How to Overcome the Spirit of Fear: Walk Out the Danger of Terror & Fear on Earth & Escape Hellfire!

We have no reason to be scared of Him. We have His promise that nothing can separate us from His love Romans 8: We have His promise that He will never leave us or forsake us Hebrews Fearing God means having such a reverence for Him that it has a great impact on the way we live our lives. The fear of God is respecting Him, obeying Him, submitting to His discipline, and worshipping Him in awe.

What does it mean to work out salvation with fear and trembling Philippians 2: If our salvation is secured by Christ, what do we need to work This text is often misused to instill fear into people, warning them that it means that they can lose salvation. What does it mean to work out our salvation with fear and trembling?

Apocalyptic upbringing: how I recovered from my terrifying evangelical childhood

Paul can hardly be encouraging believers to live in a continuous condition of nervousness and anxiety. That would contradict his many other exhortations to peace of mind, courage, and confidence in the God who authors our salvation. The Greek word translated "fear" in this context can equally mean "reverence" or "respect.

The sense in which we are to work out our salvation in fear and trembling is twofold. How can I overcome my fear of the end of days? Why is the end of days such a terrifying prospect for some people? The best way to overcome a fear of the end of days is to be spiritually prepared for it.

First and foremost, you must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ in order to have eternal life John 3: Only through Him can you receive forgiveness of sin and have eternity with God. Second, every Christian should live a life worthy of the calling we have in Christ. But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God.

And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. Rather than fear the future, we are called to anticipate the future with joy. Further, Scripture says we do not need to fear Judgment Day: There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. The apostle Peter reveals that, even if our future holds suffering, we need not fear: Peter and many other early believers endured much hardship and even death because of their faith in Christ.

Suffering is not to be feared; it is a blessing when it is borne for the name of Jesus. Those who do not know Christ do not have the promise of peace for the future. For them, there is a real concern because they have not settled the issue of where they will spend eternity. Those who do know Christ do not fear the end of days. How can I increase my faith and decrease my fear? Faith and fear cannot exist together. Faith is described in Hebrews On the other hand, fear, simply stated, is unbelief or weak belief.

As unbelief gains the upper hand in our thoughts, fear takes hold of our emotions. Our deliverance from fear and worry is based on faith, which is the very opposite of unbelief. We need to understand that faith is not something that we can produce in ourselves. Faith is a gift Ephesians 2: The Christian's faith is a confident assurance in a God who loves us, who knows our thoughts and cares about our deepest needs.

Halloween with the Hell House

That faith continues to grow as we study the Bible and learn the attributes of His amazing character. The more we learn about God, the more we can see Him working in our lives and the stronger our faith grows. A growing faith is what we desire to have and what God desires to produce in us. But how, in day-to-day life, can we develop a faith that conquers our fears? The careful study of God's Word is of primary importance in developing a strong faith.

God wants us to know Him and completely rely on His direction in our lives. It's through the hearing, reading and meditation in the Scriptures that we begin to experience a strong, confident faith that excludes worry and fear. Spending time in prayer and quiet worship develops a relationship with our heavenly Father that sees us through even the darkest of nights.

In the Psalms we see a picture of David, who, like us, experienced times of fear. These are revealing words which speak wisdom to us today. God is kind and understanding toward our weaknesses, but He requires us to go forward in faith, and the Bible is clear that faith does not mature and strengthen without trials.

Adversity is God's most effective tool to develop a strong faith. That pattern is evident in Scripture. God takes each one of us through fearful situations, and as we learn to obey God's Word and allow it to saturate our thoughts, we find each trial becomes a stepping stone to a stronger and deeper faith. It gives us that ability to say, "He sustained me in the past, He'll carry me through today and He'll uphold me in the future!

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When David volunteered to fight against Goliath, he said, "The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine" 1 Samuel David knew the God who had sustained him through dangerous situations in the past.

He had seen and experienced God's power and protection in his life, and this developed within him a fearless faith. The Word of God is rich with promises for us to take hold of and claim for ourselves. When we face financial trouble, Philippians 4: How can a Christian overcome the fear of witnessing?

