The Torment of Fear
Here are the notes from a message I shared back in July at The Gathering.
Fear Defined - a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, or pain; fear isn’t necessarily dependent upon reality
Top 10 Fears - flying, heights, clowns, intimacy, death, people, snakes, success, driving, public speaking
Top Relational Fears:
Being Wrong
Failure
Rejection
Usual Outcome of Our Fears:
Job 3:25-26 “For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me.”
We normally manifest our fear… if faith is substance of things hoped for, fear must be the substance of things dreaded.
Hebrews 11:1 (Amplified Bible) “Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]”.
Let’s substitute Fear for Faith and see how it reads: “Now fear is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] dread, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [fear perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]”.
Physical Responses to Fear (adrenal responses):
Fight (combative)
Flight (flee, withdraw)
Freeze (paralyzed, indecisive)
Control of Fear (when in fear, we lose control):
So, fear manifests in control to keep us safe
Plus, fear makes us susceptible to the control of others
Remember this, controlling people and controllable people are fearful people
Torment and Thievery of Fear:
I John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love
John 10:10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…”
II Timothy 1:6-7 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (an actual presence, or being of fear)
What Fear Steals (from II Timothy 1:7):
our “power”, so we become weak and impotent
our “love”, so we become rejected and controlling
our “soundness of mind”, so we become confused and panicked
Some Fear Antidotes:
Remember your faith -
Don’t be afraid just (continue to) believe (Mark 5:36). Faith is our shield Ephesians 6:16
Remember the calling -
Stir up the Gift (II Tim 1:6)
Remember to reach out -
To Those Stronger (I John 4:18) “but perfect love casts out fear”. Here’s my transliteration of that portion of this verse - “mature, tested by fire and circumstance, greying around the temples, adult, unconditional love casts away or throws off the fear that tries to take us down”. In short, we need each other and each other’s experiences…
Matt is working on the audio link so come back later and listen to it.
