Fear has gripped mankind like a mass epidemic. Failures of the past, problems today and the uncertainties of the future, all bring fears inside us.
One man’s fear may not be another mans’; meaning, the fear of one who has fallen into a furnace of fire is blazing fire and the fear of one who has fallen into a lion’s den are lions. Perhaps one who has fallen into the fiery furnace may not understand the difficulties of the one fallen into the lion’s den. He may thus say,” That’s nothing so painful, look at my condition.” Like wood is heavy for the elephant to carry, so is a grain of rice for the ant.
People near and dear to you may not understand the fear or problems that are troubling you. They may ridicule you, but remember Jesus Christ loves you and He wants to deliver you from the fears and worries that are destroying your life today.
We can perhaps say that a new born child may not have any fears. He cries when he has a need and when that need is met, becomes quiet. But this same child, when he grows in wisdom, knowledge and understanding, different fears begin to take shape in his life. Many circumstances in life bring bodily pain, weakness, despair and mental agony. This in turn brings about several fears in his life. When these fears begin to control his mind, he becomes weak bodily and mentally.
What then is the remedy to these fears that threaten to destroy our lives?
Believing firmly in Jesus Christ and His promises are the only way to rid ourselves of fears that often grips our lives.
Because Jesus Christ loves each one of us, He wants to give us the peace that passes all understanding. He wants to comfort us in our painful circumstances. He says,
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”(John14:27) (New Testament- The Holy Bible)
Many of the prominent characters in the Word of God, the Holy Bible had fears in their hearts because of the problematic circumstances in their lives. Abram, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua and Gideon in the Old Testament and Joseph, Mary, Peter, Paul and John in the New Testament were fearful because of certain difficulties that they faced. Though the circumstances bringing fear in each of their lives were very different, God’s promise to all was the same-”Fear Not, I am with you.”
Is there fear in your heart today? Are you troubled because of trying situations in your life?
God’s promise to you is the same, as it was to them- -“Fear Not, I am with you.”
I hope that as you read this book, your faith in Jesus Christ and His wonderful promises rises to a level where you will actually be delivered from the fears that are troubling you today.
I do not know what fear is troubling you today. I am penning some of the fears that often trouble people. Perhaps one of these fears has been troubling you lately.
Will I fall sick? Will my sickness aggravate? Will I die?
What of my children’s future?
Will I fail again?
Will I get the job?
Will I pass/excel in the exams?
Will my earnings/bank balance get depleted?
Will the witchcraft and sorcery that people are doing against me destroy me?
Will I get the right share of property?
Will my spouse be unfaithful again?
Will I remain childless?
Will my spouse die and I be left alone?
What of the alcoholism, smoking, dirty habits of my spouse?
Will a thief enter my house?
Fear of the night, fear of travel.
Fear of God’s wrath, Fear of wrath of others. This is an unending list.
The Saviour of the world Jesus Christ is mighty to deliver you from all these fears. He says,
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”(Isaiah 41:10) (Old Testament- The Holy Bible)
When I was a child, I was very fearful of the night times and darkness. Till around 16 years of age I suffered greatly because of this. I had to have someone in my room as the night approached. After the lights were switched off, great fear came upon me and I could not sleep properly. I felt like something would come out of the darkness and attack me. Often I would just look into the darkness and lie awake all night. For almost 10 years, the devil tormented me in this way. My Lord and Savior Jesus miraculously delivered me from this satanic torment when I was 16 years old and I praise Him for that.
I believe that if I had sufficient knowledge of and faith in the Word of God (The Holy Bible), then I would not have had to wait so long a time for my deliverance. In Psalms 91, verses 5 and 6 we read,
“You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.” (Old Testament- The Holy Bible)
But do you know for whom God has given this wonderful promise?
In the same Psalm, we read from verse 1 onwards,
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”(Psalms 91:1-4) (Old Testament- The Holy Bible)
To have continual protection from God from the attacks of Satan/ the Devil/evil powers, you must continually dwell in the shelter of the Most High and rest in His shadow. Are you living like that?
You may ask, what do I mean by saying,
“Continually dwelling in the shelter of the Most High and resting in His shadow?”
“How will such a person be living?”
Well, in brief, such a person will have accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior, will have taken water baptism by immersion after accepting Jesus, is filled with the Holy Spirit, is worshipping God in spirit and in truth, is regularly reading, meditating and living the Word of God, is not yoked together with unbelievers, is partaking of the holy communion and praying and fasting regularly to conquer his fleshly and worldly desires.
