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Fear has many faces and sources. The Greek word PHOBIA (phobia) or fear in English is a learned response and can be unlearned through the inexpensive fortification of your soul with Bible doctrine. No amount of behavioral therapy or systematic desensitization (that is psychological therapy combined with hypnosis) can successfully eliminate fear in the mind and heart of a person. Satan bombarded the entire human race with humanistic viewpoint since the beginning of human history, making man believe his lies and fearful of his schemes. The primary source of fear is the old sinful nature bombarded with satanic lies (that is the combination of satanic and human viewpoints). Satan is working overtime creating and building up tensions, worries, panic, lies, confusions, and fear in the hearts of men. Here is a shocking truth: religious teaching, philosophy, superstitious, human viewpoint pass fear to human souls. Religion has succeeded in creating fear in the hearts of men in a very subtle and unsuspecting manner. Religion is the best instrument of Satan in pulling men into the pit of demonic influence. There is a very long list of fear, most of which are illogical, pure superstition and unreal. But the most important thing here is that: You must defeat your fear before it defeat you and only then you can defeat your enemy. Fear is your most dangerous enemy. When it strikes, it must not be allowed to ignite a devastating chain reaction of mental attitude sins that always incapacitate thinking, decision making and actions. There are several basic categories of fear:
The human volition plays a vital role in overcoming fear. The will to submit or overcome fear is a matter of choice. Your thinking pattern or mental attitude leads to your decision and decision leads to your action. If the mind is full of fear, the decision is often made under fear factor, then the action is always because of fear.
Fear focus on the problem but the Word of God focuses on the divine solution to human problems. The only way to solve human problem is by divine solution. Human solutions to human problems are not solutions but breeds more problems leading to fear. Fear exemplifies human viewpoint and obstructs problem solving. God has provided complete victory over fear. God expects every Church Age believers to overcome his fear through the divine provision and divine problem-solving devices provided at the point of salvation. No believer is left without defense and protection in satanic cosmic systems. It is irrational, illogical and useless to pray for some kind of power to overcome your fear when in reality God has already provided everything we need pertaining to life and godliness. God has provided every thing in advance and nothing is lacking or missing. God has provided a ten (10) line of defense in the soul of the believer against the four (4) intense conflicts which are:
The believer is not left alone in the world to become victim of fear. God has provided every solution to every human problem. The solutions are in the Bible systematically categorized and arranged for easy access. The ten problem-solving devices are:
Fear breeds arrogance while the Word of God in the soul nurtures genuine humility. Fear prevents living the spiritual life while Bible doctrine rejuvenates the spiritual life. Fear obstructs problem solving while the Word of God initiates problem solving. How to handle the stress of the battle and pressure of life is something you cannot learn apart from the actual situations. Psychology, psychiatry and hypnosis with positive thinking will not solve the fear that dominates the human souls. No believer will survive the cosmic system without Bible doctrine in the soul. God will not remove the problem or the suffering but God will convert the evil that assails us to our benefits. He will build a wall of fire around the believer and protect him by the power of God [Zechariah 2:5, 1 Peter 1:5a]. There is nothing as accident in the life of the believer-everything is part of His decree, nothing is unknown to God. Nothing we do will ever surprise Him. God delivers and rescues us in His perfect timing. Nothing is too late and nothing is too early, everything is just in perfect timing [Psalm 91:14-16, Romans 8:28]. No believer will die of famine (that is economic recession or depression) or from war (that is disaster, calamity and death) [Job 5:19-20]. No weapon of war will take your life as long as God*s plan for your life is to stay on earth. The believer with Bible doctrine in the soul will survive the scourge of the tongues (that is slander, mockery, insults, unfair dealings). There is no such thing as accident for Christians; everything is according to divine decree, the result of human freewill and decision. The life of the believer is insured by the Character of God-you are under His security blanket. When you loss everything but not your integrity, your future is secured by the integrity of God not by anything else. Bible doctrine in your soul is the guarantee. God honors his Word wherever it may be found. The life of the believer is secured and protected by the power of God, which is the best and perfect protection in the entire universe. No place is safe except in this world except in the center of God's will. Nothing can guarantee your protection from anything and anyone except the Lord Jesus Christ. Your ten is secured (perikrates) signifies having full command and control. The English term secure is from the Latin secura meaning free from anxiety. It has the Greek equivalent amerimnos, meaning stability, security [Job 5:24, 1 Peter 5:7, Philippians 4:6-7]. The antonym of “secured" is insecurity meaning, "a person loaded with cares". You will laugh [Job 5:22a] means to have humor. It is an indication of inner contentment and peace of mind amidst severe tragedy. His sense of humor is the result of sharing the happiness of God that knows the mind of Christ. The wild beasts are metaphor for the sudden violent disasters. The believer is under instruction not to be frightened by the possibility of violent devastation or changes. God will not drive away the wild beasts but He will make the poison totally ineffective against the growing and advancing believers. For you will be in league with the stones of the field [Job 5:23] refers to the stones that were designed to use as weapon against you. The same stones will be your friends *they will not hit you. There are bullets without your name on it. The beasts of the wild will be at peace with you [Job 5:23b], refers to the effects of disaster and calamity turned into blessing for your welfare. Your descendant will be many [Job 5:25]; means that life must go on for the believer regardless of his situation or condition, regardless of his pains and sufferings. Life must go on. No one and nothing could destroy the believer until his final appointment to depart from this planet. Likewise, the planet earth will be preserved for the purpose of God until at the end of the millennial reign of Christ. Worldwide destruction is impossible because only God has the right to destroy this planet. God created it and He alone has the right to destroy it [2 Peter 3:10-13, Revelation 21:1]. Nobody can take your life without God's permission as schedule by divine decree (Hebrews 8:27). Nothing comes into your life without God's permission. Like the stacking of grains in its season [Job 5:26] is metaphor for the security provided by divine logistical grace, which is a guarantee from God. There are four root causes of insecurity in the human lives:
The believer has no entitlement to be insecure in the world because God has provided already the remedy. The believer becomes insecure when he focuses on the crisis not on God. The fear factor can easily enslaves a person in no time:
The Christian life is a life of victory for we have the victor Himself. We are not aiming, aspiring or fighting for victory but from victory. The victory of the Christian life is not goal, not the objective, not the project but the cause, the reason why we endure, the very purpose why we have to continue advancing. The growing believer who is residing in the will and purpose of God is secured even in the midst of trouble waters, in the worst conflict and disaster. Whenever fear strikes, the believer must resolve to apply the divine solution that is to totally rely and put your confidence on God (Psalm 56:3). The Bible doctrine in the soul of the believer is the antidote for fear. God will not remove the cause of our fear but He will reverse the effects of fear by His presence (Psalm 118:6). God designed our regenerated souls to live in the midst of fear and turmoil, but we have no reason to dwell in fear. God has already provided everything we need to overcome fear and every problem in this world. Fear is a mental attitude sin that must be overcome. Do not anxiously look about you refers to believers who are seeking human solutions to resolve their problems [Isaiah 41:10]. God in His perfect omniscience knows exactly our problems and the exact solutions. We must look for God who has the solution. Remember, human solution is no solution. The Scripture prescribes virtue from Bible doctrine against fear: Be strong and do not be afraid. The souls of the believers are not immune to fear that affects the human will and effectiveness to keep advancing toward the goal [Deuteronomy 20:1]. Strong refers to the power of the spiritual life. Courage is the expression of this strength. Combine strong and courage and you have moral courage. Do not be afraid, means that we do not dwell on the possibility of personal injury or death but the objective set before us. As Christians, we do not dwell on losing the battle but we focus on the victory we already possessed. Do not panic. Some irrational and emotional terror may paralyze the mind and the heart. Bible doctrine alone has the power to clear this panic and fear. Only the encouragement from the Word of God can eradicate this kind of panic. But the encouragement from human viewpoint creates pseudo peace and more fear. Tranquility under severe pressure is the overt expression of a courageous soul with Bible doctrine. Do not tremble. The fear in the soul cause incapacitating physical reactions or emotional outbursts, that continues to shake the believer for long. Battle courage that comes from the Word of God may not eliminate fear, but allows you to put your training in action in spite of it [Psalm 27:3, 46:6-9, 55:22-23, 140:1-2]. Trembling obscure your focus of divine reality and removes the possibility of good decision. It handicaps the believer from doing the will of God. God is in control of human history and of all events in the entire universe. Nothing comes as accident to believers. Everything is part of the divine decree. Everything is under His guidance and protection. God in His perfect knowledge of all things related to man keep an eye on every event. Nothing escapes His wisdom. Some events happen because God allows it and some happen because He causes it. To overcome fear, the believer must apply basic principles: THE PRINCIPLE OF VICTORY OVER FEAR OF DEATH The death of the believer is exactly God’s decision. The divine decision for us to die is victory since God is the absolute authority in life and death [1 Corinthians 15:55-57]. The divine decision regarding the believer*s death includes the manner, the time and place of death [Psalm 116:15]. The believer is always under God*s protection until the Lord takes him home. Since God is perfect, His timing is perfect in all manners of life and death [Job 1:21b]. Death is the wise and gracious choice of God and always the best for the believer. In death, we are face to face with the Lord. We are in a place of perfect happiness, leaving all the troubles and suffering behind. THE PRINCIPLE OF VICTORY OVER SUDDEN CRISIS God is in control of human history. All events in human history are for the benefits of the believers including the worst disaster and calamity. National discipline does not exempt the spiritual believer from sorrows and pains. Sufferings for the mature believers are not designed to destroy them but to accelerate their growth. The saints are expected to use divine solutions and not to seek more miseries for themselves. Disaster or crisis cause sorrows to the believer that leads to repentance [2 Corinthians 7:9-11]. More crisis and disasters are expected before the Second Advent. The believers are expected to endure such sufferings and never give up. THE PRINCIPLE OF VICTORY OVER SORROW As believers, we have hope, a real confidence based on the Essence of God [1 Thessalonians 4:13]. Physical death is not the end of their story (the deceased). Enduring grief and sorrow become an imperative of the Christian life. You cannot stop normal living because your love ones have died and gone to heaven (hell). You cannot resent others who are enjoying life when you are in a state of sorrow. You cannot demand your relatives and friends to join your extended grief and mourning. You must not tarnish their memory of the deceased by becoming morbid, bitter, resentful or vindictive. Your grief and loneliness is a private matter between you and the Lord. Your loneliness belongs to you alone, in the same manner; your confidence belongs to you alone. The death of the deceased is a perfect decision of God (no matter how brutal and ruthless the manner maybe). We know very little about them but God is perfectly knowledgeable. To complain and to ask God about His perfect decision is to question His sovereignty and righteousness. Our sorrow (no matter how grievous) is just temporal and personal matter. It is not the affair of the whole community or the affair of the local church. The believer is displaying his immaturity by asking or soliciting sympathy from others. The Christian life is a life of victory and the believer must appropriate or apply that victory from moment to moment of his sojourning in the world. Remember, we are fighting and advancing from the VICTORY OF CHRIST not to gain our own victory. Conclusion: There are more than fifteen Hebrew nouns and ten verbs that are translated as fear in the English Bible. Thus it occupied a large place in the Hebrew Scriptures. In the New Testament there is one main noun for "fear," phobos, and one main verb, phobeo. The element of fright or terror seems to be inherent in these terms, but as is the case in the Old Testament, the idea of reverential trust predominates. Though the Bible has so much to say about fear and yet it does not in anyway propagate or advocate fright or terror but courage toward men and circumstances and confidence toward God. The fear of the Lord is the antidote against anything that creates, employs, causes and contributes to our fear. The world (cosmos diaboliicus) is under the bondage and slavery of sin which causes fear. A common expression is "the fear of the Lord," which occurs fourteen times in the book of Proverbs. It is declared to be "the beginning of knowledge" (1:7), "the beginning of wisdom" (9:10), "a fountain of life" (14:27), and "the instruction of wisdom" (15:33). We are told that "the fear of the Lord is to hate evil" (8:13), that it prolongs life (10:27) that it gives "strong confidence" (14:26) that it keeps people away from sin (16:6), that it leads to life (19:23), and that the reward of humility and the fear of the Lord are "riches, honor and life" (22:4). It should be obvious that "the fear of the Lord" does not mean being afraid of God. Rather, it is a reverential trust in God that makes us wants to please and obey him. And yet there is a wholesome feeling of being sure that we do not disobey or displease him. Another interesting expression is "the Fear of Isaac" (Gen. 31:42; 53). It appears to be an appellation for God, meaning the one for whom Isaac had fear (that is, reverential trust). Somewhat different is the fear of God spoken of in Gen. 20:11. When Abraham came to Gerar, he thought, "Surely there is no fear of God in this place." This would probably mean being afraid of God. An interesting combination is that found in Exodus 20:20: "And Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of him may remain with you, so that you may not sin.'" The people were not to be afraid of God, but they were to have a proper sense of reverence that would include a fear of displeasing him. A favorite phrase in the New Testament that occurs also in a number of places in the Old Testament is "Fear not," or, "Do not be afraid". This occurs especially with the sudden appearance of angels (Matthew. 28:5; Luke 1:13, 30; 2:10). Here it seems to indicate the feeling of terror or fright that the angel's presence brought. The Lord Jesus used it in the sense of being afraid of the future. He comforted his disciples with the words: "Don't be afraid: you are worth more than many sparrows" (Luke 12:7). In verse 32 of the same chapter he says: "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom." Fear as a preventative has value. But fright or terror has no place in the Christian's life, at least in his relationship to God. We are encouraged and commanded not to fear anything or anyone. We are mandated not to fear the presence of God but to have confidence toward God (Hebrews 3:6, 4:16, 10:19, 35, 2 John 28). Fright or terror in the presence of God is not a virtue, and so with courage toward God. Courage toward God is misdirected virtue and it is blasphemy. There is no instant way to overcome fear but it requires a long process. Every normal person, believer and unbeliever has his own fear in some particular aspect. It is normal for unbelievers to dwell in fear but never for believers. Fear toward men and circumstances have no place in our relationship with God. It is an insult to God for believers to dwell in fear. To overcome fear, the believer must apply the four basic principles for all believers:
Fear will diminish from the soul of the believer gradually according to the pace of doctrinal input into the kardia. The soul must be renewed with Bible doctrine replacing the human viewpoints, negative mental attitude sins, religious and supernatural beliefs, illusions and mystical information, and demonic doctrines. The pace, speed of the doctrinal input varies because the volition of the believer varies from one another. The doctrinal frame of reference (the amount of Bible doctrine in the soul) will determine the pace of your spiritual momentum. The bigger is the amount of Bible doctrine in the soul, the lesser the believer succumbs or gives in to fear. If there is less Bible doctrine in the soul, the more the believer surrenders to fear. There are numerous categories of fear but none is without antidote from the Bible. None exempts the believers from responsibility of overcoming fear. No alibi is logically acceptable for not overcoming it. As long as the believers are in the world, fear will continue to harass them. The believers are free to overcome fear but not to be overcome with fear. The freedom of the believers is for living victoriously in Christ, not to be defeated by fear, and therefore losing their spiritual rewards. Copyright @2004 by J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine Ministries
PHOBOS (fobos) is a Greek word used for fear in the Bible. There are two general categories: First: It is used for reverence, respect, or awe. It is a reverence manifesting itself in obedience. This type of fear is a Christian virtue. Second: It is used for a mental attitude sin, characterized by worry, apprehension, a feeling of dread, or panic, horror, and terror when in a dangerous situation. Let us call this fear, the MAS (mental attitude sin) of fear. The MAS of fear is more than being anxious in a dangerous situation or having normal respect for something that could cause harm. When you, as a believer, reach a state when thinking stops and emotion takes over, you are guilty of the mental attitude sin of fear. The second category of fear has the following characteristics: Ø It is fear that cannot think when under pressure. Ø It is irrational, illogical and irritated Ø It manifests itself in panic, horror, terror, and hysteria when the pressure is immediate and extreme. Ø It manifests itself in worry, apprehension, dread, anxiety, trepidation and foreboding under less stressful conditions. Ø This fear is something that, if not controlled, continues to develop in your soul until you become a complete loser with no capacity in any area of life. Ø This is the kind of fear that when you surrender to it, the more it controls you and ruins your life. Ø The Mental Attitude Sins of fear is linked with arrogance because it causes a person to become totally preoccupied with himself or with the problem rather than with the divine solution. Ø It makes self, rather than Bible doctrine, the number one priority in life. The emotional complex of sins becomes the basis for making decisions instead of Bible doctrine.
