THE FIVE PILLARS OF FEARLESSNESS

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God;I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" Isaiah 41:10

Do you battle fear? I know that at times I sure do. We are clay pots, weak and broken and battling anxieties and doubts. Fear has been a part of the human existence since the fall of man in Genesis 3:8-10. Everyone, regardless of how brave they seem, is afraid of something whether it be Snakes, Spiders, Disease, Financial Setbacks, Old Age, Gray Hair, Rejection, Disappointment, Exposure, Being Forgotten, Even fearing fear!

Someone defined fear like this: “Fear is the worst use of the imagination. It is anticipating that the worst, not the best, that can happen.” I have heard an acrostic that helps define fear: False Evidence Against Reality. Fear stands in the way of love. If we feel fearful, we may not approach a stranger in church who might need a word of welcome or encouragement. Or we may reject ministry because it sounds dangerous, risky, or because we might fail. Fear may cause us to waste money on excessive insurance. Fear swallows us up in all sorts of little phobias that make us preoccupied with ourselves and blind us to God’s call and the needs of others. Fear may cause us to hold on dearly to life on this earth and focus on survival at all costs. It enslaves the soul and hinders radical obedience to Jesus. Fear is a complete denial of the providence, love, and sovereignty of God in our lives.

In my own life I have experienced what John Maxwell calls “The Fear Cycle”. The fear cycle works like this: Fear leads to inaction, inaction leads to inexperience, inexperience leads to inability, inability leads to fear. To be more specific, a situation pops up that is similar to what I faced in my past where perhaps I failed or was rejected. Then, the fear of failure or rejection creates inaction. When I don’t act, I don’t gain personal experience in that situation, my faith isn’t strengthened and built up. Thus I face future situations and am unable to handle similar situations. And that ultimately increases that fear. The longer I don’t combat the unbelief of fear the harder it is to break the cycle of fear.

How do you overcome fear? Is there a way and a means to victory over this powerful emotion?I have learned that faith pushes fear out of our hearts. The way we find faith is by welding the promises and truth of God against the lies and unbelief caused by fear. One text has served to combat and relieve my fears more often than any other text in the Bible is Isaiah 41:10.

There are two commands in the verse not to fear and five pillars of fearlessness.
"Fear not" is the first command at the beginning of the verse and then the second is "be not dismayed”.

Then there are reasons for the commands. When God commands us to do something there are good reasons to do it and the power to overcome fear comes from understanding and believing those reasons.

Here there are the five reasons we need not fear and be dismayed:

1.God is with me: "Fear not, for I am with you."

2.God is my God: "Do not be dismayed, for I am your God."

3.God will strengthen me:"I will strengthen you."

4.God will help me: "I will help you."

5.God will uphold me: "I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

These then are the five pillars of fearlessness that you can apply to whatever fears and anxieties pop up in your mind:

Fear not . . . God is with you!
Fear not . . . God is your God!
Fear not . . . God will strengthen you!
Fear not . . . God will help you!
Fear not . . . God will uphold you!

The key to overcoming fear is resting on the pillars of the promises of God.

Do you hear His voice dear reader? I am your God over you. I am with you by your side. I will strengthen you from inside of you. I will help you all around you from wherever the enemy comes. I will uphold you from underneath you. Over you, by you, inside you, around you, underneath you. Therefore do not fear. The one great ground for fearlessness is GOD!

Is there fear in your heart today? Bring it to God! Dear reader, let not your hearts be troubled, BELIEVE IN GOD." Believe in God! Trust God! Let God be your God! Your help. Your strength.

Holding on in my fears to God's indomitable promise,
Pastor Bill