Are you living like this?
If not, you need to take a new decision in your life this day itself.
A youth once consulted a spiritist fortuneteller (a medium) to know his future. The lady told him that in 6 months time, he will make a great fortune by gambling and in 1 years time his money will have multiplied several times and he will build for himself a palatial house. But she also told him that after 2 years, he will die suddenly as a result of an accident. The youth was overjoyed at the sudden prospect of growing rich and he occupied himself with playing cards and gambling in a big way. In 6 months time, he was a rich man. In another 6 months his wealth grew to such an extent that he built himself a palatial house. It was then that he suddenly remembered the third thing that the spiritist had told him i.e. he will die after another year of building the house.
Fear gripped him soon and his mind was filled with thoughts of death always. He couldn’t eat or sleep well because of his fears. His mind was tormented continually with thoughts of accidents. Just after 5 months of building his house, suddenly one day he passed away from this world because of a severe heart attack.
In the Old Testament of the Holy Bible, in the book of Leviticus, Chapter 19 and verse 31, the Bible says,
“Do not turn to mediums or seek out separatists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.” (Old Testament- The Holy Bible)
In Chapter 20 and verses 6 & 7, the Bible says,
“I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and separatists to prostitute him by following them, and I will cut him off from his people. Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.” (Old Testament- The Holy Bible)
Some people can predict your future with the power of the devil/satan. But according to the Word of God, going to such people to know your future is a sin. God hates such things as is written in the verses above. You may come to know certain things about your future through such people, but if you receive a prophecy of death, you may not be able to free yourself from that bondage. Several people are gripped with fear after visiting spiritists and often this can lead to premature death, like it happened in the case of the youth described above.
Servants of the true God (Jesus) can prophecy about your future by the power of the Holy Spirit of God. That is compatible with the Word of God (1 Corinthians Chapter 14).New Testament prophecy is intended by God for 3 main purposes.
“But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort.”(1 Corinthians 14:3)
If any servant of God prophesies to you, you can always check whether the prophecy is fulfilling these 3 things.
The Word of God says,
“Do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good.”(1 Thessalonians 5:20, 21)
If the prophecy that you hear brings fear, despair and spiritual decline, there is a good chance that what you heard was only human thoughts and not exactly from the Sovereign Lord.
So as Paul writes to the Thessalonians,
“Test everything. Hold on to the good.”(1 Thessalonians 5:21)
Has the fear of death gripped you in your young age itself? This is what God has to say to you!
“For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you.”(Isaiah 41:13)
Serve the Lord Jesus with all your heart, with all your strength, with your entire mind and with all your spirit, then the promise that is written below will become a reality in your life.
“With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation”(Psalms 91:16)
If you desire to live a long life, you must obey the Word of God.
“Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”(Psalms 34:12-14)
Are you willing to do this?
Obeying the call of God, Abram set out from the Ur of the Chaldeans to the place God was to show him. When he was fearful of certain circumstances in his life, God told him,
“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”(Genesis 15:1)
To that Abram replied,
“O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?”“You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”(Genesis 15:2,3)
Abram had fears that he would remain childless and that Eliezer, his servant would become his heir, so God strengthened him by telling him this.
“This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir”(Genesis 15:4)
Are you in despair at this moment for not yet having a child? Hold fast to the promises of God and pray to Him continually. God will surely answer your prayers.
A God fearing man will see his grandchildren according to Psalms 128.
Psalms 127 and verse 3 says,
“Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.”
If you are faithfully worshipping the Lord in spirit and in truth, children are a heritage and reward from the Lord .The psalmist, remembering the compassion of our Lord, sings like this in Psalms 113;
“He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children.”(verse 9)
The Word of God mentions these regarding the family life of certain women.
“Now Sarai was barren; she had no children.”(Genesis 11:30)
“Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren.”(Genesis 25:21)
“When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.”(Genesis 29:31)
“A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was sterile and remained childless.”(Judges 13:2)
“He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.”(1 Samuel 1:2)
“But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.”(Luke 1:7)
God did great miracles in the lives of all these women. To Sarah, God gave Isaac, to Rebecca God gave Jacob and Esau, to Rachel God gave Joseph and Benjamin, to the Manoah family God gave Samson and to Elizabeth God gave John .
So if you are despairing today that you do not have a child, remember what the psalmist says in Psalms 42;
“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”(Psalms 42:11)
A God fearing man will see his grandchildren according to Psalms 128.
