God wants you to be blessed and realize the greatest purposes for which He created you. What typically keeps many of us from experiencing God’s best for, however, us is some sort of fear. It could be fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of shame, fear of the future, fear of being alone, fear of harm, fear of loss, fear of the unknown or countless other fears. God, however, wants you to experience transformation and overcome fear. He wants you to grow from living in a state of fear to one of victorious faith.

Where Does Fear Really Come From?

One thing we know is that fear doesn’t come from God. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). God offers us the gifts of faith and freedom—which are opposite of fear. So, what keeps us from receiving God’s gifts?

So let’s look at what fear is. Fear is typically defined as a distressing emotion, concern or anxiety aroused by a perceived threat (whether real or imagined) or risk of significant loss of anything held valuable, whether it be related to safety, security, provision, health or anything else.

Most of our fears begin either through traumatic events or patterns of life experiences very early in life. We are conditioned to living in fear through a lot of what we see and hear through people around us and the culture in which we live.

Fear, therefore, operates as a chain reaction. What starts or causes fearful responses? Psychology will tell you fear begins as stressful response to a certain stimulus. We don’t always consciously know what triggers it. But inclinations to fear do have an origin.

Seeing a Biblical Perspective of Fear and Faith

The Bible begins with an illustration providing insight into how fear originates. The story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden serves as our reference point. The narrative in Genesis 3 records how immediately after Adam and Eve believed the lie of the serpent and ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, fear set in and influenced their decisions and actions.

Hear how Adam confessed why he hid from God in the garden: “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself.” God revealed very simply that the fear came because of the subconscious guilt and shame of disobeying and denying God’s truth and believing the lie. Trusting in falsehood fractured their ability to relate with God and apply His truth.

The story contrasts the dynamics of faith and fear. Through it we see the fruitfulness of trusting in the grace, truth and strength of Creator God vs. the futility of living apart from God. The truth is, as a result of living apart from God you are swayed by humanity’s weaknesses and the forces of evil in the world.

So we see that living in trusting faith, being nurtured through God’s Word and Spirit, brings divine blessings. On the other hand, denying God’s truth brings fear and dire consequences. So how can we overcome fear?

Confronting the Dynamics of Fear

So we see that the root of fear in reality comes from denying God’s grace and truth. We see this through the illustration of eating the forbidden fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

The effect of listening to or being influenced by the serpent—the personification of evil—depicts the seduction of falsehood. Consequently, it imparts fear that paralyzes your soul, suffocates your spirit, blinds you to God’s loving-kindness, mercy and truth and sets you in forms of bondage.

The bondage, to a large degree, issues through the dynamics of how fear operates. It develops through an unhealthy conscience; one that has been clouded or dulled or cannot filter or discern truth. How so?

Since the natural human response is pain avoidance, fear sets in gear basic human survival or coping mechanisms which are typically reflected in opposite fight-or-flight responses. Some are more healthy and socially acceptable than others.  However, while coping mechanisms provide a temporary fix, they don’t deal with the root issue. So coping mechanisms don’t really help you overcome fear. They just help you cope with it.

Reality is, coping mechanisms in effect establish propensities and patterns of behavior. They affect the way you make decisions and interact with others. The greater the degree the fear, the greater you will revert to more aggressive or passive types of behaviors and responses.

Aggressive behaviors may include hyper activity, inordinate controlling tactics, anger or violence. Passive behaviors, however, are less easy to spot. You typically just engage in some other less threatening activities.

Contrasting Fear and Faith

Fear is always self-defeating. It is destructive. Fear, the opposite of faith, is based on a lack of trust; which is what faith is all about. Faith, in its deepest reality, is more about trust than anything else. You can believe in something intellectually but the degree to which you act is based more on your measure of trust; which is directly connected to truth. You will only trust in something or somebody with which you associate truth.

Truly, faith is an issue of trust; trusting what you hold as truth, and acting upon it. Since you can only trust those with whom you can relate, the more you relate with God, the greater your level of trust in God. What then can we say about real biblical faith?

So Biblical faith is more than rationalizing beliefs about God, expressing emotions towards God, engaging in superstitious practices or maintaining presumptuous notions based on partial truths or wishful thinking. Biblical faith is about forging and cultivating a relationship with God built on trust. It’s about trusting in who God is; His Word, His faithfulness and love, His grace and truth. That’s why the Lord is the ROCK of our salvation—faithful, strong and true!

The Inner Working of Faith

As we receive truth the Holy Spirit brings conviction of heart and an inner witness that brings peace. Something else then happens. God’s nature—His character—is fashioned within us.

Why is character so important? Firstly, our own humanity and carnality influences our thoughts and emotions and restrains our ability to perceive God through mere intellectual reasoning, place trust in God and walk in faith. Godly character, however, helps us trust God. It also reflects outwardly, setting an example for others, influencing them to likewise place trust in God and enter into a relationship with God.

We, therefore, see that faith is more than a system of knowledge, set of religious practices or superstition. Faith is  trust in God which issues in action and behavior. In addition, faith fosters growth of character. It is that character—His character operating within you—that gives you courage to pursue righteous endeavors and walk in your convictions. So we see that courage is in effect applied faith; or putting faith in action.

