Fear Is Not Your God - Don't Bow Down To Fear And Worship It
The Fear You Don’t Reject Will Eventually Worsen Your Circumstances
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The Sin We Hold Dear & Won’t Let Go
It may feel difficult, if not impossible, to not worry about circumstances that we fear the most. You may be afraid to commit yourself to God because you don’t know if you will be able to keep such a commitment. It may be that you don’t see a good way out of your circumstances, don’t know what to do, how to move forward, or where to turn for help. Regardless of the circumstance, whether small or great, the fears you have are real. And you shouldn’t worship a God that you don’t believe is massively greater than your greatest issue.
If a genie appeared and offered to do anything you desired—absolutely anything—what would you ask for? Would there be any limit to what you could imagine? While God is not a genie and never claims to be one, if you carried that same boldness and expectancy in prayer, asking God for anything you can imagine, why wouldn’t you?
🧭In movies, a genie carelessly gives people whatever they want, regardless of the destruction it may cause. God, however, intends to give us His very best once we are disciplined and ready to receive it.
Have you thought about things you wish you could change in the past or present? The past is behind us and cannot be changed. Tomorrow has not yet come, so ask yourself, “Why haven’t I started planning today to ensure I do not repeat the same mistakes in the future?”
Do you have an idea for a business, ministry, or a way to enjoy life more but haven’t started yet? Sometimes we deny our fear of the unknown, but if we truly have no fear, why not begin the journey?
Question to Ponder
Are you listening to the voice of faith or the voice of fear?
When fear becomes louder than the voice of God, it pulls us away from faith—and whatever is not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23). Scripture consistently teaches that faith and fear do not operate in agreement. In fact, fear stands in direct opposition to faith.
Fear becomes a destructive sin when we choose to hold onto it instead of trusting in the power of God and allowing Him to guide our decisions.
We are not called by God to be led by our emotions (fear, torment, pain, and the like); we are called to be led by Christ.
We were designed by God to feel fear when necessary in order to escape danger. However, Scripture repeatedly teaches that we are not built to live under fear that controls our decisions and charts the course of our lives. We are not to obey fear or make fear-based decisions; our allegiance is to God, and our calling is to obey Him.
Here are Bible verses that specifically tell us that misplaced fear—fear in response to our circumstances—is not of God. We are called to fear God Himself, not our circumstances.
Isaiah 8:12-13 WMB
“…Don’t fear what they fear, neither be afraid. Sanctify Yahweh of Armies himself; let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.”
Proverbs 29:25 WMB
“The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever puts his trust in Yahweh is kept safe.”
Isaiah 41:10 WMB
“Don’t you be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. Yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.”
Luke 12:32 WMB
“Don’t be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.”
Exodus 20:18-20 WMB
“All the people perceived the thunderings, the lightnings, the sound of the shofar, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled and stood far away. They said to Moses, ‘Speak with us yourself, and we will listen; but don’t let God speak with us, lest we die.’ Moses said to the people, ‘Don’t be afraid, for God has come to test you, and that his fear may be before you, that you won’t sin.’”
The Devastation
One of the greatest regrets that most people have in their later years is their inability to go after what they believed was truly possible. Are you that person?
Are you choosing to live in faith and confidence, knowing that God can do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think? Or are you choosing to accumulate the devastation of regret, saving it for your later years?
Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to him be the glory in the assembly and in Messiah Yeshua to all generations forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 WMB
If you’re denying yourself the opportunity to live the life your heart longs for, it is highly likely that you're operating under a spirit of fear. If you are not operating under the spirit of fear, what’s stopping you from getting started?
Fear presents itself in many forms: fear of failure, fear of the opinions of others, fear of lacking resources, uncertainty about the future, and more. While we do not deny reality or the challenges we face, we also acknowledge the power of the Creator of the universe.
Often, when we give reasons for not moving forward, what is actually happening in our hearts is a lack of confidence in God—His ability to hear our prayers, provide for our needs, and make a way for us to accomplish what He has placed in us.
Question to Ponder
Is the God who created the universe unable to provide a solution to your obstacles?
Isaiah 50:2 (KJV)
“… Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness…”
Isaiah 59:1 (KJV)
“Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear.”
The fear we experience is real and should not be dismissed. However, while our fears may be understandable, they are not a sufficient reason to stay in mediocrity.
For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7 WMB
Scripture tells us that God has not given us a spirit of fear, so the question becomes: where is the fear of starting your journey coming from? One thing we can be certain of is that the fear you are experiencing does not come from God.
What is holding you back from walking in the life Christ died to give you? Why have you not begun putting pen to paper and asking God to lead you—not only to succeed in life, but to become the solution to the problem He created you to address?
