Our Fear: Defining What We Believe

When most people hear the word “fear”, they will likely think of it as an emotion. Emotions are those little things that were placed in our flesh that persuade our “feelings”. Our feelings cause us to react in certain ways based upon external queues found within the world that we live. Have you ever heard of “fight or flight”? Fight or Flight refers to the physical process that takes place in our bodies to protect us when we are faced with danger. The Fight or Flight reaction is brought on by fear of whatever that danger might be, even if we are not really in danger. It is basically a reaction to fear. I’m sure that we have all experienced a fight or flight episode (if not many) in our lifetimes?

The point here is that emotions often exert power over us. This is especially true if we are living in the flesh, and walking in the flesh, rather than living and walking in the Spirit of God. This is because our emotions are part of our fleshly body. It is the thoughts and beliefs of our heart that allow fear to manifest itself in our actions. All fear starts with the knowledge and beliefs that are held deep within us.

Fear comes in many different shapes and forms. Many types of fear can terrify us. The Bible even tells us that “fear hath torment” (1 John 4:18). In essence, fear impacts our behavior.

So, why then did God create us with the ability to fear? Because some fears are healthy for us! Some fear is healthy because it allows us to recognize other things or beings that are more powerful than we are. We can also recognize things that we have no power over through fear. Who holds the ultimate healthy fear factor? God Himself. Fear of Him will do marvelous things!

Proverbs 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.

God’s Word reveals that if we fear Him with reverence towards His instruction: then this is proof that we have at least some degree of godly knowledge (understanding of His Word) and are behaving wisely; we basically hold the same values as The Lord does, proven by their actions. This is because God is the wisest of us all. Amen? His wisdom is infinite. There is no end to the depths of His knowledge and understanding.

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Proverbs 15:33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.

Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Psalms 101:2 I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.

We see hear that fear of right things is good fear. Another example of good fear might be having the fear of being in the path of a freight train, right? This is a healthy fear, because it will hopefully cause us to pay attention as we cross train tracks, and to also avoid crossing whenever we have reason to believe that a train is coming.

Imagine that you are standing in the middle of the tracks at a railroad crossing. You hear a train. You see the light approaching you. You feel the tracks vibrating under your feet. Your friend is standing next to you and says, “ignore what you hear, see, and feel… there is no train. You are just imagining this.” Do you believe your friend? If you do, then you might just stay put right there in the middle of the railroad crossing. I wouldn’t advise this though, unless if the friend we are talking about is Jesus!

Sometimes people lie to us, don’t they? It could even be someone that we trust. Are they lying intentionally? Who knows because sometimes we also can perceive things differently than they really are, right? If you are a person who jumped off the tracks in a hurry, the this means that you believed and trusted your senses and instincts more than the word of your friend, right? Please take note (for those that are spiritual): what this really means is that you were in the flesh at that moment. Our bodies are heavily influenced by the environment of this world that we live in. This makes sense because our flesh is part of it, made from the dust of the earth!

What other things are in the world though, that we might become afraid of, but are unhealthy fears? I’ll give you a hint. Many of these things are a product of the things that are in the world can be found in…

1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Many people are faced with the fear of not being able to fulfill fleshly lusts, not being able to have things that they see, or losing what they have in this world. Other fears might include things that do not even exist. Like what? Well, if you watch enough movies, read enough fiction of news, etc., you will find out – but, I would not suggest that you should do these things. Why inflict pain upon yourself by giving place to the devil? He is the God of this world, you know.

Ecclesiastes 1:18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

Ephesians 4:27 Neither give place to the devil.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

What about fear of things that do not exist or that are not likely to really happen to us? Why is this dangerous? This is where the side-effect of fear comes in:

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

No one truly wants to be tormented, right? What do you suppose is on a person’s mind when they are being tormented? -The thing that is tormenting them, obviously? In this case: the thing that is the center of their fear. If we fear God’s Word - who authored God’s Word? If we fear something that is wicked or simply not real, who authored that?

The fact of the matter is that we will reverence whatever it is that we fear, meaning that we will devote much of our time and efforts to either accommodate, serve, or flee from our fears.

Fear then, of something that is not real is wasting time, because that thing will never cause any true physical damage to us. It might cause other severe damage to us spiritually though because our time here on this earth is limited. We are all going to expire here, right? We literally only have so many “minutes” of time here to search for and find God. If we waste our time, we might have used that to on something that is more productive, like focusing on God’s Word.

Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment

Matthew 25:6-10 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him. 7Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with Him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

The other thing that I know about fear is many people will spend tons of time learning about the things that they fear. They often become intrigued with these things so that they can figure out ways to avoid or otherwise mitigate the danger they perceive.

Sometimes fear even keeps people form going places. This could be good or bad. Fear of leaving your home might cause you more suffering if are out of necessities, right? Fear of The Lord, on the other hand, might cause you from hanging out in places that are not suitable for a child of God.

What if your fear causes you to trust someone more than God? If you have a health problem that you fear is life threatening, do you go to God in prayer or run to man? If you do both, how can you say which one you trust more? If and when you are healed, how can you be sure that God gets 100% of the glory in the minds of everyone who witnesses the healing?

Whether we like it or not, fear has power over us. Whether we trust in our flesh or in The Spirit of God, fear will move things in our life. So, what is the difference? Well, the battlefield is in our minds.

“Power” is having control, authority, or influence over others. When someone has power over us, whether we want to believe it or not, we are serving them. This means that if our fear is 100% devoted to God, we will be found serving Him. But what if we fear something else more, or what if we allow the fear of God and the fear of something else to influence us at the same time?

Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Remember that we said that our mind is the battlefield? That is because our mind is the gatekeeper of our heart. We can keep thoughts within us by deciding (in our mind) to not act upon them. If we consistently continue to not allow certain thoughts to manifest themselves through the members of our body, they will eventually die out because they are not able to bear fruit in our lives. However, if make the decision to act upon our thoughts, then we give power to them and they now manifest themselves through our actions by the things that we allow in our members. When others see these actions, they then become the “fruit of our doings”, whether good or bad. The fruit that we bear tells the story of our true intentions.

James 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

But when our heart and mind work together, we have control over our body. Think of it as 2 against 1. The other saying that comes to mind is “it takes 2 to tango”, right? So, a true intention is manifest when our entire body takes part in acting it out. Here’s how: our thoughts and intentions originate from the contents of our heart. When a thought occurs, if our mind is in tune with our heart, we will make the decision to act upon the thought. Since our mind controls our body, the intentions are then manifested in our actions. Make sense?

Ephesians 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

1 Corinthians 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.

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.

But many times though, our thoughts get company, don’t they? This is because satan has the power to enter our minds and to temp or provoke us to think certain things.

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour

However, if our heart and mind have been or is being cleansed by God’s Word, then these thoughts are eventually recognized as foreign and rejected by The Spirit of God and we therefore are led to make the right decision to not allow them to be manifested through actions.

If we have the indwelling Spirit of God, we think as He would. Anyone who has read the true Word of God knows that Christ is not a sinner. He’s not even capable of it! In the context of how the relates to fear: people will lie, kill, steal, cheat, and many other sinful things when they are faced with the unhealthier influences found in the fears that this world produces. That is because worldly fear has torment. The Fear of God, on the other hand, will only torment those that choose to run from it because it is contrary to this world.

2 Corinthians 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Ezekiel 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

Psalms 118:6 The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

Did you know that the fear of death is the last fear that we must overcome in this world? Jesus overcame it, didn’t He?

1 Corinthians 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Revelation 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

So, I now ask you this question: Who do you fear? If we get deep into God’s Word, we will for sure find out!

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

What’s in the heart of mankind before God’s Word gets in there?

Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Mark 7:20-23 And He said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 21For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

And here is where our conscience comes in. Our conscience is the record of the decisions that we have made in the past. When God’s Word comes into the equation judgement is found. If God’s Word condemns our choices, we become accountable for the intentions of our heart that were authored by the sinful lusts therein, and that caused our sinful actions taken. What happens when our life here on earth ends, if this sin has not been cleansed from our body and our conscience purged from dead works?

John 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Do you recall the part of our discussion about the freight train that is coming toward us?

Who are you going to fear? Who are you going to trust? The Word of God? The word of another person? Your own feelings and thoughts on the matter?

God’s Word says that we should do as He instructs or we will otherwise die the second death:

Revelation 21:5-8 And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6And He said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Your flesh and the people around you sees, hears, and feels the movements of this world. All of these are telling you to fear the wicked imaginations of this world and the many things that are coming upon this earth like plagues, starvation, wars, etc. Meanwhile, while doing so you will still be tormented day and night until your life ends here, then the second death.

Psalms 27:1 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?

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

It sounds like we have to make a choice of which fears are best to yield to. Who do you believe is telling you the Truth?

rob@INTRUTH.site

Facebook.com/believetrustobey

Ephesians 6:23-24 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

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