STEP 21 “FACING OUR FEAR”
Scripture on fear:
Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 118:6 The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (fear), but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
Psalm 115:11 You who fear him, trust in the LORD-- he is their help and shield.
Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
1 Chronicles 28:20 David also said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished.
Psalm 56:3-4 When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?
Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:13 For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
Isaiah 54:4 "Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.
Matthew 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Romans 8:15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ""Abba," Father."
1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage (not of fear); be strong.
Fear defined = Terminology The English word “fear” is used to translate several Hebrew and Greek words. In the Old Testament, the most common word used to express fear is yir' ah , which means “fear, “terror.” In the New Testament, the word used most often to express fear is phobos which means “fear,” “dread,” “terror” also is where “phobia” is derived.
What then is the difference between a healthy fear, an unhealthy fear? Is there a dangerous fear? A fear of unbelief?
Step 21 is labeled, On Unmanly Fears. St. John describes this spiritual danger in these words:
If you pursue virtue in a monastery or coenobium (a colony containing a fixed number of cells, with little or no specialization), you are not likely to be attacked much by cowardice (fear). But the man who spends his time in more solitary places should make every effort to avoid being overcome by that offspring of vainglory, that daughter of unbelief, cowardice.
Cowardice is a childish disposition in an old, vainglorious soul. Cowardice is a falling away from faith that comes of expecting the unexpected.
Fear is danger tasted in advance, a quiver as the heart takes fright before unnamed calamity. Fear is a loss of assurance . . . it is a lapse from faith that comes from anticipating the unexpected.
This kind of spiritual fear which John is describing is one which is illustrated fittingly in the lives of the Apostles at the time of the Crucifixion. Their fear of the unknown, their fear of death, their fear of the power of the evil forces, their fear of public opinion kept them from following Christ. They abandoned Christ in His Passion because they were afraid.
Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled. Matthew 26:56
This spiritual phenomenon takes place in our lives more than we realize. How often do we not follow the road which Christ has outlined for us to follow because we are afraid? For each person the fear is slightly different.
Sometimes we fail to follow Christ because we are afraid of what it will cost us. There is a cost associated with each step of the spiritual journey; a further detachment from the things of this world, a new step of faith and trust, a great reliance upon Christ. When we face those moments of truth when the cost is made abundantly clear, we can feel very threatened and vulnerable. For so long we have lived in a certain way, for so long our security has been wrapped up in the things and ways that we are now being asked to put aside. The fears can grow very large.
Other times we falter in our journey towards God because we are afraid of the reactions of others. As we grow towards God, we change. Very often these changes are not immediately accepted by those who have known us. Perhaps they are threatened by our changes; perhaps they are challenged and convicted by them. The reasons vary. When we move towards God in positive and challenging ways, we run the risk of misunderstanding, abuse and rejection. Once again, the fears loom large.
Other times we are afraid of our own inability to do that which God has asked us to do. Perhaps we have failed so many times in the past that we are afraid of falling again. It seems easier to do nothing than to step out in obedience to the call of God.
These and many others represent the nature of our fears. But John pushes us to see the "why" behind the "what." He isolates two factors. First we are overwhelmed with fear because of our pride.
A proud soul is a slave of cowardice; it vainly trusts in itself, and is afraid of any sound or shadow of creatures. And in translation we read this…. "A proud soul is the slave of cowardice. Trusting only itself, it is frightened by a sound or shadow." (Because of this pride), The Lord rightly withdraws His protection from the proud so that the rest of us may not become vain.
Most of us have experienced what John is describing. We are following after Christ, and for a while, by His grace, we are achieving victory. We are accepting the new challenge and continuing to work on the old. As we begin, we are relying upon Him; our prayer life is active, our need for sacraments strong, our love for God high.
But as we continue, the intensity of our spiritual life begins to wane. As we fall into a new routine, living out the challenges in a less stressful (maybe less exciting) environment, our faith in God is replaced by faith in self. Very often we don’t even notice it. Then God allows a new challenge to come into our lives. Suddenly we are overwhelmed by fear!!!! Why? It is our pride and self-reliance. Trusting only in ourselves, we suddenly realize how small and weak we are. Fear reigns!!!
What has happened here in this, we now have faith in ourselves, not in God. He removed His protection, showing us our weaknesses, bringing us to a realization of our need for Him, and our need of faith in Him.
Those who mourn and those who are insensitive are not subject to fear, but the cowardly often have become deranged. And this is natural. For the Lord rightly forsakes the proud that the rest of us may learn not to be puffed up.
Although all cowardly people are vainglorious, yet not all who are unafraid are humble, since even robbers and grave-plunderers may be without fear.
How do we overcome this? By exercising true faith….
Do not hesitate to go in the dark of night to those places where you are normally frightened. The slightest concession to this weakness means that this childish and absurd malady will grow old with you. So as you go where fright will lay hold of you, put on the armour of prayer (Ephesians 6:10), and when you reach the spot, stretch out your hands and flog your enemies with the Name of Jesus, since there is no stronger weapon in heaven or on earth. And when you drive the fear away, give praise to the God, Who delivered you, and He will protect you for all eternity, provided you remain grateful.
Secondly, we often are overwhelmed by fear through demonic oppression. John describes it this way:
My hair and my flesh shuddered (Job 4:15). These were the words of Eliphaz when he was talking about the coming of this demon…… (HEAR THIS!!) It is barrenness of soul, not the darkness or emptiness of places, which gives the demons power against us. And the providence of God sometimes allows this to happen so that we may learn from it.
He who has become the servant of the Lord will fear his Master alone, but he who does not yet fear Him is often afraid of his own shadow.
Interestingly, he says that as we grow in the spiritual life, we will begin to detect the presence of spiritual beings through the presence or absence of fear… The key here is “as we grow…” In this growth, we learn to detect, sense, hear, see.. our senses are sharpened and shaped.
The body is terrified by the presence of an invisible spirit. Yet when an angel stands nearby, the soul of the humble is exultant. So if we detect an angel by the effect he is producing, let us hasten to pray since our heavenly guardian has come to join us. “And goodness (grace) and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life….” Psalm 23:6
How do we overcome such fears? The answer is clear: through sincere humility and heartfelt trust in God and through the rejection of all Satanic fantasies. We must not allow fear to keep us from pursuing God. We must look neither to the right nor to the left, but walk faithfully on that path which God has laid before us, looking to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith.
*****If your soul is unafraid even when the body is terrified, you are close to being healed of this attacking disease.. For fear is a disease to faith...
He who has conquered cowardice (fear) has clearly dedicated his life and soul to God.
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