fear could be to paralyze and throw a person into such a state of panic that the response is to “freeze.” Let me give an illustration. During the reign of one of the kings of Israel, their enemies banded together to form a huge army that launched an attack against Judah and Jerusalem. King Jehoshaphat proclaimed a fast and prayed to God because they were gripped with fear as they confessed to God, “we have no strength against this great company, nor do we know what to do – but our eyes are upon You.” 2 Chronicles 20:12. God responded to Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah by reminding them that He would fight their battle. The prophet Jahaziel responded, “be not afraid nor be dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” 2 Chron. 20:15. Through that Word from God, the people of Judah faced their opposition and went out in the strength of God to see that the Lord had already struck down their enemies. The same will be true in the end times. We don’t know when the Church will be taken out, but until that time, we do know that the Lord will be our Keeper. Through Him, we will conquer our fear.
The fear may also lead to trauma. The intention is to produce a lingering effect of terror so that the person has to live with that horrible event for the rest of their life. Those who witness violence, tragedy, and hardship become traumatized to the point that they find it impossible to live beyond that catastrophic event. It could have been something that happened in their family or a personal heartbreak. That is the spirit of fear and it did not come from God. In the end times, people will be gripped with these types of traumatic events. I can only imagine how some of the hurricane victims have had to face such devastating loss. While it may take some time for them to overcome those tremendous misfortunes, God has made a solemn promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us. In order to overcome the trauma, God’s healing presence must restore them to a whole state of mind. How do you conquer trauma? The record of David and Goliath comes to mind as a wonderful example of how to overcome traumatic fear. 1 Samuel 17 describes the army of Israel as being fearful of the nine-foot-tall giant named Goliath. Every day the giant taunted them, defied their God, and demanded that they come out and fight. They would back down because they were traumatized by the loud mouth heathen. Then David showed up at the battlefront and asked what would be done for the man who killed the giant? He wasn’t seeking a reward; he was seeking an opportunity to end the trauma and the enemy’s fear grip. David represented more than just a brave warrior; he represents our faith in distressing times. Yes, the giant was big but he was not invincible. In the same way that David stood up to the giant and used the tools available to him, each of us can stand up against our fear and say “no more.” For David, it was not focusing on the bigness of the giant, but the Greatness of God. Then David praised the God that the giant was cursing and casting doubts. Then David did something that changed the whole trajectory of the battle: he faced the giant. David knew that he was on God’s side and that he would win because of God’s presence. Overcoming trauma is not easy, but with God’s help and direction, that giant that is roaming your mind can be destroyed. Remember the Romans 8:37 declaration of victory: We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us and gave Himself for us.
As we face fear, it is critical that we understand what the fear is attempting to take from us. The fear could be attempting to paralyze our trust in God. The fear could cause such distress and trauma that will impact our future. But just like trouble, fear will not last always. It has to come to an end. Thank God, that the end times will also mean an end to every heartache and every tear. God will turn our mourning into laughter.
There is another threat or impact of fear and that is to compromise. Do you recall the attack of Satan against Job? One of the enemy’s goals was to push Job to the point that he would curse God. That never happened. Why? God had put something in Job’s life that no enemy was able to conquer. What was it called? Patience.
Fear will drive you to the point that you act in a manner that contradicts your faith and leads to compromise. It happened to Adam and Eve. Day after day they would go by the Tree of Knowledge and never noticed anything. One day, the tempter suggested that they try the fruit and see if their eyes would not be opened. Rather than waiting to ask God about the suggestion, they were impatient. The rest was history. They compromised what God had said and it caused them to fall from Grace. When God visited them later in the day, they said to God, “we were afraid so we hid ourselves.” Imagine that, trying to hide from the all seeing Eye of God? Thank God that the Second Adam, Jesus Christ, restored what was taken away and has brought us back into fellowship with God. Yet, that same fear can lead to compromise today. As the end times approach, there will be many who will demand that you respond to the latest threat or the latest attack or the latest rumor of war. Just remember this one thing. Fear leads to compromise but faith always leads to trusting God. God knows exactly where you are at all times. God knows exactly what you need at all times. God has promised to meet your needs according to His riches in Glory by Christ Jesus. Why should you be afraid? Just remember what the psalmist has said, For in the time of trouble, He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock. It might be the end of times, but just know in your heart that God’s got this. Amen!