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INTRICACIES OF FEAR

by linzy bruno
2/23/2023 / Bible Studies

What we fear is what/who we submit to and are controlled by, hence, identifying and understanding what and/or who we fear can only be beneficial.

Fear has the strange quality of manifesting as either harmful or helpful. Evaluating each individual fear as to its level of intensity, origin and category can bring greater insight as to how to approach each one.

There are two main categories of fear that have subcategories: the fear of deities and environmental fears.

The only beneficial kind of all fear is the fear of God over man.

The most useless and even harmful kinds are those that cripple us without cause.

However, even the healthy fears that keep us from walking in front of moving vehicles do not have to spark anxiety, just a wise acknowledgment to keep in mind, as we put our trust in God’s Protection in all circumstances:

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2Timothy 1:7)

He gives us the ability and common sense we need to make godly, sensible decisions and choices.

TWO BASIC TYPES OF FEAR (& SUBTYPES)

I). FEAR OF DIETIES—IN WHOM DO WE SUBMIT?

A). The Fear Of God

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge. God speaks to each of His children individually; giving them/us personal guidance for individual needs and unique circumstances. He takes everything into account. Our skill sets, personality quirks, health needs, and our mental/emotional/spiritual state.

Moreover, when the fear of the Lord takes precedence over all others, all healthy fears seem to align with godly common sense, therefore, the fear of putting oneself in harms way, like walking in front of a moving train, actually falls under the banner of fearing the LORD, hence the wisdom in the fear is clearly discerned. (Thanks be to GOD.)

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7)

“And to man He said,
‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
And to depart from evil is understanding.’ ” (Job 28:28)

“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)

B). Fear Of Man/Circumstance

The worst and most dangerous of the unhealthy fears. The fear of man is not only based in irrationality; it can also be even more haphazard and dangerous, as the free will of others comes into play. The fear of man carries the potential for all sorts of problems. When we are dealing with others, we can come under their convictions, influence and control. And inasmuch as God has granted all free will, we become vulnerable to the whims of others, which can cause innumerable problems and negative consequences.

When the fear of man takes precedence over all other fear, all other fear is out of the line of priority and this unbalanced state leaves us vulnerable to more complexity and confusion, and may even take us out of the Will God has for us.

Also noteworthy, the fear of man/circumstance includes the fear of the devil/evil, as evil is behind it all....

C).The Unknown: Illness, other negative circumstances

To abide in a fear of foreboding is to abide in the fear of “What’s gonna happen next?” This highly harmful means of interacting with one’s surroundings can lead to all sorts of stress-related illnesses and countless other issues that are unhealthy in every conceivable way.

D). Rejection: Reputation/Abandonment/Cancellation

This fear will lead to nothing but hasty decisions, confusion and pain, embarrassment, humiliation, and broken relationships. Not to mention heartache, depression and worst of all, a problematic list of priorities. Putting what man says about us above God’s opinion of us is a recipe for pain because people cannot live up to our expectations and when we fear man over God, we are putting others into a position of power and influence over ourselves that is NOT good for us and hurts our relationship and right standing with God, Who should be our number ONE priority!

E). Death

For Christians to fear death doesn’t make sense because if we know God and our relationship with Him comes first, then for us death is not like it is for secular society. We are immediately in His Presence forever at the point of death. Paul said: “Absence from the body is presence with the Lord,” in 1Corinthians 15:51.

Abiding in this fear can derail our walk with God. When we consider our mortality as more valuable than what God has for us we are not helping ourselves. His Plan should be the only one we crave even unto death. This fear will undoubtedly influence our decisions regarding our health care, the way we interact with others and other important decisions. BUT…..it is only GOD who should be influencing our every decision. And when we abide in Him and allow Him to influence our life choices, we are much more likely to make the very best decisions and be led to the most beneficial of plans for our well-being and care, which is His care plan.

The Bible Refers To The fear of Man As A Snare In Proverbs 29:25-26:

“The fear of man brings a snare,
But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.

Many seek the ruler’s favor,
But justice for man comes from the Lord.”

Also see: 1Peter 3:14, Psalm 27:1 & Hebrews 13:6

II). ENVIRONMENTAL/SOCIAL FEARS

A). Fears Of Safety/Common Sense

This kind of fear can be healthy when wisdom is used to safeguard home, self and family. This category includes anything that we protect ourselves/family from due to the logical nature thereof, like the fear of sticking one’s hand in fire.

Also noteworthy regarding healthy fears; even they can become unhealthy if they increase in intensity and get out of control. The question to ask oneself is:

‘Is this interfering in my everyday life?’ And of course….

“Am I trusting God?”

B). Irrational Fears

Fears that consume us and interfere with a healthy lifestyle. As this includes anything that keeps us from God’s Will, like the social fear of large groups or anything else that defies what God is speaking into the situation at hand….

Take the fear of spiders or arachnophobia, providing we are talking about the harmless kind that don’t even bite. There is no threat or potential danger, therefore, this would classify as an irrational fear. However, for those spiders that do bite, there is a rational cause behind that fear. Providing the affected person doesn’t live in a paralyzing fear of running into biting spiders around every corner, that fear can be considered one for the common sense category. But there are those that do live in that paralyzing fear of spiders or other insects that are harmless, this is irrational, useless and problematic.

That being said, the fear of man can also be thought of as an irrational fear, as the Bible expressly teaches; the fear of man is a snare. It is the snare of the devil.

Whenever we abide in the fear of man, there is no benefit, only harm and unnecessary stress can come from abiding in this type of fear.

The fear of man includes fears of death, illness and loss of relationships with friends/relatives. When this type of fear is leading us we tend to make poor decisions. God is waiting with the answer, but if fear is consuming us, we may not hear His Voice.

For example, a lovely Christian woman of God developed a wonderful friendship with another Christian woman around her age. The two shared a great deal of time, chatting on the phone, shopping, sitting together in church and going out for lunch. Then the pandemic hit. The first woman, who prayed for this new friend and thanked God for several years for this friend, cut off all contact with her, just because she wouldn’t get vaccinated. In her crippling fear, she neglected to go to God for Protection and Guidance and therefore was pulled into an ever-growing fear of being near anyone who was not vaccinated and lost several more friends as well due to the same reasoning. The moral of the story is obvious, woman number one allowed her fear of Covid to eradicate and destroy a meaningful friendship and trusted ally.

Furthermore, When Believers Abide In Christ, ALL Ungodly Fear Is Unnecessary:

“And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)

See: John 14:1, Psalm 56:4, Psalm 34:4, 1Peter 5:7, Matthew 10:30-31 & Romans 8:15.

And One Last But Poignant Note: God Has Compassion On Those Who Fear HIM:

“As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.” (Psalm 103:13)

THE TOOLS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST UNWANTED FEAR: PRAYER & TRUST-- SEEKING GOD & HIS WORD and agreeing with it!

AND, realizing that nothing can happen without God allowing it to happen! That should bring us some peace!

NKJV

Linzy has been writing for many years; seriously since her 3 kids were still young and inspirational. She has taken 2 courses in Bible studies and completed "Four Soils" Bible study course in a 26-month period; earning her certification in Bible Counselling.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

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