The Decisions That Shaped Our Past
The circumstances we are facing today are a summation of our decisions—great, good, bad, and terrible. Knowing this, it is up to us to make decisions that will produce the results we desire. If we have spent the past several years living in fear, it may take months or even years to reject that fear and develop a heart of courage.
If you choose to remain in the past and continue yielding to fear, that is a decision you can make. But when you are tempted to blame others or even God for living unfulfilled, broken, and powerless, remind yourself of the choice that was made—the conscious decision to make fear your god.
Living without stepping into the life God has for you is a conscious decision. You are choosing fear over faith, even if it is not acknowledged. Rejecting the life you were created for is not simply something that happens to you; it is something you decided on and allow.
If you have decided to give in to fear, I have prepared a prayer you can recite to demonstrate your devotion to it:
“Even though I want God’s best for my life, and even though the power of God is more than enough to get me where I need to be, I am choosing to obey you instead of obeying God. Fear, thank you for keeping me in bondage, affliction, and powerlessness, thereby preventing me from experiencing the greatness that God is working in my life. I also thank you for bringing all the other evils that accompany you. I thank you that I will spend all the days of my life experiencing the joy of mediocrity. Amen.”
Rather than giving fear authority over your life, take a moment to reflect honestly on what fear has cost you—and choose differently going forward.
Fight for Your Well-Being
(1) Have you asked God what He desires for you? (Create a journal entry to record God’s answer)
(2) Write down the most pressing reasons you have not taken steps toward the life God has for you.
(3) What are two things you can do today to move closer to where you want to be in the days ahead? (Hint: the first should be establishing a consistent prayer life.)
Paralyzed by Fear
The fear you experience when triggered by certain emotions is real and not merely in your mind. Intense fear can disrupt a person’s fight-or-flight response in critical situations, impairing their ability to activate natural self-preservation instincts.
If you find yourself constantly thinking about all the things you could do if only X, Y, and Z were different, you may unknowingly be held back by fear.
You are hindered from taking the necessary actions to make your life what you want it to be. The same fear that can give you the strength to run faster than Usain Bolt in the face of danger can both empower and paralyze you—making you comfortable in mediocrity, even when you know God is calling you to move forward to higher ground.
Imagine this: you check the balance of your bank account and discover that, for the past month, someone has been stealing from you every single day. Do you continue to allow the thief to carry out a daily assault on your finances, or do you take action and inform the bank so they can respond appropriately? Do you allow the fear and frustration over your stolen money to cripple your ability to act and take the necessary steps? No, you do not.
Yet in life, the enemy can carry out a daily assault on our minds, hearts, and circumstances, and we often respond as if we are powerless—doing nothing, and at worst, not even praying.
The Decision That Shapes Your Future
Responding to this crippling fear by doing nothing may seem like a temporary solution, but it will not fulfill the desire in your heart to grow and become greater than you are today.
Over time, unfulfilled desires can diminish your quality of life until you become so dissatisfied that you no longer enjoy the small blessings and comforts you once valued and were grateful for.
We do not often respond appropriately to missing out on God’s best for our lives because we have become conditioned to settle for less than His best. As the losses we experience accumulate, our minds adapt to accepting less. As a result, the emotional impact becomes less intense over time.
The point at which we fail to take action and begin our journey toward the promised land because of the obstacles we imagine is the point where fear becomes our god.
By obeying fear instead of obeying God and refusing to step out of our comfort zone, we are essentially declaring that fear has control over our lives and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Fear begins to govern us when we do not take the necessary steps to move forward and push beyond what we are afraid of. (Exodus 3)
I do not believe that most people who love God would knowingly and intentionally disobey Him, especially when He is leading them toward their promised land—a place where the desires of their heart are fulfilled. Rather, it is often the fear of the unknown that holds them back from moving forward and experiencing the life God has prepared in Christ. Even though we may not always be able to predict or see the future, we can trust that God will never lead us into a ditch.
Just as we make a conscious (or passive) decision to live powerless in mediocrity, we can also make a conscious decision to live a Christ-like life filled with courage and grit.
Our decisions determine our joy. While it may be painful to develop new habits and maintain them over time, the pain of the alternative is even greater.
When you decide to live a life of flourishing fulfillment, you must first believe that God is able to transform you from fear into courage. This is not something you accomplish in your own strength; it is a work He has already made provision for. Scripture is filled with guidance on how to walk in faith, renew your mind, and move forward despite fear.
The real question becomes: how do you begin, and where do you find the instructions God has already given? The answer is found in His Word—through prayer, obedience, and steady trust in His promises. As you take each step in faith, God strengthens you, redirects your thoughts, and equips you to walk in the purpose He has prepared for you.