Don't Be Afraid of Their Fear

Over the past few days, I’ve been hearing in my Spirit don’t be afraid of their fear. The first time I heard it I kind of brushed it off, but it kept coming back to me so I decided to take some time to reflect on the statement.

Let’s take a look at 1 Peter 3:14 and Philippians 1:28. 1 Peter 3:14 says, “But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled”. To understand who “their” is referring to you have to go back to verse 12; “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” It is those that do evil whose terror or fear that we are not to be afraid. Every believer at some point in life will find themselves suffering for righteousness sake, but we have to remember the God is watching over us. We have to remember that our responsibility is to enforce the defeat of the enemy and Philippians 1:28 in the Amplified Classic version reminds us why: “And do not [for a moment] be frightened or intimidated in anything by your opponents and adversaries, for such [constancy and fearlessness] will be a clear sign (proof and seal) to them of [their impending] destruction, but [a sure token and evidence] of your deliverance and salvation, and that from God.”

Since the beginning of the pandemic the spirit of fear was unleashed into the atmosphere, and has been exacerbated with the senseless murders, riots and police brutality during the protests. People are afraid to leave their homes, go to the grocery store, pump gas, etc., and rightfully so. Seeing the numbers of cases skyrocket and the number of deaths increasing rapidly is enough to put fear in anyone. However, God is reminding us that we don’t have to be afraid of their fear. Although the media is doing their job by reporting everything that is going on, they are also projecting fear into the atmosphere. It’s not just the media though. The enemy will use our friends and family to project their fear on us. By no means am I suggesting that we don’t take precautions and follow the guidelines on being safe. However, we can’t let someone else’s fear cause us to lose our faith in God. So how do we do this?

1. Meditate on the word of God as it pertains to Him being our protector. For example, Psalms 91 is an excellent passage to meditate on.

2. Make daily declarations using scripture.

3. Limit time spent watching news and on social media.

These are just a few options that will help keep the spirit of fear from taking over your mind. Think about it like this. The mind doesn’t care what you plant. Whatever you plant in your mind, good seed or bad seed, that’s what the mind is going to return to you. If you plant an apple tree, you’re going to get apples on the tree not oranges. Therefore, if we consistently plant fear, we’re going to be afraid. We have to take control of our thoughts according to 2 Corinthians 10:3-5.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, — 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NKJV

When the spirit of fear tries to throw us off track, we have to stand on 1 Peter 3:14 and Philippians 1:28. Take comfort in knowing that your suffering is not in vain. Be confident in knowing that when you stand toe to toe with the enemy, he’s reminded that he is already defeated. Don’t be afraid of their fear! Until next week…

Be blessed but first comes obedience!

Rev. Robin