War Zone- Week 4 Tactics of the Enemy vs. Strategies of the Believer (Fear Part 1)

The tactic of the enemy we will be studying in the next 3 lessons is fear. Merriam Webster online dictionary defines fear as: an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger; anxious concern.  

There are many things that can cause fear in our lives. We will be digging into the Word to take a closer look at the first two of seven common fears that Christians face today.   

First, Fear of Man.  

Example 1: Peter had been called by Jesus to follow him and be his disciple. Peter had willingly followed, had traveled with, learned from, and ministered with Jesus. For three years Peter lived in constant communion with Christ. He had seen the dead raised, the blind receive sight, the lame walk.... He had been with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. He had even cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant when they came to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. But when push came to shove and his back was against a wall, so to speak, he denied three times that he even knew Jesus. (Luke 22:31-38) This mighty defender turned denier in a matter of hours.   

Example 2: Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a religious leader. He was a man knowledgeable in the Old Testament. He knew the prophecies about the Messiah. He was among those who taught the common people how to worship and honor God. However, we read in John 3 that he came in the night to see Jesus. He acknowledged to Jesus that he believed that God had sent Jesus to teach them. But why come at night?    

For Peter, his denial was prompted by a fear of the religious leaders and what they might do to him if they knew he was a disciple of Christ.   

For Nicodemus, it is possible that he came at night out of fear of being put out of the Sanhedrin and losing his high standing in the synagogue and community.   

No matter the reason, fear of men can cause us to compromise our beliefs in order to fit in with the crowd, to maintain our reputation, hold onto friendships, keep our jobs.... The list is endless. One thing we know for sure, if we allow ourselves to fall into the trap of the fear of man and fail to identify as followers of Christ, Luke 9:26 says, For whoever is ashamed [here and now] of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and the glory of the [heavenly] Father and of the holy angels. (AMP)    

How do we overcome the Fear of Men? 

Pray: When fear creeps into our heart we must immediately take it to God.  We give it to Him and leave it in His capable hands.  1 Peter 1:7, casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]. (AMP) 

Dig into the Word to learn our identity in Christ:  When we know who we are in Christ, we begin to understand that it doesn’t matter what others think about us. Following is non-exhaustive list of identity statements found in the Word. 

Romans 15:7 - You are accepted 

John 15:16 - You are chosen 

Galatians 4:7 - You are free 

1 John 1:9 - You are forgiven 

2 Corinthians 5:17 - You are a new person 

John 1:12 - You are a child of God 

Genesis 1:27 - You are made in God’s image 

1 Corinthians 3:23 - You belong to Jesus 

Romans 6:4 - Jesus offers you a new life 

Philippians 3:20 - You are a citizen of Heaven 

1 Peter 1:5 - You are protected by God 

1 Corinthians 12:27 - You are part of the Body of Christ (the church) 

Romans 8:38-39 - God loves you no matter what 

Zephaniah 3:17 - God is with you 

Psalm 139:13-16 - You are God’s special creation 

Isaiah 43:4 - You are precious to God 

Galatians 3:13 - You are rescued 

Jeremiah 29:11 - God has a plan for your life 

1 John 5:14-15 - God listens to you 

Philippians 4:13 - God gives you strength 

Romans 8:17 - You are an heir of God 

Ephesians 2:19 - You are part of God's family 

Romans 10:13 - You are saved 

1 Corinthians 6:19 - The Holy Spirit lives in you 

Psalm 23:1-3 - God is taking care of you 

John 15:11 - Jesus gives you true joy 

Ephesians 1:3 - You are blessed 

Galatians 2:20 - Jesus gave himself for you 

Psalm 139:1 - God understands you 

Exodus 19:5 - You are treasured by God 

Colossians 2:10 - You are complete in Christ 

Second, Fear of Danger or Death.    

Example 1: The Army of Israel. 1 Samuel 17:23-24, As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel. As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright. (NLT) 

We know from the scripture that Goliath came out every day to taunt the army of Israel. And every day the soldiers fled to hide from him. There was not one of the soldiers, including the King who was willing to face him.    

When David, a young boy (12-15 years old) heard the giant taunting Israel’s army and God, he took action.  Rather than running in fear, after talking to the King, David ran out to meet the giant.   

1 Samuel 17: 48-49, As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground. (NLT) 

Example 2: The Army of Judah. 2 Chronicles 20:1-3, After this, the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat. Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army from Edom is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea. They are already at Hazazon-tamar.” (This was another name for En-gedi.)    

Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting. (NLT)     

In the first example, out of fear of harm/death the Army of Israel ran and hid. Due to their fear and failure to seek God, the army of Israel could have been defeated. The army’s failure, however, did not negate God’s faithfulness and he rescued them using a young boy.   

In the second example, however, Jehoshaphat led the people to God in prayer.  Due to their immediate act of seeking God rather than running in fear, we find in 2 Chronicles 20:15-17 that God promised to fight the battle for them. Then in verses 20-25 we read that when the Army of Judah followed God’s leading, the Lord caused the opposing armies to turn on each other and by the end there was not one soldier from those armies left alive. All God’s people had to do was pick up the spoils of war.   

How do we overcome Fear of Danger or Death?    

Prayer:  Like Jehoshaphat, we take our fears to God and seek His help and counsel.  Philippians 4:6-7 tells us, Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (NLT) 

Dive into Scripture: We seek out the scriptures that remind us of God’s promises.  

Meditate on the scriptures that we are standing on by remembering: 

1. The Lord is on our side.  

Psalm 108:13, With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes. (ESV) 

Psalm 118:6, The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? (ESV) 

2. He is always with us.  

Isaiah 41:10, 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. (ESV) 

Deuteronomy 31:6, Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” (ESV) 

3. He always causes us to triumph/victory! 

2 Corinthians 2:14, But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us spreads and makes evident everywhere the sweet fragrance of the knowledge of Him. (AMP) 

1 Corinthians 15:57, But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (ESV)   

4. If we allow Him, He will fight our battles.   

Hebrews 13:6, So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? (NLT)   

Psalm 118:6-7, The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? Yes, the Lord is for me; he will help me. I will look in triumph at those who hate me. (NLT)   

2 Corinthians 2:14, But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us spreads and makes evident everywhere the sweet fragrance of the knowledge of Him. (AMP)   

We do not have to allow the Fear of Man or Fear of Danger or Death take hold of our hearts.  We can take our fears to God and meditate on His goodness and the truths found in His Word.  We know that the enemy is a liar and anything he says about us or God is not true.  We, like David and Jehoshaphat, must turn to God to give us courage to face our giants and to fight our battles.  

We are more than conquerors through Christ. (Romans 8:37)!!!