The Fear Factor - Part One

[JustBecause]

Thursday, February 07, 2008

The Fear Factor - Part One
Rev. James C. Matthews

"There we saw the giants ... and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight." Numbers 13:33

Fear's purpose is to prevent you from knowing what the possibilities are in life.

A frequent admonishment in the Bible is to "fear not". We are told not to fear our situations or what man can do, but to have a healthy and reverent fear of God. Many Believers are paralyzed by fear, failure, uncertainty, or the mere possibility of a negative outcome. God's countermeasure for fear is faith. Faith transcends how things appear and is established on the truth of God's Word. If you are afraid to take the first step, then you can never reach what lies ahead for you. The Bible declares: "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2Timothy 1:7, KJV). Fear is not something that God has given, but something that is received in the absence of faith. God instead has liberally provided us His Spirit and love which maintains and preserves our peace - or sound mind.

For Believers, fear is an authority issue. You cannot fear something that is has already been defeated. Being with God's Will provides us with the confidence that whatever we face in life, whether good or bad, that it will turn out for our good. By faith, God's Word is the ultimate authority in a situation. In essence that is what God's word is - authority. It is the final arbiter and sovereign of all things - visible and invisible. There is nothing that can overcome or overpower God's Will and Word. Fear has stopped countless men and women at the doorpost of greatness, causing them to return to a life of mediocrity. Fear's primary objective is to stop you from fulfilling God's purpose and plan for your life. Someone may be asking, "If fear is such a barrier to obtaining our purpose in life, how do we overcome it?" "Where does it get its power?" The answer to these questions can be found in the following text: "There we saw the giants ... and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight" (Numbers 13:33)

I would venture to say that the greatest inhibitor in Believers experiencing fruitfulness and fulfillment in their lives is their being intimidated by what they see. The children of Israel's problems began with these words: "there we saw the giants" (Numbers 13:33, underline added). They were poised to possess what God had promised until they saw something that caused them to fear - giants. This is why Believers "walk by faith and not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). Faith requires us to base our responses not on what we see, but upon what God has said. What you see is only half of the equation and never the final authority. God uses situations that appear impossible to increase our faith in Him. Every miracle in the Bible was birthed out of a situation that appeared impossible. Satan specializes in appearances. He uses fear of a temporary situation, to cause us to make long term decisions and to doubt God's immutable Word. The Bible Says: "We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen" (2 Corinthians 5:18). God uses His Word to overcome our fears and move us beyond what we see. Your overcoming what you fear depends on your faith in what God has said.

Tomorrow: Fear Factor, Part 2 - The Purpose and Power of Fear

Excerpted from "Saved But Stuck: 30 Days to Personal Revival"



  Pastor James C. (J.C.) Matthews is the founder and Senior Pastor of the multi-cultural non-denominational Dunamis Life Ministries of Dallas, Texas. Pastor Matthews is known for his love of God's Word, unusual wisdom, passionate preaching style and gift of practically applying scripture to everyday. He is the author of the Saved but Stuck: 30 Days to Personal Revival". "I'll Come... When I Get Myself Together" and "My Situation Is Not My Destination - Only Preparation". J.C. Matthews lives in the Dallas / Ft. Worth Texas area with his wife Gena and four children.