The Spirit of Fear or Faith

October 28, 2024

Have you ever experienced paralyzing fear? Late one night, a man had gone to a party and had too much to drink, so he decided it would be best to walk home. He found a shortcut through a poorly lit cemetery and, in the darkness, stumbled into an open grave. He tried to climb out, but the walls were too slippery. In exhaustion, he settled in a corner to wait for sunlight.

A few minutes later, another man in the same condition was cutting through the cemetery and fell victim to the same grave. He, too, tried desperately to climb and claw his way out, and he was equally unsuccessful. As he was about to give up in hopeless resignation, he heard a voice from the darkness of the grave, “You may as well give up. You’ll never get out of here.” But he did!

Fear is a powerful human emotion. Like all human emotions, except love, it is not bad or good. It is a response to external events. It is one of our most foundational emotions that motivates us to do bad or to do good. In the illustration above, the second man was not paralyzed by his fear, but was highly motivated to escape the perceived threat that the voice in the darkness represented.

From a spiritual perspective, fear is used by satan and God in very different ways (note: I don’t capitalize the word satan because he doesn’t deserve it). satan uses fear to destroy us. satan knows our weaknesses and temptations and, when we are afraid, we are far more vulnerable to sin, depression and self-destructive behavior. We read in I Peter 5:8, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” satan has many tools in his tool box, but fear is especially designed to weaken or destroy our faith in God.

God does not use fear, but instead calls us to understand how fear can make our faith stronger. We read in Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Fear of the Lord means we have an overwhelming reverence for who God is, as both judge of all sin and source of all love. We are not wise when we fear the Lord. It is just the beginning of wisdom.

I think understanding how to fear God is crucial to understanding how to grow in our faith. I think of it this way. I am more afraid of doing anything without God than I am afraid of anything else. I am not afraid of marriage, but I am afraid to be a husband without God. I am not afraid of being a father, but I am afraid of being a father who parents without God. Apply that to all the things that are important to you: career, health and financial planning, just to name a few.

God says this about fear, “…for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” God builds us up while He directs us to give our fears to Him and have faith. satan uses fear to tear us down, and tear our faith down. I don’t know who put this scripture study together, but I have adapted it to make my point.

satan tells us, “It’s impossible”… God says, “All things are possible” (Luke 18:27).
satan tells us, “You’re too tired” … God says, “I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28-30)
satan tells us, “Nobody really loves you” … God says, “I love you” (John 3:16).
satan tells us, “You can’t go on” … God says, “My grace is sufficient for you” (II Cor. 12:9).
satan tells us, “You can’t do it” … God says, “You can do all things through Christ” (Phil. 4:13).
satan tells us, “You can’t manage” … God says, “I will supply all your needs” (Phil. 4:19).
satan tells us, “You are worried & frustrated” … God says, “Cast all your cares onto me” (1 Peter 5:7).
satan tells us, “You are lost and confused” … God says, “I’ll give you wisdom” (I Cor. 1:30).
satan tells us, “You are isolated and alone” … God says, “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Heb. 13:5).

What are you most afraid of? Do you fear for the safety of family members, especially when driving in bad weather? Does your fear help protect them? What other things are you afraid of? Take time and be honest. Say a prayer and give those fears to God. Praise to God, our rock and our savior!