Fear and the function of your spiritual life are mutually exclusive. You choose which one will be in control, it is entirely dependent on your volition. Your option is to apply doctrine and refuse fear to take control or reject the Bible doctrine and let fear torment your soul. A few of the many things that Christians fear:
DEATH
DANGERü Life is full of danger. It always has been and always will be and there is nothing you can do about it. We are in a dangerous world and only God is keeping the Christians safe under His wings. ü We can try to minimize danger, but there is no way to stop it from coming. ü Danger is no cause for fear but the lack of confidence toward God. ü No amount of positive thinking or human solution can eliminate fear in the soul except Bible doctrine. ü Majority of people are trying to overcome fear with false courage. False courage is fear wrapped in arrogance seasoned with human viewpoint. REJECTION
WITNESSING
HARDSHIP
Ø No one enjoys being sick, but everyone becomes ill from time to time. It is a natural part of life and there is nothing to fear about it. Ø There is nothing wrong with doing all you can to stay healthy, but we have no guarantee that we will not suffer from sickness. Ø Sickness sometimes comes as a form of divine discipline. If that is the case, Rebound is the solution. Ø For the growing and advancing believer, sickness may come as a form of undeserved sufferings. Ø It is often difficult to determine why people become sick, but the real issues is not the sickness but your mental attitude (what you think) when such sickness or accident comes. Ø Like all other worries, this is to be cast onto the Lord (I Peter 5:7). See Sickness and Healing RESPONSIBILITY
EXCLUSION o This fear is similar to rejection, but a person can be excluded without formally being rejected. The excluded person is not physically outcast but his presence is totally ignored. o This fear is very prevalent among teenagers. To be excluded from a certain circle of fellow students, the “in crowd”, or certain “click” can be something that produces the greatest of all fears. o People will take extreme measures to make sure they are not excluded from parties, get together, gangs, clubs, and organizations. o Insecurity and low self-esteem are behind the fear of exclusion, but insecurity can easily take the form of false courage. False courage is always mistaken for aggressiveness, boldness and human virtue. FAILING
· Successful relationships depend on two people who have virtue love. This love is unconditional and involves much more than simply tolerating of weaknesses of others; it is obedience to God’s command to love others in a way that is only accomplished through the filling of the Holy Spirit and residency in the divine domain or dynasphere. · The mental attitude sin of fear often keeps believers from fulfilling their responsibilities and hindering their momentum toward spiritual maturity. Believers are mandated to learn and grow spiritually through consistent intake of Bible doctrine in order to overcome fear (Deuteronomy 31:6, 31:8, Joshua 8:1). · This fear can also keep people from being honest in their relationships. Many people pretend that all is well, when in reality, they are afraid that the others would not love them if they knew the truth. · People often put up with things that should not be tolerated because they are afraid that if they don’t, they will have no chance of being loved. There are things that we are not required to tolerate such as lying, incest, infidelity, stealing, violence, disobedience, disrespect, and irresponsibility. · The Church Age believers are mandated not be fearful, afraid, dismay or anxious but to utilize the divine problem solving resources (divine solutions) for all problems (Isaiah 41:10, Psalm 4:8). · It is not normal for Christians to be fearful and anxious since God has provided everything pertaining to life and godliness (Psalm 56:3-4, 2 Timothy 1:7, 1 John · When troubles come, we are privilege to execute the power and resources of the divine power system to glorify God (Hebrews 13:5-6, 4:1) because we are mandated to remain in the divine sphere. We are mandated to concentrate on learning Bible doctrine, and we are mandated to concentrate on applying doctrine. EMOTION: There are basically two types of emotions; the legitimate and the sinful. An emotion becomes sinful whenever it is the basis of thought, decision and action. Sinful emotions are irrational, illogical and often irritated.
Sinful emotion is destructive because it has no capacity for rational thinking, it has no capacity to draw conclusions from Bible doctrine stored in the soul, it has no wisdom or spiritual common sense, and it is ignorant of doctrinal vocabulary.
The works of emotion is to appreciate the doctrinal thought, decision made on the basis of Bible doctrine and action resulted from doctrinal thinking. Legitimate emotion can not in any way help in inculcation of Bible doctrine in the soul or contribute anything to spiritual growth.
Legitimate emotion can respond to doctrine but can never legitimately apply doctrine. Nor is an emotional response required in order to apply doctrine. In other words, an emotional response may result from application, but it is not necessary. Emotion becomes sinful when one is under stress because it motivates irrational thought. “Feelings” can become the basis of illogical opinion or belief. God designed emotion to be the appreciator of thought, decision, and action, not the source of them. The source of legitimate emotion is the soul; the origin of sinful emotion is the OSN. Neither legitimate nor sinful emotions contribute anything to the inculcation of truth, nor can they be depended upon to sustain the spiritual life. Believers who stay in the Cosmic Compound emote themselves to death. Rather than responding to doctrine in the soul, they continually react to outside adversities, which create stress in the soul which wears them out emotionally. The emotional believer does not think doctrine, or advance in the spiritual life; he lacks confidence toward God and courage toward men. He is incapable of overcoming his fear, anxiety, worry and anything that discourage him. He is incapable of concentrating on learning bible doctrine and much more on applying doctrine.
The devil will see to it that (and God allows it to carry out His gracious plan) the advancing believer is under fire. Satan knew that if the believers are under pressure, they have to concentrate on learning and applying doctrine.
From the believer’s option (to reject or apply Bible doctrine), the devil has already gained advantage because only few believers can concentrate on doctrine. The ability to concentrate on Bible doctrine when under pressure is called courage. The failure to concentrate on Bible doctrine is called fear. Majority have already chosen fear. The emotional believer is easily distracted from Bible doctrine (Romans
The Solutions to mental attitude sin of fear:
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Copyright ©2003-2007 J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine Ministries |
12/02/06