Psalms 127 and verse 3 says,
“Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.”
If you are faithfully worshipping the Lord in spirit and in truth, children are a heritage and reward from the Lord .The psalmist, remembering the compassion of our Lord, sings like this in Psalms 113;
“He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children.”(verse 9)
The Word of God mentions these regarding the family life of certain women.
“Now Sarai was barren; she had no children.”(Genesis 11:30)
“Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren.”(Genesis 25:21)
“When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.”(Genesis 29:31)
“A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was sterile and remained childless.”(Judges 13:2)
“He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.”(1 Samuel 1:2)
“But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.”(Luke 1:7)
God did great miracles in the lives of all these women. To Sarah, God gave Isaac, to Rebecca God gave Jacob and Esau, to Rachel God gave Joseph and Benjamin, to the Manoah family God gave Samson and to Elizabeth God gave John .
So if you are despairing today that you do not have a child, remember what the psalmist says in Psalms 42;
“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”(Psalms 42:11)
Like Hagar, are you distressed about the future of your son or daughter? Jesus tells you,
“Fear not, I am with you.”If you parents are living close to God, God will do great miracles for your children. So be cheerful. He has planned a great future for your children. The Word of God says,
“This is what the LORD says he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.(Isaiah 44:2)
There is a great lack of peace all around us; in homes, in socities, in cities, in states, in countries chaos is reigning at present. Wars are raging all over the world. But in the midst of all this, for the child of God, God has a special promise. He says,
“The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.(Philippians 4:7)
Yes, it is only Jesus who can give you true peace.
Whom can you trust for a miracle each day for 40 yrs. and more?
The one and only JESUS.
“Fear not, I am with you”.”Do not despair”.”Cheer up”.”There is a blessing coming”.”I have loved you with an everlasting love”.
Have people been cheating you lately? Take heart, even in such a circumstance God’s faithfulness will stand you in good stead. He says,
“Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have my law in your hearts: Do not fear the reproach of men or be terrified by their insults. For the moth will eat them up like a garment; the worm will devour them like wool. But my righteousness will last forever, my salvation through all generations.”(Isaiah 51:7,8)
In the Old testament of the Holy Bible, in the book of Daniel, we read of the Hebrew youths Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who defied the kings’ order of worshipping his idol and thus were thrown into the fiery furnace bound with ropes. But King Nebuchadnezzar who ordered that they be thrown into the firery furnace was astonished at what he saw after they were thrown in. We read in Daniel 3:24,25,
“Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”They replied, “Certainly, O king.”He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
Did you notice? Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who were thrown into the fire were walking around in the fire with Jesus unbound and unharmed. They were already unbound while walking in the fire.
The prophet Isaiah writes God’s words to us,
“In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you.”(Isaiah 54:14)
When God called Ezekiel to be a watchman of Israel, He told him,
I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house.”(Ezekiel 3:9)
Satan uses several strategies to put servants of God into despair. He knows that if he can wound them mentally, God’s work will not progress as intended. When Nehemiah started building the broken walls of Jerusalem, his enemies came and mocked him. The Bible says in Nehemiah Chapter 4:1-3,
“When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?”Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!”
Hearing the bitter words of the enemy, Nehemiah prayed fervently to God. He guarded the walls day and night. When the enemy taunted him again, Nehemiah trusting in God, told the people,
“Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”(Nehemiah 4:14)
In the book of James, Chapter 4 and verse 7 we read,
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Are you being hindered by satan in the work that you are doing for God? Do not fear, it will not last for long. If you are living in submission to God, with faith you can subdue your enemy and carry on with the great commission that God has given you. God will remove every obstacle satan has placed in your path. Remember his promise;
“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”(Matthew 16:18)
James Salter, a missionary to Congo in Africa, encountered cannibals when he first went there for gospel work. They used to shoot at him and his co-workers with bow and arrows. When they traveled on bicycles through the forests, the cannibals ran after them shouting, “White meat, White meat.”Travelling through dangerous forests, he suffered from many sicknesses, some of which almost killed him, but God delivered him miraculously from all of them. God performed great healings through James Salter in the forests of Congo and many of the cannibals were saved and healed. For years, he and his friends laboured for God in the forests and established 28 churches. Now there are no cannibals in those forests. Praise the Lord.
