Yesterday we looked at some of the root causes of fear and explored some of the things that many people are afraid of. Today we will continue to explore some of the additional sources of fear and how they manifest in people’s lives. We know that fear is a spirit which does not come from God. If fear does not come from God, then we can agree that it comes from the Devil. The enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy and uses fear as a weapon against the believer.

There is a concept known as self-fulfilling prophecy, which relates to a person having a false expectation,which becomes a reality. The concept is that someone speaks or prophecies something false about themselves and it then comes to pass. The spiritual law of confession dictates that what we speak will manifest. An example of how this works, is when the enemy plants seeds of fear and doubt in the minds of someone. That person then speaks what they feel out of fear. Although the statement may be untrue at the time, if the person continues to speak the ideas over themselves, their words will manifest.

Often the very thing that someone fears can become true, because if they say it long enough, they will begin to believe and act on it. For example, a mother may fear her teenaged daughter becoming pregnant because she was a teen mother herself. The mother can become extremely controlling and overprotective of her daughter and project her fears unto her. This can cause her daughter to listen to what her mother says repeatedly and rebel against her mother’s rules. This can drive her into the wrong friendships and lead to the very thing that her mother feared.

“For the thing that I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me” (Job 3:25). Some Theologians believe that this statement suggests, that Job had a fear which opened a door for the devil to operate in his life. We may not know the answer to this question, but it is worthwhile examining where we have fears and start praying for God to remove these from our lives. Let us pray that our actions and motives are not driven by fear and also pray that we do not speak the seeds of fear that the enemy tries to plant in our minds. “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control(2 Timothy‬ ‭1:7‬).

A.P.-Y.

Fear is a natural human emotion which alerts us to the presence of danger. Exaggerated or irrational fear is a symptom of phobias which causes limiting beliefs and ideas. There are many subtle irrational fears and thought patterns that we have internalised overtime. These can keep us from maximising our full potential and accomplishing our God given purpose. Some common fears that people have are the fear of death and dying, the fear of being sick, the fear of being alone or the fear of not being loved or accepted by others.

Many fears are created from negative experiences early in childhood. Other fears stem from negative thought and ideas which we develop from the things that significant people have said to us. Some people are afraid of things that they didn’t experience themselves but represent secondary trauma passed down from their parents. An example can be a mother filling her daughter with extremely negative ideas about men and marriage. Although her daughter may not have necessarily experienced a bad marriage, she can erroneously transfer that fear into her own marriage.

Someone may have been hurt by people in relationships in the past. This can result in the fear of entering into new relationships and cause us to struggle with trusting other people. A child who was hurt by a parent may struggle to trust others. The fear would be that other people may hurt or harm them in the way that their parent(s) did. A rich man can struggle to enjoy his wealth because he is afraid that someone will rob him and take away his wealth. He can also live with the persistent fear that he could wake up one day and find himself poor again.

Negative life experiences can leave deep seated fears in our minds and affect our emotional responses to others. While it is important to learn from our past experiences, we must not allow these experiences to create deep seated fears that can cripple our chances of living a meaningful life. As Christians, let us pray and continue to bind the spirit of fear and it’s limiting effect on our lives. Ask God to show you where you have fears that limit your ability to advance and make progress.

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

A.P.-Y.

In Matthew 18, Jesus’s disciples asked him who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus’s response was to call a child and placed him in their midst. “Unless you become like a little child, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus explained further, that anyone who had the humility of a child and to also received a child in his name, would be greatest in the kingdom. Jesus was clear that a person who caused a young child to sin, was better off having a millstone placed around his neck and drowned into the sea. A similar reference to becoming like children is likened to being born again.

“Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation” (1 Peter 2:2). Accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and saviour, requires child-like faith and a surrender of our selves. The salvation experience puts us unto the path of a new life and being born again, makes us infants in Christ. As we grow in faith, we develop Christlike maturity, but only after we have first taken on the position of children. Jesus also made mention of the angels assigned to small children. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10).

