Overcoming Fear!
 

Lorraine Day, M.D.

 

There are literally hundreds of passages in the Bible that speak of fear, many of which are direct commands by God to us to, “Fear Not!”  “Be not Afraid!”

On the other hand, we are told to “Fear God!”

What does this all mean?

Fear God!

The Bible tells us to have “Reverential Awe” (translated “Fear”) for God, a concept that seems to have escaped the vast majority of the “Christian” denominations today, as well as the vast majority of individual “Christians.”

Most “Christian” Churches have brought God down to the level of “man” – and even lower.  The “Church” has become a social club with coffee and donuts available at the door, Rock bands on stage, the youth – and even those who are older – arrive at the “Church” wearing skimpy, revealing, beach clothes, or sloppy, slovenly outfits better suited for doing yard work.  Cleavages are shamefully exposed both in front and - - in back!

And they claim they are there to “meet the Lord!”

God is not treated with “Reverential Awe.”  Those same “Christians” dress and behave FAR better - and show much more respect - for human visiting dignitaries, or for a job interview, or for a friend’s wedding, than they do for God!

The youth often give blasphemous lip service to God or Jesus, by wearing His name on their Tee shirts, and those who are a little older put the name of Jesus on their bumper sticker.

But if one parades the name of Jesus on his or her tee shirt or bumper sticker, that person CANNOT have Jesus in their heart.  They have NO “Reverential Awe” for the Lord.  Instead, they have made Him just like them!

Paul tells us in Romans 1:21-23 how “man” makes God over into his own image - into the image of man:

“When they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were they thankful; but became futile in their thoughts and their foolish heart was darkened

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man. . .”

The consequence of worshiping a “god” of their own making, one with a character like corruptible man, was licentiousness, debauchery and every kind of sexual immorality, as we are told in the following verses of Romans, Chapter 1.

Eventually, after falling into rampant homosexuality and lesbianism (Rom 1:23-28), other ultimate consequences of worshiping a “god” that the “Church” has designed for themselves – in their own likeness - are the following (Romans 1:28-32):

Fornication
Wickedness
Covetousness
Maliciousness
Envy
Murder
Strife
Deceit
Evil-mindedness
Whisperers (gossipers)
Backbiters
Haters of God
Violent
Proud
Boasters,
Inventors of evil things
Disobedient to parents
Without understanding
Covenant breakers,
Without natural affection,
Unforgiving
Unmerciful

Since we are now living in the End Times, the “Christian” Church is rapidly accomplishing the incorporation of these Satanic characteristics.

So, the majority of “Christians” no longer “fear” – have Reverential Awe for – God.  He has become their surfing buddy, or their bridge partner.

But when one is truly “Born Again” and knows the Lord, rather than just knowing about Him, they will give Him the “Fear” – the Reverential Awe - that He deserves.

 

Fear Not!  Be Not Afraid!

 

The False Doctrine of the Secret Rapture has been developed by segments of the “Christian Church” because of FEAR – fear of what lies ahead – fear of what the Bible books of Daniel and Revelation tell us is even now beginning.

What do Daniel, Revelation, and other prophetic New Testament books of the Bible tell us is right around the corner?

a. “They will kill one another and peace will be taken from the earth.” Rev. 6:4
b. Severe famine:  Rev 6:5,6
c. Death of 1/4 – then 1/3 – then virtually ALL of the inhabitants of the earth by beheading, famine, disease and by wild beasts:  Rev 6:7-8;Chapters 9,10,11,16.
d. Many Martyrs for Christ: Rev 6:9,10;17:5,6,14,15
e. Destruction and annihilation of the Word of God:  Rev 11:6-10
f. One World Government and One World Religion cruelly enforced by penalty of death: Rev 13:7,8,14-17
g. Economic embargo against anyone who will not do the bidding of the One World Government/Religion:  Rev 13:17
h. Collapse of the World Economy: Rev. 18:9-19
i. Destruction of the entire earth by earthquake and fire: 2 Peter 3:10
j. Time of trouble WORSE than any on the earth since the flood killed everyone but Noah and his family: Daniel 12:1
k. Wars, famines, plagues of diseases, earthquakes: Matt 24:7
l. True Christians will be hated by all nations:  Matt 24:9
m. Betrayal by friends and family: Matt. 24:10
n. “Great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”  Matt 24:21
o. If those days were not shortened, No One would survive!  Matt 24:22

This is pretty frightening information for any human being.  Already we are seeing the immense cruelty of the leaders of our own government in ordering brutal torture on inmates in Abu Ghraib and other covert facilities around the world.  We know from history of the horrors of the unbearable torture, down through the ages by the Catholic Church, of those they considered heretics.

There are numerous examples, in the recent past, of horrible atrocities and murder of citizens at the hands of their own leaders, such as Pol Pot in Cambodia. Lenin and Stalin in the U.S.S.R., and Idi Amin in Uganda.  Even today, along with the abundance of terrorism and torture being promoted around the world by the United States – and its covert partner – Israel, there are other leaders, backed and supported by the same Israeli/U.S. cabal, such as Mugabe in Zimbabwe, and the puppet government of Iraq, who are degrading, torturing, and slaughtering their own citizens.

Between 1816 and 1991, over 169 MILLION private citizens were MURDERED by their own governments – FAR MORE than were killed by wars with other nations, according to author R. J. Rummel, in his book Death By Government, published in 1994.

This same horror that is now taking place in Zimbabwe, Palestine, the Sudan, Iraq, and many other countries - - WILL be coming to a neighborhood near YOU – and near ME!  The same group that runs these countries from behind the scenes – runs America!  It is the Zionist Jews/Illuminati!

 An almost unimaginable, Satanic chamber of horrors has been developed by this cabal, including weapons that will melt a human being into a puddle in an instant, weapons that will permanently blind masses of protestors, special rays that will cause heart attacks or melt the skin on demand, and biological weapons that will cause millions to become deathly ill, then bleed to death from every orifice.

Yet God tells us to “Fear Not!”  “Be Not Afraid!”

How is this possible in the face of such horrific cruelty and barbarianism?

How do we learn to “Fear Not”?

In this life we are promised trials and tribulations, because they build character, make us strong, and teach us to put our complete trust in the Lord.

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33

“. . . we glory in tribulations also; knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance produces character; and character produces expectation (hope). And expectation (hope) does not disappoint; because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the spirit of God’s holiness which is given unto us.  Romans 5:3-5

 

In addition, most of the trials and tribulations we have, we bring on ourselves by our bad decisions, whether the decisions are concerning the way we eat, or live, or handle stress.  These decisions make the difference between health or sickness, joy or frustration, peace or anxiety, knowing Jesus Christ personally, or only knowing “about” Him – thinking that we actually know Him, being truly able to trust Him, or fooling ourselves into believing that we trust Him, when we are really trusting in “man.”.  We reap the consequences of our actions, and that often leads to - - trouble.

But, thankfully, God is not a believer in “gratuitous violence,” meaning that He does not allow unlimited trials and tribulations to come upon us just because the world is evil.  God will only allow us to undergo the trials that are individually necessary to bring us to the point where we recognize our need for Him, and learn to trust Him, and become like Him.   He will not allow us to go through even one minute of trouble more than is necessary to accomplish those goals.  Every trial we go through has a purpose – the purpose of making us like Him.  Beyond that, we will have no trouble.

When we understand that God has only our best interest at heart, that He loves us more than a good earthly father loves his children, that He knows the very best way to get us spiritually where we must be to spend eternity with Him, that He understands just how to make us perfect, that He will not allow us to suffer anything above what is necessary for our spiritual sanctification, that He knows exactly what we need to go through to learn to trust Him completely with our life AND with the lives of our family, and that He will go through the terrible times with us and give us strength to carry on, then we can understand the text that says, 

 

“There is no FEAR in LOVE.  For perfect love casts out fear.  . .  He that feareth is not made perfect in love.  1 John 4:18

When we truly love God with all our heart and trust Him solely and completely with our life, THEN we will have NO FEAR!

