Prov. 3:25-26
Romans 8:14-15
It is a natural thing for people to experience fear and it has always been that way. But, in the Bible, Jesus tells us over and over again not to fear. He is very near to us, even in us and He brings a lack of fear. Because of the miracle of redemption which is an indwelling Christ, we, of all people should not live in fear. Thankfully, we have many passages in God’s Word which tells us that fear is not something God’s people should be having. But, we know what we experience and fear is a part of the lives of most everyone. The stronger one’s relationship to the Lord, the less fear will be a part of their life. There is an inverse relationship involved with this: stronger relationship with Jesus; less fear. The weaker the relationship to Jesus, the more fear one will experience.
The Lord revealed something to me about this many years ago and I want to pass it along to you. In Proverbs 3:25-26, God tells us: “Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh; for the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.” We are also told in Romans 8:24-25 that we “have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba Father.”
So, the Proverbs passage tells us to not be afraid of sudden fear. In fact, whatever is the subject of “sudden fear” which comes unexpectedly is the very thing that you do not have to fear.
Fear is proper when a person has done something wrong and they are fearful of the consequences. It is the kind of fear that is brought by our own actions and we have to pay the price for what we have done. That fear is legitimate. But, most fear comes upon people for another purpose. Satan desires to keep us fearful and in a state of not trusting in the Lord to care for us. He can impinge himself into our mind and life and bring sudden fear which is something quite different.
Sudden fear does not depend upon your having done something wrong. It just suddenly descends upon a person, and brings dread and fear for no particular reason except to keep a person from being happy in or productive for the Lord.
It comes when you have done nothing to deserve fear. It may involve anything in your life: money, possessions, family, fear of eternal life or a myriad of other things. It is just suddenly there. No reason. It is just there.
Many people live in constant fear of just about everything. No reason for it. They are just fearful and dread-infected people.
Let me show our readers something. Listen carefully to this: If you have done nothing illegal, immoral or unethical and you have nothing standing in the way of God blessing you, then whatever it is that is causing you to fear will not be a problem to you in a very short time, usually a month or less. Really, I have found that it will not be an issue with you in less than a month. You will not be concerned about it shortly. Hear is what is happening: satan is the one bringing the “sudden” fear. It is about something that you have not done but he can thrust it into your mind and depress you. You find that you are miserable and don’t understand why you can’t get rid of this misery. It is “sudden” fear. It descends quickly and infects your thoughts and life.
Remember this: once God says something, it stands good forever! Nothing can undo his utterances. Now, in our Proverbs passage, He said “Do not be afraid of sudden fear.” Listen to it….”Don’t be afraid of sudden fear. It comes from satan and is concerning something you have not done. You have done nothing illegal, immoral, or unethical and you do not deserve fear concerning it. Here is the truth about it. It is brought for your misery and defeat. But, you are told not to fear something that suddenly falls on your mind bringing dread and fear. If there is anything you don’t have to fear, it is whatever comes with sudden fear upon a person that has nothing between themselves and God. In our Romans passage the Lord tells us that we have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear.” That strange, sudden fear did not come from God and the only other source which can so affect a person is satan. God didn’t bring it so it is an idle threat against someone who is a child of God. That same Romans passage says in verse fourteen: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”
If a person is saved and a “son of God,” they are invested with the indwelling Spirit of God which is the same One who inspired the words of Paul in Romans and King Solomon in the Proverbs. And, both of them speak about this thing called fear. They both give us instructions on how to deal with it and how to figure out where that impulse of fear is coming from. If you are depressed, fearful and don’t even know why, it is not from God but from our enemy, satan. God has said that he does not cause fear to fall on people, but that He gives us the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry out to the Father.
When people have anxiety (which is fear of something) they will have depression. That is told to us in Proverbs 12:25. We have the most pill-dependent population that the world has ever seen. People think that a pill will cure anything especially their anxiety and fears. God is not bringing that kind of fear as we are told in our previous passages. There is only one option as to where it is coming from; satan.
There are times when a physical condition causes a person’s mental anguish. I make allowance for those circumstances. But, most of the time, a person’s anxiety is bound up in fear. Proverbs 12:25 says….”Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression (New King James). So, if the anxiety is solved then the depression will cease. That is what we can deduct from this passage of God’s Word.
Let me clearly state my point for this article. We live in a fearful society and no one will deny that. Most everything we hear and see on television, radio and other sources is rooted and grounded in fear. And yet, Jesus tells us “fear not.”
Faith in the Lord to care for us will override the fear the world generates. Most people are motivated by this world-generated fear. If we are really a child of God through Jesus Christ, and if we truly trust in Him to care for us and make a way for us, then that should do away with the kind of fear we are discussing: “sudden fear” brought by satan to defeat the Christian and keep them from serving God according to their gift given by the Holy Spirit at the point of salvation.” This is the kind of fear that is not rooted in anything a person has done. In other words, they don’t deserve to feel fearful. It is happening only because satan has pushed it on a person to defeat them. God does not bring the spirit fear but “He brings the spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind.”…(2 Timothy 1:7). So, there it is. We find out what God gives and it is not fear. It is the Spirit of power, love and a sound mind.
So, when this sudden fear falls on a person they should think of several things.
First, “Have I done anything illegal, immoral or unethical for which I should have a legitimate fear?” Second, “is there anything between me and God that would keep him from blessing me with power, love and a sound mind?” Third, are my sins confessed and forgiven by God?” If the answer to those first two questions is an emphatic “NO” and if the answer to the third question in an emphatic “YES,” then God will bless you and remove the spirit of “sudden fear” brought by satan to harass and defeat God’s people.
Sudden fear is most often founded in the “what ifs” of life and not on anything concrete. Satan will say…”what if this or that happens?” He makes a person fear the future and regret the past. You can do nothing about things that are reserved for time to come. Our past sins are forgotten by God, covered by the blood of Jesus and should not be of concern to us because God has forgotten it. They should not be a source of fear any longer. But satan brings sudden fear concerning our past sins because he tells us that if we can remember them certainly God does. Nothing is further from the truth. When one confesses their sins in a genuine and humble way, God forgives and they are gone. Don’t let satan use them on you.
So, Sudden Fear is brought by satan to defeat God’s people and keep them from truly serving Him. That fear (anxiety) will cause depression and rob a person of their energy and desire to do anything even for God. Now, I hope that you can see the devastating effects of satan’s tool against us: Sudden Fear.