Why is witnessing so frightening? Why is sharing the Gospel sometimes so scary? Possible causes of fear in relation to witnessing include shyness; past or perceived rejection or humiliation; an inability to articulate our personal testimony; a lack of knowledge of Scripture; a failure to trust in the Lord; and an ignorance of why men reject the gospel.

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Determining the actual cause of fear may be difficult, and understanding the reason may not dispel our fear. But we are commanded to be bold for Jesus Ephesians 6: In the meantime we can apply some basic principles and sharpen our skills, since fear can be overcome by preparation 2 Timothy 3: If we are not walking with Christ, we will not be able to witness for Christ effectively, so we certainly need to be living a consistent, Christian life. If at all possible, we should be attending a Bible-teaching church.

Also, we can always improve our knowledge of Scripture, and we should study well the book of John. Our Lord shared the gospel with many different people. He understood Nicodemus and the woman at the well, and He used that knowledge in drawing them to Himself John chapters 3 and 4. Our approach, too, should be personally tailored. As we speak with an unbeliever, we should try to ascertain what is keeping him from salvation. Generally speaking, there are three factors that keep people from belief: A study of the Gospel of John will show that the key to successful witnessing is love.

Jesus loved people to the point of accepting the cross and separation from the Father.

What does the Bible say about fear | Lessons

With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can learn to love people more. When we do, we will be more motivated to share the gospel, since our desire to save people from eternal punishment will grow. Love compels us to communicate the good news. The Holy Spirit will open doors for us by convicting people of their sin and stirring up a desire for salvation, and He will arrange for our paths to cross. Our job is simply to speak with people and explain that salvation is available to every sinner, and to present the good news of salvation.

Speaking is what many find troubling, as did Moses Exodus 4: However, if we are walking as Christians; if we study and plan; if we rely on the Holy Spirit, the One who convicts and regenerates John One method to consider is to prepare and memorize a simple testimony of what Jesus did for us, and this should include several keywords.

We also should memorize a few key verses that relate to the gospel and to our testimony. Then, when any one of our keywords arises in a conversation, in a context that can be related to the things of God, we can discuss our testimony or recite a verse and explain the meaning. If we are asked any relevant questions, we can proceed with the confidence that the Holy Spirit has opened a heart.

If the other person expresses no interest, we can simply continue the original conversation without anxiety. At the very least, we will have planted a seed. What have we to fear? How can I overcome hadephobia the fear of hell? Should Christians be hadephobic? In one sense, hadephobia, also called stygiophobia, is normal and natural.

Hell is a scary place. Jesus described it as a place of darkness and weeping and the gnashing of teeth Matthew The book of Revelation pictures the lake of fire as filled with fire and brimstone, smoke, torment, and unrest Revelation The Bible contains a severe warning for sinners: The world tends to make a joke out of hell and to speak flippantly of it. Hell becomes a mere cussword; people entertain notions that they will find a place to party with their friends amid the flames. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Hell is a fearsome place see Matthew It is true that hell is a real place where the unredeemed go, but you need not worry—if you have placed your trust in Jesus Christ, you are saved from that fate. Believers have this promise: The wages of sin is death Romans 6: He died in your stead. Because Jesus took your punishment and now intercedes on your behalf, you need not suffer from hadephobia. You need not fear ever being separated from God. God does not want His children to experience hadephobia.

There is a great distinction between Christianity and other beliefs that have similar concepts of hell. In Christianity, the motivation to serve the Lord is not fear but love Romans 2: Furthermore, the moment you accept Christ, you become His property, and no one can snatch you from His hands John God is greater than the one who is in the world Romans 8: If you are experiencing any kind of fear, including hadephobia, here are some practical steps to take:.

It is only the child of God who does not need to fear hell. The saved have the Holy Spirit—the Comforter—in their hearts. There is a reason why the Word is likened to food for your daily sustenance. You need not fear hell as it was created for the devil and those he will deceive Matthew Neither should you give the devil too much credit. While he is real, the Bible says he is defeated and already condemned John You are more than a conqueror through Him who loves you Romans 8: He comes to the Place of Deliverance: What does the Bible say about cowardice or being a coward?

