Victory Over Fear (Part 2)

The Roots of Fear

To defeat an enemy, one must first understand where that enemy lives. Fear is not a natural part of the human design. It’s an intruder.

If we look back to the Garden of Eden, we find that fear only entered the human experience after the fall. When God called for Adam, he responded with: ‘I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid’ (Genesis 3:10).

Before sin, there was only fellowship. After sin, there was hiding and fear.

Most of our modern anxieties can be traced back to three main roots: the memory of a past pain, the uncertainty of the future, and a perceived lack of control over the present. We feel vulnerable because we realise that we cannot guarantee our own safety or the safety of those we love.

This type of fear can become a ‘spirit of bondage’ (Romans 8:15) that ties us to our worries. It whispers that God is distant, that his timing is off, or that he has forgotten his promises. This fear is paralysing. It causes us to shrink back when we should step out, and to stay silent when we should speak. It’s a weight that prevents us from running the race set before us.

It’s important to distinguish between the fear that destroys and the fear that builds. The Bible often speaks of the ‘fear of the Lord’, which it calls the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10). This is not a cowering terror or a dread of punishment. It’s a holy reverence—a deep, awe-filled respect for who God is. Godly fear is like a respect we may have for the ocean. We marvel at its power and beauty, and that respect keeps us from acting foolishly with it. Those without such respect are far more likely to come into harm’s way, just as a lack of respect for God places us outside his covering.

Worldly fear is a spirit from Satan that drives us away from God. It makes us see him as a judge to be avoided rather than a Father to be sought.

Fear of the Lord leads to life and peace; worldly fear leads to torment.

The apostle Paul reminded Timothy of the believer’s true spiritual heritage:

‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.’ 2 Timothy 1:7.

This verse serves as a spiritual diagnostic tool. If we feel a sense of dread, confusion, or weakness, we can be certain that those feelings did not come from God. And if they didn’t come from him, there’s only one other place they could have come from: Satan.

God instead deposits three things within us through his Spirit:

• Power: the ability to endure and overcome, rather than being a helpless victim of circumstances.
• Love: a care for God and others that ‘casteth out fear’ (1 John 4:18).
• A sound mind: the ability to be in a peaceful mental state that thinks according to God’s Word, rather than being swept away by imaginations or tormenting ‘what-if’ scenarios.

This threefold blessing echoes the Trinity itself:

• The power of the Holy Spirit: ‘Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you’ (Acts 1:8).
• The love of God: ‘God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him’ (1 John 4:16).
• The peace of Jesus: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid’ (John 14:27).

There may be something to the order these are given in, too: first, power to confront fear, then the capacity to love with greater meaning, which both result in a peaceful state of mind.

When we recognise that fear is a root from an old nature—one that God did not plant—we can stop nurturing it. We don’t have to manage a spirit of fear. We can replace it with the power, love, and sound mind that he has already provided.