And God promises that He will not give us more than we can bear.  But, remember, with His help, we can bear anything!

The presence of FEAR in us is a sign that we do not fully love and trust God, a sign that we do not trust that His way is the best, that we do not fully believe that His way – even though it may be painful or humiliating for us – is the only way to sanctification.

Will you be able to watch your children being taken from you, or watch your children being harmed or killed in front of your eyes, and STILL believe that God knows what He is doing and that HIS way is best?  And do you trust that God will ALWAYS bring good out of bad?

Do you really believe that “All things work together for good to them that love God”?  Romans 8:28

 Can you be “Anxious for nothing” as good commands us to be in Philippians 4:6,7

When we learn to love God enough to rest our life - and the lives of our children -  fully in Him and trust that His ways are always right and always the best, we will no longer be afraid!

Examples of trust – Faith – among the Patriarchs are recorded in Hebrews, Chapter 11, where we read that

These men, “through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the invaders.”  Hebrews 11:33-35

Because God created us, including our nervous system and our pain fibers, He can, if He chooses, “turn them off” so we do not feel the pain.  Examples of this are the following:

1.    Shadrach, Meshach and Obednego were thrown in the fiery furnace. There was no screaming and no pain.  In fact, they were not burned at all.  God “quenched the violence of the fire.”  Daniel 3:6-23

2.    Daniel in the Lions’ Den:  God shut the lions’ mouths.  Daniel 6:16-23

3.    Paul was stoned and left for dead.  When his friends came to pick up his body, Paul got up and walked back into the city with them.  The next day, he went on a journey – walking.  Clearly, God protected him from injury during the stoning.  Acts 14:19,20

4.    There are many reports of the martyrs during the dark ages, singing as they were burned at the stake.  This would not be possible if they were feeling the pain of the burning.

We also must not forget that God is in total control of those who wish to harm us.  No one can harm us in any way unless God allows it.  And if God allows it, not only is it for our good, but no one can prevent it.

God knows us better than we know ourselves and He will not give us more than we can bear.  He promises to be with us through the troubles, if we will only get to know Him well enough to trust Him completely

 “Perfect Love” will cast out our fear!

Standing for God in the face of death

Are you ready to stand for God – and Truth – against the Beast power and its lies?  Are you ready to put your life in the hands of God and trust HIM, rather than defend yourself?

Are you willing to put the life of your husband or wife in the hands of God – even to the point of death?

Are you willing to put the lives of your children and/or your grandchildren into the hands of God – even to the point of their death?

That is the kind of test we will be given.  The only way to be ready is to learn NOW to trust God with all our heart. 

So how do we get there?  How do we develop that complete trust in God?  It is a journey.  The only way to learn to trust God with all our heart is by DAILY, fervent, Bible study and prayer until we know Jesus Christ personally and trust Him completely!

 

 

 

God’s Promises for Overcoming Fear

 

Psa 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Psa 56:3 When I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

Psa 56:11 In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.

Psa 91:5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

Psa 112:7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.

Psa 112:8 His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies.

Pro 3:24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.

Pro 3:25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.

Isa 44:8 Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.

Isa 51:7 Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.

Isa 51:12 I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;

Jer 1:8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.

Jer 42:11 Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.

Zep 3:13  The remnant of Israel (the true believers in Jesus Christ) shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.

John 14:27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

Mat 17:7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.

Luk 12:4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Hebrews 11:23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.

1Peter 3:14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy [are ye]: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;

Matt 10:26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.

Mat 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.Mat 10:31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Luk 12:7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Luk 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Luk 21:26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

2 Tim 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Hebr 13:6  So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

1 John 4:18  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Rev 1:17  And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

Rev 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. 

 
© Lorraine Day, M.D. 2006. All Rights Reserved.
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