Overcoming FearSample

THE BIBLE HAS A LOT TO SAY ABOUT FEAR

Fear is a surprisingly major topic throughout the Bible. The word “Fear” comes up 367 times, and “afraid” appears 216 times in the NKJV, while the word “Love” only comes up 361 times. This seems shocking because love is such a major theme in scripture. Not every example and story of love uses the word, as many are demonstrated in action, but this still shows a lot of attention on the subject of fear. 51 times we are told DO NOT FEAR, and 50 more times DO NOT BE AFRAID; FEAR NOT is used 11 times. Fear is a real-life issue that robs a lot of people, and God wants to set us free from this weapon of the enemy.

Fear is often a tool of the enemy to keep us from God’s call and promises for us and our lives. Fear of what might be often stops us from walking in what can be.

The Israelites show us how Satan robbed an entire generation of God’s promise through fear. The Israelites had been slaves for generations, for hundreds of years. They cried out to God, and He heard their cry. He sent Moses to deliver them and take them to THE PROMISED LAND. It was going to be amazing. They had their doubts because it all seemed impossible for a nation of slaves, but God moved. Pharaoh (the ruler of Egypt, where they were enslaved) didn’t want to let them go. He told Moses, “Who is God and why should I let His people go?” (Exodus 5:2 ESV). God answered Pharaoh’s question. God moved powerfully with signs and wonders, one plague after another, as Pharaoh didn’t want to bow to God. He resisted God and hardened his heart. After the 10th plague, he let them go. But after he let them go, he changed his mind. He set out to capture them, but God delivered them, splitting the Red Sea in two and allowing them to walk across. As the Egyptian army chased them, the waters came back together, washing away the army. Throughout their journey, God provided water and food miraculously, He showed Himself faithful, and, eventually, they came to the edge of the promised land. The land flowing with milk and honey. They sent in spies to see the promised land. They came back with their report in Numbers 13.

Numbers 13:27-28 (ESV):

“27 And they told him, ’We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there.’“

While they saw the promise was all that God had said it would be, they got hung up. They laid hold of the opposition in their hearts and were filled with fear. They seem to completely forget all that God had done. They forgot how God delivered them out of Egypt with signs and wonders; they forgot that He had wiped an army off the map to protect them. Numbers 13:33 (ESV) ends with their confession of feeling like a grasshopper compared to the people there. They chose to hold on to the promise of fear and were crippled from moving forward. The people grumbled in Numbers 14:1-4 (ESV). They asked to die in the desert or go back to being slaves. I am always amazed at this verse; it shows just how irrational fear can make us. Fear stopped them from seeing how faithful God had been. They lost sight of the promise, only saw the opposition, and in fear of death, they asked to die. The adult generation was granted their request, and all but the two who stood in faith on God’s promise died in the desert and missed out on the promise.

While it can be easy to point the finger at those whose stories we read, it happens to us, too. We can get so focused on the fear that we miss the opportunities we do have. Don’t let fear of what might be rob you of what can be.

The Israelites weren’t the only ones being robbed by fear. It is so easy to let the fear of what might be rob us of today. It can stop us from walking into God’s promises - whether it's at work, with the family, or in any area where God has placed a dream. But we can live like the two who laid hold of the promise from God and walked into the promised land.