Seeing God’s Purpose of Cultivating Trusting Faith

God’s purpose has always been to cultivate trusting faith in Him; and His sovereignty as Creator and Redeemer of mankind. He set the stage in Exodus 20 to provide a context in which to present His universal law and set of divine guidance for life—the Ten Commandments. He purposed to make a lasting impression upon the children of Israel and all mankind.

How so? Immediately after these statements we read how the people experienced the thunder and lightning, the trumpet blast and the smoking mountain. They were afraid and pulled back to stand at a distance. So, to calm them and impart a special dose of faith, Moses issued a unique word of encouragement: “Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.”

To appreciate the profound meaning of this exhortation, we have to look at the meaning of some of the Hebrew words used. The Hebrew word translated as fear used is yirah. It has different levels of meanings. On the one hand it means to fear, revere and hold in awe. Even further, it conveys a sense of wonderment and amazement to inspire a sense of reverent worship, devotion and trust—one that would cause you to dread and repel sin.

Taking it a step further, the Hebrew word translated as test is nasot, which also has multiple levels of meaning. On the one hand it means to prove, assay; examine the quality of something. It also means to a greater extent, to be so proven that we can be persuaded by, accustomed to or familiar with something.

God’s purpose in testing us, therefore, is to bring us to overcome fear. He wants us to be persuaded by the immensity of His power. In addition, He wants us to become so familiar with His presence and nature that it will transform us! Truly, God wants to expand our capacity. He wants us to grow into greater vessels, capable of receiving His immense blessings!

Seeing God’s Greater Purpose: Developing the Fear of the Lord

So we see God’s greater purpose is to more than test us; but strengthen our heart and transform us. This is because He desires to establish a strong enduring covenant relationship with us. Truly, God desires to impart in us a healthy fear.

What is a healthy fear? It is the fear of the Lord. It is a sense of awe and high regard toward Him that promotes an overwhelming trust in the reality of His presence, power, love and faithfulness. In addition, it inspires us to uphold righteous standards and values, and engage in righteous pursuits.

Such a sense of God’s presence, oversight and power will incline you to be conscious of the effect of what you say and do, that you might not sin and fall short of God’s best. So, how do we fall short of God’s best for us? Through distrust and resisting to walk according to His righteous, moral and ethical standards and ways.

Seeing the Fear of the Lord Manifesting as the Love of God

So we see how the fear of God truly manifests as the love of God. It is this love which God desires to cultivate in the human heart. See how the dynamics of this concept work. Being immersed in God’s love causes you to not want to offend or betray God, deny His truths or violate His covenant and moral law.

God does demand that we honor and revere Him. He is a jealous God. What does that really mean? Out of His love for us He will tolerate no other gods we may place before Him. So, He watches over us with a fiery jealousy to protect us; and preserve the integrity of His covenant relationship with us.

The Fear of the Lord Brings You into Closer Alignment with the Godhead

In drawing you towards God, it further causes you to want to come into alignment with Him; His purposes, ways and values, thought processes and heart patterns. It further draws you towards loving His nature and identifying with His manifold attributes as:

Creator— loving what God as Father created in you, and desiring to be an expression of it;
Revealer— loving what God as Holy Spirit reveals as truths and insights into spiritual realities;
Redeemer— loving how God came as Messiah and Lord to bring eternal redemption, reconciliation, restoration and recovery of what Satan and the world has stolen through falsehood, corruption and the power of evil.

What the fear of the Lord does is establish and affirm God’s image upon your heart. Furthermore, it keeps God front and center before you. As a result, you become more familiar with Him—His nature, truths and ways—than your own carnal and sinful nature. This may sound hard to believe, but it’s what true transformation is about.

This was how David overcame the fear of the giant Goliath! He defeated him by applying what God had made familiar to him—trusting faith in God and simple tools he learned to use effectively. As he told King Saul, he didn’t need the king’s armor, which was too bulky and unproven to him. It in fact was unfamiliar to him.

So David, the man after God’s own heart, kept God’s truth upon the forefront of his mind. God’s love and covenant truth was inscribed upon the tablet of his heart. It, therefore, gave him the courage to overcome fear; the fear that had paralyzed the army of Saul.

The Fear of the Lord Inspires Courageous Action Motivated by Faith

The Bible is full of stories illustrating how the fear of the Lord inspired people to muster up great faith, act courageously and experience incredible results. In Hebrews 11:7 we read how, “by faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”

I love the phrase, “he condemned the world.” Think about it. Think about the scorn and intimidation of the world condemning him as he constructed this huge ship on dry ground—with no water in sight. Can you hear the constant ridicule and taunts?

Perhaps you’ve been through something where you were constantly condemned, looked down upon, ridiculed, shamed or made to feel guilty? What faith and inner strength do you think Noah had to have to overcome such adversity and conflict? It is the kind that God seeks to develop in you!

Let the heroes of faith inspire you through their testimonies recorded in Hebrews 11. They all allowed God to strengthen them on the inside, cultivate the healthy fear of the Lord and act in tremendous faith to experience the awesome power of God and accomplish much in their generation. Have you ever wondered what it will take for you to act with such boldness and courage to allow God to accomplish great things through you?

I’ve experienced God’s amazing grace in numerous ways over the last 30-plus years. He has given me many opportunities to testify of His awesome love and power. One thing I have found is that God brings us to places to work through and settle some key issue inside before He gives us opportunities to advance forward and experience His glory in amazing ways.