When the apostle Paul traveled to Rome, the ship that he was sailing in was struck by a hurricane wind “the northeaster”; when everyone thought that the ship and all in it would be destroyed by the hurricane, God told his servant Paul,
“Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.”(Acts 27:24)
God’s love for us is great. He knows our sorrows, our pains, our worries and our fears. David, the king of Israel has sung like this,
“Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand.”(Psalms 20:6)
How wonderful this statement is. David had many enemies. Goliath, Saul, the Philistines and even his own son Absalom. Even though all of them fought against him, they did not prevail against him. God gave David grace to defeat all his enemies.
In Psalms 34 and verse 4 we read,
“I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”
Are you afraid that sorcery, witchcraft or blackmagic done against you by others will destroy your life? Perhaps you are afraid that curses uttered against you by people will destroy you. The Word of God says,
“There is no sorcery against Jacob, no divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and of Israel, `See what God has done!”(Numbers 23:23)
The term “Jacob”here refers to God’s people, the Israelites. Some of the characteristics of these people who were redeemed by God from Egypt are described in Numbers 23.
1. They were a people blessed by God. (indicates they were chosen by God)(verse 8)
2. They were a people who lived apart i.e.they had no part with the heathen nations (indicates separation) (verse 9)
3. No misfortune was seen in Jacob, no misery was observed in Israel.(indicates God’s redemption) (verse 21)
4. The LORD their God was with them ( indicates the Presence of God).(verse 21)
5. The shout of the King was among them (indicates godly worship) (verse 21)
6. They had the strength of a wild ox.(indicates the power of God) (verse 21,22)
If New testament believers have to have a victorious Christian life, the above mentioned characteristics are essential in their lives. If you have Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you must separate from idol worshippers and unbelievers (not follow their practices because they are contrary to the Word of God) and worship the Lord in spirit and in truth. The Bible Says,
“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”“Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”(2 Corinthians 6:14-18)
If you are truly living a life according to the verses mentioned above, no divination or sorcery or witchcraft or blackmagic will work against you.
Just check your life and see whether you are living like that? If yes, then the Lord gives you this wonderful promise,
“In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you. No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,”declares the LORD.”(Isaiah 54:14,17)
Be hopeful. God will fight for you against your enemy Satan. He will be a shield and buckler for you. He will save you from the viles of the wicked one.
A group of dangerous men once set out to kill a very humble and faithful servant of God because he had been preaching to them to change their wicked ways. Living in a very small house, he could hear the shouts of the men coming to attack him. He fell to his knees and prayed fervently to God to save him from those wicked men. He continued in prayer even though they were getting close to his house and could attack him any moment.
When the men approached the house, they were amazed at what their eyes beheld. There was a great ring of fire burning all around the house and huge men in white shining garments with drawn swords standing in front of the house; they could not approach the house because of the blazing fire. After much time had passed, each one went away dismayed because they could not do anything. The servant of God continued with his prayer and praises.
Praise God. He protects his children by sending angels and with a wall of fire. The Bible says,
“The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”(Psalms 34:7)
“And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,’ declares the LORD, `and I will be its glory within.”(Zechariah 2:5)
Once the Syrian army came to capture the prophet Elisha. They surrounded the city of Dothan at night. When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh, my lord, what shall we do?”the servant asked.
The prophet Elisha told him,
“Don’t be afraid,”. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
And Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.”Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (2 Kings 6:16,17)
Jesus protects and delivers his children wonderfully. Covering us with His blood, by sending angels and with a wall of fire.
If you are being tormented by thoughts of fear from the enemy, Jesus has this to say to you,
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”(Deuteronomy 31:6)
God knows all about the fears in our minds. He is able enough to deliver us from all these fears.
He says, “Fear not, I am with you.”
Go back and meditate on the verses in this chapter and then pray this prayer for deliverance from the fear / fears that have gripped you today. When you meditate on these verses, you will realize the great love God has for you. Whenever fear strikes you in your life, you can meditate on these verses and be delivered from them. After you meditate on the verses, you can pray the prayer for deliverance from the fear that has gripped you today. May the Lord God Jesus richly bless you.
Prayer
Dear Father in Heaven,
“I praise and glorify You for Your promises and assuring verses that say,”Fear not.”
Kindly deliver me from this fear ( tell God your fear) that is troubling me today.
I believe that if Your Son Jesus sets me free, I will be free indeed.
Deliver me from this fear O Lord, by the blood of Jesus and by Your Word.
Fill me with the power of Your Holy Spirit, O Lord.
