The world is fast approaching a time when fear of Satan and fear of circumstances will grip the hearts of men and women to a greater degree than ever before. Fear of the unstable economic system and fear of the world system in general can already be seen gripping the hearts of men and women around the globe.
Yet, the world today is experiencing only the beginning of birth pains as the "...whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now" (Rom. 8:22).
If ever there was a time when there was a need to develop a love relationship with the Father, it is right now, because this fear is even slipping into the hearts of believers and gripping them in its deadly vise.
Believers who are vulnerable to fear and whose hearts are its easy prey are those who, even though they have been "delivered...from the power of darkness" (Col. 1:13) still have their minds and affections set on things contained therein.
Therefore, all of us should be cultivating love with God so that as fear increases about us in society, so will our love increase within us for our Father and thus offset the fear.
Combat Fear With Love
It is imperative that we believers combat fear with love because fear will lead to many negative things in our lives. Fear is the root of many of the problems that have manifested themselves in individuals in the Church today.
Generally speaking, fear leads to sickness, oppression, and even death. Truly, it is an ugly spirit that is capable of even stopping a person's heart from beating once it has taken root in it.
For this reason, Jesus especially warned the people of His day to beware of this increasingly dangerous spirit and to take precautions against it by developing their individual relationships with the Father before the powers of heaven are really shaken.
Jesus not only warned His followers of the fear to come, He also presented them with an image of the Father that would encourage them to cultivate His perfect love:
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.Jesus said, "Fear ye not therefore...." The word "therefore" in verse 31 is an implied reference to the two previous scriptures.
(Matt. 10:29-31)
Jesus is telling His followers, "When a sparrow drops to the ground, the Father knows about it. The very hairs of your head are numbered; therefore, fear not." What He was telling His disciples was that if they would develop a relationship with God to the point of fully realizing their loving Father's infinite awareness of them, they would no longer fear.
A believer does not come to this abiding and sustaining knowledge at the precise moment of being born again; this kind of awareness only comes through cultivation.
Cultivating Love
Most believers, however, are not cultivating that love or coming to that awareness. This is the reason there is so much fear in their lives. Today when most Christians hear the shrill scream of a tornado siren, fear immediately grips their hearts as they anxiously watch the dark storm clouds mount in the sky.
Once given expression, that fear attempts to take root. If allowed to do so, it will eventually manifest its presence through mental oppression, physical or emotional illness or even death.
At the first sound of the siren or at the first whisper of an approaching storm, however, we believers should remember that Jesus is still saying to us, "Fear ye not therefore...."
When a lump or growth appears, many believers are immediately gripped with fear as they envision their "helpless" bodies being invaded by that dreaded disease, cancer.
But God's Word does not change. Jesus is still saying, "Fear ye not therefore...." The cancer of fear is a greater enemy to many Christians than the physical disease itself. Fear can be deadly if not handled properly according to the Word of God.
When many people hear of tragic events through the media, news of some impending danger that threatens to invade their world and upset the peace and tranquility of their lives, fear immediately grips their hearts.
But regardless of the increasing state of chaotic madness of this enormous mental institution called the world, Jesus is still saying, "Fear ye not therefore...."
So why do believers fear? They fear because they do not know that their loving, omniscient Father has the very hairs of their heads numbered. According to Acts 10:38, Jesus healed all who were oppressed of the devil.
God desires to heal His children today of the oppression of fear through His perfect love. The Father wants His children to cultivate a relationship with Him to the point that they understand Him and know that He understands them.
He wants them to comprehend Him as their omniscient Father whose wisdom and knowledge are infinite. He desires that they realize that He has known His children from the foundation of the world and has ordained every single step that they take in life.
This kind of relationship, however, must be cultivated and developed. The more we believers develop that awareness of God's love and faithfulness, the less we will fear. Hebrews declares:
He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.The Father wants His children to see Him as their Helper. The Greek word for helper in this passage is quite unique, for it is a compound word that means to run to one's aid.
(Heb. 13:5-6)
The Father does not want His children to picture Him in their minds as procrastinating when they are in trouble, because in reality He runs to their aid. When we Christians begin to see God as our divine "Helper," and as we begin to understand the full measure of that term, then we will begin to boldly say, "We will not fear what man does, what the world does, or what the enemy does, because the Lord is our Helper."
According to Hebrews 11:27, it was for this reason that Moses did not fear Pharoah when he left Egypt. "By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible" (Heb. 11:27). The more we believers develop our own individual love relationship with our Father, the clearer we will see Him, and the less we will fear.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers