How can we be free from our fears?

[MercyChild]

I was reading some great Bible stories and scriptures.........and the question came up........Is it possible for the human to be free from fear.... I mean right in the beginning of Genises, Adam and Eve feared, and evn Abraham feard when he went down to Egypt and even had frigtening doubts!

Is there any scriptures than one can share with other, regarding fear? Is it possible that one can be freed from fear?

When I speak to people, it seems like fear is a number one problem among Christians, and fear sometimes is a hinder to be an effective witness to Christ...........

[Frances]

Jesus told folk many times not to fear - so it is definately possible. If we trust Him sufficiently to take care of us we will do what He asks us to - inspite of anxious thoughts, which will then not become debilitating fear. We need to gaze at Jesus and only glance at anything that could induce fear. . . . remembering He is able to turn everything to our ultimate advantage - Romans 8:28.

[Vhayes]

John 14
26"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
27"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
28"You heard that I said to you, 'I go away, and I will come to you ' If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.



I John 4
18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
19We love, because He first loved us.



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




I hope these verses help you, Mercy. You are a child of God, He is your Father. A Father loves His child and wants only the best for them. Even discipline to get us on the right track again is done in love and not retribution. God disciplines us with His eye on our future, He doesn't punish us with His eye and mind on "making us pay". Payment has already been made.


Watch a small child as they learn to walk. They pull themselves up and wobble and fall. They cry and are afraid because it hurt. But if their little hands are being held by their father, they walk fine, one foot in front of the other, with NO fear. They even laugh with their joy.


Blessings to you!
V

[karenoka27]

I love that you saw this MC about Adam and Eve. It shows the nature of our flesh is indeed to fear.
Abraham feared when they went to Egypt and had his wife lie.
Jacob was afraid that Laban would take his wives away from him.
Jacob was afraid to return to Esau.
Moses was afraid when he realized the men saw him kill the Egyptian.
Gideon was afraid....
Adonijah was afraid of King Solomon
Nehemiah was afraid of the king...
and so many more...

The point is we do get afraid. There are things in life we are afraid of: being hurt,falling short,etc.

Our only hope is in the Lord. A good thing to do is a word study on afraid or the word fear. There are many comforting verses in His Word and promises.

Psalm 3:5-6-"I lie down and sleep;I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side"

Psalm 34:4-" I sought the LORD, and he answered me; He delivered me from all my fears."
(all of Psalm 34 is awesome!)

Psalm 56:4-"In God, whose word I praise,in God I trust; I will not be afraid.What can mortal man do to me?"

[Gulah Papyrus]

Fear can work both ways. Fear of getting burnt keeps you from putting a hot iron to your face...fear of getting violently ill keeps you from eating rotten meat. The fear that Jesus takes for me personally is the fear that I had of the world in general and death.

What do you mean by "fear is the #1 problem with Christians"? Fear of what?

[SeattleSun]

God is all powerful, and He who created everything can help you overcome your worries or fear.

Phil 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Ps 121:1-2 I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from whence shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Eph 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of Him might.

Rely on His gracious power, He who never slumbers or sleeps!

1 Jo 4:4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

We serve an awesome God!

[Followtheway]

We know we are to fear the Lord, but we have also been told dont fear those that can harm the body but the one that can harm the soul.

[MercyChild]

[What do you mean by "fear is the #1 problem with Christians"? Fear of what?[/quote]

Every discussion thus far I had with believers around me is fearfull for either one of the following things. Some fear for their health. Some are fearful concerning their financial needs. Some fear a serious economic recession which may cause them to lose their job. Some are afraid that their friends will leave them. Some are afraid of growing old.

In the days we are living and the conditions we are living, people seem to fear all the time.............Indeed like it is mentioned fear is the nature of our flesh.............As I read some of the answers and scriptures given here, it is clear to me that Jesus said we should not fear, but yet it still appears.........Does this mean we are lacking in faith, or not trusting God fully?.............
I also understand that fear can in some ways be healthy not to overstep the line...........but where do one draw the line?

[Gulah Papyrus]

Are fear and concern the same thing?

[MercyChild]

Are fear and concern the same thing?

Ok, I catch what you are saying...........So in other words there is nothing wrong to be concerned and prepare for what ever is lying ahead......but a painfull emotion, this could be fear.

[Gulah Papyrus]

Yes, something like that...

Concern is a byproduct of Love.

Fear is a byproduct of ingratitude.

[MercyChild]

Gotcha man...........

[Dani H]

There is a difference between being concerned and being afraid.

To be afraid is to be scared, plain and simple.

It's good to be scared of God, because He does have the power to destroy both body and soul, and He is the Creator of the universe, after all. Not scared in the sense of running from Him, but the understanding that we are like grass before Him, here today, gone tomorrow, and sinful flesh cannot stand before Him without being incinerated in one second flat, because He is holy. The wrath of God isn't something I would ever want to encounter, and for good reason. The thought of that ought to keep us on our toes, and ought to be more than a "healthy respect" but a reverent fear that understands who He is. It is out of that fear that we can appreciate His mercy, His love, His patience, His forgiveness, His kindness and grace.

It's not good to be scared of the devil, because well, compared to God, he's no more than a snowflake compared to the sun. One zap of the sun's ray, and bye bye snowflake. So when God is on our side, we've nothing to fear even from the devil himself. That type of fear, when we think about what he might possibly do to us, and let that torment us (because fear involves torment) has no place in a believer's life and ought to be confronted and dealt with. And the enemy is deathly afraid of God, because he has no love or mercy coming to him, only the certainty of judgment, and so I think he seeks to torment people with his very own fears, and tries to take us down with him. No thanks. He can keep them.

Then there's being scared of people (fear of man). God is on our side, what can man do to us? That's an unhealthy fear, and an ungodly fear, and is cast out by perfect love, because we are to love people, not fear them. Jesus said we are not to fear those who only have the power to destroy our bodies. Respect, yes, especially those in authority. Fear, not so much.

Then there's other fears that are more situational and vary from one person to the next, such as fear of the unknown, fear of the future, fear of death, all sorts of fears, some more common, others more rarified and unusual. Those are best dealt with in prayer with the Lord, and surrendered to Him, as He reveals them to us and sees us through them.

Hope that helps?

There's a really neat book out called "Hind's Feet on High Places" written by Hannah Hurnard. It describes the journey of a lady who used to be afraid of all sorts of things, and how the Lord took her through it. It's written along the lines of "Pilgrim's Progress" in form of an allegory. Highly recommended.

[SweetEnigma]

I think there are a lot of stories about people being afraid in the Old Testament because GOD WAS TALKING TO THEM! Hello! That's kind of scary... To be in the presence of a diety is something that must be overwhelming!

I think the point of all the stories is that Jesus came here to reassure us that if we follow Him, there is nothing left to be scared of... because every terror we could ever face on Earth will be overshadowed by the glory of heaven once we are there.

I think working on your relationship with Christ and praying to Him about your fears will help you work through them. He can help you with anything as I am finding out myself. Sorry I don't have any scripture to share, I'm a newb! I just know what I feel, and I feel as if Christ is the answer to fear. He wasn't scared of a horrible painful death on the cross because He KNEW for a fact that going to Heaven and being with His Father OUR Father would outweigh any pain on Earth. He was the ultimate example for conquering fear!

[crossnote]

If faith + fear = 100% then as one wanes the other gains.