FEAR NOT

God’s heart for His people has always been to bless them, to provide for them, to protect them and to
make the best available to them. However, there are many that want you to believe that you are to be
afraid of God. They would like you dread the fierce wrath of Almighty God. Is this what God wants for
the Christian believer or even the Jews? We are going to delve into this a little bit to see what We are to
do.
Let me first explain that there are three types of fear in the Bible. There is Sudden fear, fear and fear of
God. Sudden fear is just that it is that rush of adrenaline that shoots through your body when someone
sneaks up behind you and shouts “BOOO.” It is described as fight, flight or freeze.
Proverbs 3:21-26 (KJV)
21 My son, let not them (wisdom and understanding) depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom
and discretion:
22 So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.
24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be
sweet.
25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.
26 For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
Fear, on the other hand, is a mental process. It is a negative process and it is the sand in the machinery
of life. Fear is using your mind or allowing negative influences to so affect you that you develop an
image in your mind of something negative happening in the future. It might be five minutes into the
future or five years, but, you see bad things happening.
Fear is the opposite of believing and is sin. Okay, let me interject, sin is nothing more than broken
fellowship with God. As an example, when I was a teenager my father would tell me to do things such as
mow the lawn or rake the leaves, then he would go to work. If, by the end of the day, he came home
and I hadn’t mowed the lawn or raked the leaves I would have a problem. I didn’t do what he told me to
do, so, in essence, I broke fellowship with my dad or you could say that I sinned against my father. This is
the same with the Christian believer and God. I John tells us how to overcome that broken fellowship.
We are to confess our sins. We go to God in prayer and say “I’m sorry” and it says He is faithful and just
to forgive us (I John 1:9.)
The fear of God is something altogether different. It is not sudden fear nor is it a fear of God doing
something bad to you. It is, however, a reverence, a respect a humbleness of mind toward God.
The reason Job went through all of the problems that he did in losing all his possessions, all of his
children and his health is that he feared to lose them. That’s right, it was Job getting a picture in his
mind of him losing everything that opened the door for the devil to wrack and ruin him.Job 3:25 (KJV)
25 For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.
When we believe God it is the same application of the mind, but, in a positive manner.
Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
The literal translation of this verse is: Now believing (getting that mental picture of God’s deliverance in
your life) is the title deed of things prayed for, the evidence that they are yours before they are seen.
This subject of believing is so vast and so important that I will take another time to more fully explain it.
But, let’s look at one more verse.
Mark 11:23-24 (KJV)
23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou
cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall
come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe (get that mental image
of what you want) that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
There are over 900 promises in the Bible for health, prosperity, family, protection, etc.. Let me ask you,
how many do you know and how many have you claimed and worked in your mind to the point that you
get the results. Yes, it is God that provides, but, God’s hands are tied until you BELIEVE.
As I said, it is honoring and respecting God. It is trusting God. It is doing what God says to do because
you realize that He knows more than you do.
Psalm 56:3-5 (KJV)
3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
4 In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
5 Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil.
Psalm 56:4 seems to say that I will trust God, man can torture me, man can even kill me, but, I am going
to trust God. Trust God for what? If He can’t deliver you now why would you trust Him for something in
the future? Well, thankfully this is not what Psalms 56 is talking about.Psalm 56:9 (KJV)
9 When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.
Psalm 56:11-13 (KJV)
11 In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
12 Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee.
13a For thou hast delivered my soul from death:
The reason that David King of Israel, that’s who wrote the psalm, was not concerned about what man
would do to him was because he had his eyes turned on God and he knew, he saw in his mind, that God
would deliver him. Psalm 118 does a great job of explaining further this concept.
Psalm 118:4-17 (KJV)
4 Let them now that fear the LORD say, that his mercy endureth for ever.
5 I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place (a safe place.)
6 The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?
7 The LORD taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate
me.
8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
9 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.
10 All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD will I destroy them.
11 They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD I will destroy
them.
12 They compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the
LORD I will destroy them.
13 Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: but the LORD helped me.
14 The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.
15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the LORD
doeth valiantly.
16 The right hand of the LORD is exalted: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.
17 I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.
Proverbs 19:23 (KJV)
23 The fear (reverence, respect) of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide
satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.
You may say that Proverb 19:23 is just figure of speech, you really can’t believe that. Really?
Why not? The reason that it doesn’t work in your life is because you have been taught wrong and
because you have been taught wrong you don’t, won’t, can’t believe. It’s about time we took the
Word of God literally and expect the results. Billy Graham use to say expect miracles every day.
Why not? The picture/image that you hold in your mind is what you can expect in your life.Isaiah 41:10 (KJV)
10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee;
yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
I like that verse, how about you? I will get the image in my mind of God strengthening me and
helping me and expect it. How about you?
In Luke is a great record of Jesus Christ working with a man so that that man could get deliverance for
his daughter and himself.
Luke 8:40-56 (KJV)
40 And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all
waiting for him.
41 And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down
at Jesus’ feet, and besought him that he would come into his house:
42 For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the
people thronged him.
Can you get this picture in your mind. This man, Jairus, was at his wits end. His daughter was dying and
Jesus Christ was his last hope. If Jesus was a doctor he would have had to hurry to try to save her. But,
there was a throng of people. If Jesus Christ walked the streets today delivering people how many
people do you think would be surrounding him? Hundreds if not thousands. It would have been the
same back then. Not only was Jesus held up in a crowd, but, he stopped to help a woman that had an
issue of blood.
43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians,
neither could be healed of any,
44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood
stanched.
45 And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master,
the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.
47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him,
she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was
healed immediately.
48 And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.
49 While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, Thy
daughter is dead; trouble not the Master.
50 But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made
whole.
THERE IT IS! DO YOU SEE THAT? FEAR NOT! ONLY BELIEVE! Don’t let you mind get a negative image. I
don’t care what the circumstances are I care about what God’s promises are and where your mind is at.51 And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and
the father and the mother of the maiden.
52 And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth.
53 And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead.
More negatives anything to get a person away from the promises of God.
54 And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise.
55 And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat.
56 And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done.
Jesus Christ worked with that man because the parent has to believe for the child and because he did
that man received his daughter alive.
Romans 8:12-16 (KJV)
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.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
As you read God’s Word, the Bible, you see, over and over again, God working with His people and
telling them time and time “Fear not, Only Believe!”
We are not to be afraid of God. On the contrary, we are to praise Him and look to Him for deliverance in
our lives. Nor are we to fear the circumstances that surround us. We are to look to God and His love,
mercy and grace that He has for us.
This is my heart’s desire for you, that you find the promises of God and you don’t let the circumstances
in the World trip you up, but, with all of your strength and stamina you say
“I will not be afraid, I – WILL – BELIEVE!
God Bless you,
Ed Lenhart