What does the Bible say about cowardice? What does the Bible say about being a coward? Is cowardice different from fear, and if so, how? At first glance, it would seem the Bible has very little to say about cowardice. Some translations do not even contain the word, while in others it is found only once in Revelation Other translations use the word fearful in place of the word cowardly, but could it be that these words are synonymous? If so, what does that mean for us, who have all been fearful and one time or another? The dictionary also defines coward as someone who lacks the courage to do difficult, dangerous, or unpleasant things.

A coward consciously shies away from unpleasant situations, doing whatever he can to save his own skin—enslaving himself to fear. Cowardice is sometimes linked to a guilty conscience: Scripture has much to say about being a slave to fear and contains stories of some godly people who gave in to fear. Peter is a good example of someone who once showed cowardice or enslavement to fear.

His fear of being criticized by his Jewish brothers kept him from obeying God, who had Acommanded him to accept the Gentiles into the community of believers, freely eating and drinking with them Acts Joshua was the man who led Israel in the conquest of Canaan; given the many battles he faced and won, no one would ever call him a coward. It was an encouragement against cowardice that Joshua passed along to the Israelites Joshua Do not be afraid or terrified.

This is a command, not a suggestion. How could God expect us not to be afraid? Despite living in a small town, I was a member of three different evangelical Christian churches at this time. Needing far more than just a Sunday fix, I was attending about nine different religious classes a week.

And then there were two different church camps each summer, four conventions each school year, and countless youth rallies, concerts, and theatrical productions. I even enrolled myself in a rural Christian school my junior year of high school. I was perfectly isolated from any outside influence.

My dad, however, had renounced church altogether, and my mom only went on Sundays, so for the most part my zealotry was self-imposed. I judged their lack of commitment and often stopped speaking to them for stretches of time. Unlike drug use or listening to gangsta rap, no parent worries about their kids spending too much time at church. But looking back, my overdosing on religion was becoming a serious problem.

The Y2K scare was a huge focus because it was both imminently close and so mysterious even the nonreligious believed it was a legitimate threat. At church camps and youth conventions, we cried, wailed and beat our chests in shame, begging God to forgive us our sins and never leave us behind. In the years of my adolescence, I shed enough tears to fill an Olympic swimming pool. As approached, my panic attacks grew more severe. I pondered the nature of eternity nearly every minute of the day.

Whether torture or paradise, the concept itself filled me with existential dread. I finished school and began a life on the road, traveling aimlessly around the country, working an endless series of construction, restaurant, retail, factory and day-labor jobs. Yet despite the drugs, sex and foul language that now consumed my daily existence a not-uncommon lifestyle for young Christians away from home for the first time , my faith in God remained on life support. There was too much at stake to flippantly reject it, no matter how many unanswered questions rattled in my brain.

I clung to the idea that the rapture was still imminent, but my conviction was weak and I was desperate for something to keep my beliefs afloat. My early 20s were spent desperately reading as much as I could get my hands on about the Bible and why it was intellectually viable. Believing I needed to be able to refute all arguments to the contrary — even my own — I read secular works by those who despised Christianity, such as Tom Robbins, the Marquis de Sade and Christopher Hitchens. Then one evening in San Francisco in , while watching the sun set over the Pacific Ocean, I quietly said to myself: Cold sweat raced down my back.

I winced, half expecting to have a heart attack. Or a giant beast to rise from the water. The world kept turning. Just as it did in when society did not collapse from Y2K. They were young, idealistic Christians when they had me, and like so many religious parents, only had the best of intentions of rearing me in their faith. It was Easter Sunday and I asked whether she regretted exposing me to the terrifying prophecies of the Bible at a young age. Would I couch things differently today, and not have them be so hellfire and brimstone? You were such a scared little boy.

I would say that some of the most emotionally rapturous moments of my life were had in Pentecostal church services, where the loud and hypnotic music, speaking in tongues, primal dancing, shaking and collapsing to the ground, caused explosions of sensory transcendence in my little body.

Home ownership, marriage, kids and retirement savings all require a faith that tomorrow will be here in the morning. While my head can rationalize that one year will probably follow the next, my heart cannot handle anything more than one day at a time. I am still plagued with chronic nightmares, which my therapist says are a common symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder. The idea that an extreme religious upbringing could be a form of psychological torture was new to me.