In the very next chapter, people brought children to Jesus, so that he could lay his hands on them and bless them. The disciples put on quite a disappointing show, given the lesson that Jesus had just taught them in chapter 18. They rebuked the people, “but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven”” (Matthew 19:14). In other words, Jesus was happy to receive the children, because their disposition was likened to the kingdom of heaven.

The reference to being like children is not in relation to being childish. To be childish refers to being immature, while childlike in the spiritual sense, refers to humility. Childlike faith requires that we believe what Jesus says. Earthly knowledge can lead to pride and arrogance. We have to remember that the wisdom of men is foolishness to God. Many people who know a lot and consider themselves to be highly educated, can sometimes struggle to wrap their minds around the things of faith. In knowing more, sometimes people know less, because earthly wisdom can cause a person to think that they have all the answers.

A.P.-Y.

In 1 Samuel, we read about Eli who served as a priest in the house of the Lord, along with his two sons. “Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:12). Eli’s two sons Hophni and Phinehas mistreated the people and the offerings of the Lord. They also slept with women and would not listen to the voice of the their father. As a result of their behaviour, God rejected Eli’s house. “Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house” (1 Samuel 2:31).

God already had a plan for his people, as Hannah gave Samuel to serve as a priest in the temple. Hannah’s perceived misfortune of barrenness, led to God’s answer for his people. Hannah made a vow to God that if he gave her a child, she would give him into the service of the Lord. Once Samuel was weaned, she took him and presented him to God. “Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there” (1 Samuel 1:28). Samuel served the Lord in the temple, at a time when the word of the Lord was rare and there were no frequent visions.

The Lord called Samuel and spoke to him, concerning what would happen next in Isreal. “On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end” (1 Samuel 3:12). Isreal soon engaged in a battle with the Philistines and Eli’s two sons were killed. The ark of the covenant was also captured and the news of this terrified Eli. He fell back from his seat and died. Eli’s daughter-in-law was pregnant and when she heard the news of the death of her husband and father-in-law and about the ark, she went into labour. She also died during childbirth and named her son, “Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel” (1 Samuel 4:21).

Eli and his sons were from the tribe of the Levites, who were chosen to serve God in the temple. Eli’s sons did not reverence God, nor did they have care and respect for the people. These men abused their power and used their spiritual authority to mistreat people. God held Eli responsible because his sons were blasphemous and he failed to discipline them. The concept of discipline is discussed many times in scripture and God is clear that it is important for everyone. This is one of the highest forms of love and the exercise of wisdom. “because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in” (Proverbs 3:12).

A.P.-Y.

Shortly after the Lord called Samuel to be the prophet over the people of Israel, the Philistines made war against them. Israel was being beaten by the Philistines, so they asked that the ark of the Lord be brought into their camp. They perceived that with the presence of the Lord in their midst, they were guaranteed victory. The Philistines were afraid when they heard that Isreal had the ark of the Covent. “Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness” (1 Samuel 4:8). Despite their fear, they pursued the Israelites and defeated them.

The Israelites ran away and the ark of God was captured by the Philistines. They took the ark to Ashdod and put it in the house of Dagon their god and placed it beside him. The next day they found Dagon lying face down on the floor. They put Dagon back in his place and the next day, he was not only lying face down, but his hands and head had been cut off. “The hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory” (1 Samuel 5:6). They moved the ark of God between three different cities, because of the affliction that they experienced.

On each occasion, the city which they took the ark to, was afflicted by tumours and death. The people eventually agreed to send the ark of God back to the children of Israel. “They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand does not turn away from you”” (1 Samuel 6:3). The Philistines melted gold and made images of the tumours and mice that had ravaged their land. They hoped that the hand of the Lord would be lighter with them due to their offering.

I am amazed at how the presence of God brought terror on the Philistines. The ark was designed to rest with God’s people and carried his presence. Although Isreal was in a state of sin, the Philistines were foolish to think that they could place God in a tent with their other god. No wonder Dagon was found face down with his head and hands cut off. Furthermore, God had a covenant with his own people and not with the Philistines. The presence of God among them served as judgement as they were the enemies of God. More so, the ark did not belong to them and their envy and stupidity led to their calamity. “There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours” (Psalm 86:8).

A.P.-Y.