Fear (June Hunt Hope for the Heart) (5 page)

God asks us to stand in His strength when we’re afraid, and that’s exactly what Gideon does.
“Watch me,”
Gideon further instructs,
“Follow my lead”
(Judges 7:17).

These are not the words nor the actions of the Gideon first introduced in the winepress. The once cowering man has now become courageous. Clearly he is operating in the strength of another, in the power of Almighty God Himself!

The battalion of 300 men proceeds to encircle the vast Midianite camp in the dark of night and watches Gideon, their leader, like a hawk.
“When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, ‘For the L
ORD
and for Gideon’”
(Judges 7:18).

A bone-chilling blast of trumpets startles the enemy camp. The terrifying smashing of jars expose blazing torches that now encircle the Midianites in a ring of fire. All bedlam breaks loose, absolute chaos consumes the camp.

Of course, the strategic mastermind of this brilliant battle plan was Gideon’s Commander-in-Chief—the Lord Himself! Whenever you find yourself in a fearful situation, realize, like Gideon, you are not alone. Rely on the Lord’s presence in your life. Focus on His strength in your life. And claim and memorize the promise in this key verse for your life.

In the blackness of night, the Midianites can’t see their opponents. Nevertheless, they draw their swords—and attack ... and attack ... and attack
each other
! Pandemonium runs rampant. But in truth,
“The L
ORD
caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords”
(Judges 7:22), unknowingly, brother against brother, friend against friend.

What would you do if you felt terrorized—panic-stricken—but there is no Gideon in hot pursuit, no blaring sound, no crashing noise, just the rapid pounding of your heart?

Gideon learned to rely totally on the Lord. In every real sense, the Lord was his Shepherd—even when he walked through the valley of the shadow of death—Gideon feared no evil because from the beginning, he was told,
“The L
ORD
is with you.”

When you are stricken with fear, take in hand
Psalm 23
. Follow each of the steps presented with each verse. Psalm 23 is the most beloved and most requested passage in the Bible, and for good reason. This Psalm is full of truths we need to focus on in order to have the comfort, restoration, and peace from our relationship with Him.

“The L
ORD
is my shepherd,
I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the L
ORD
forever.”
(Psalm 23)

Certain situations are more fearful than others. Sometimes you only need to read the first few verses once or twice. At other times—especially if you feel a sense of fear out of control—move to an undistracted place and follow each step for each verse. When fear begins to fester, you can exchange panic for peace by focusing on Psalm 23.

• Verse 1:
  “The L
  ORD
  is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.”
  

  Imagine a grassy, pastoral scene and the Lord there with you. Slowly say 5 times, “The Lord is my Shepherd.”
  

  Each time emphasizing a different word:
  

  THE
  Lord is my Shepherd.
  

  The
  LORD
  is my Shepherd.
  

  The Lord
  IS
  my Shepherd.
  

  The Lord is
  MY
  Shepherd.
  

  The Lord is my
  SHEPHERD
  .
  

• Verse 2:
  “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters.”
  

  Imagine yourself lying down beside a calm pool of water.
  

• Verse 3:
  “He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
  

  Take several deep breaths and slowly say 5 times, “My Shepherd restores my soul.”
  

  Each time emphasizing a different word:
  

  MY
  Shepherd restores my soul.
  

  My
  SHEPHERD
  restores my soul.
  

  My Shepherd
  RESTORES
  my soul.
  

  My Shepherd restores
  MY
  soul.
  

  My Shepherd restores my
  SOUL
  .
  

• Verse 4:
  “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
  

  Realize that you are not trapped. Slowly say, “I will fear no evil—The Lord is with me.” Repeat five times.
  

• Verse 5:
  “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”
  

  Repeat 5 times, each time emphasizing a different word:
  

  THE
  Lord is my Protector.
  

  The
  LORD
  is my Protector.
  

  The Lord
  IS
  my Protector.
  

  The Lord is
  MY
  Protector.
  

  The Lord is my
  PROTECTOR
  .
  

• Verse 6:
  “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the L
  ORD
  forever.”
  

  Thank the Lord for the way He will use each fearful situation for
  good
  in your life.
  

“Dear God, I thank You that
You are my Shepherd.
You guide me, You protect me,
and You give me Your peace.
You are the One who restores my soul.
You know my weaknesses
and the times I’ve caved in to fear.
Now, in my weakness,
I will choose to rely on Your strength.
You are my Shepherd.
I am choosing to rely on Your power
for me to move from fear to faith.
As I turn my fear over to You,
use it for good in my life
to remind me of my continual need for You.
In Your holy name I pray. Amen”

No knocking of knees, no trembling of hands, Gideon not only leads the charge against the remaining Midianites, in the Lord’s strength he boldly stands up to criticism and relentlessly pursues his enemies. Along the way, he and his 300 men keep up the pursuit despite physical exhaustion. After Gideon asks the men in the town of Succoth for sustenance to continue his quest, they scoff at his potential for success and refuse his request.

Sometimes after a great success, we can revert to an old habit—a habit filled with fear and doubt—simply because someone currently in our lives, treats us as we had been painfully treated in the past.

When the men of Succoth scoffed at Gideon, he could have emotionally cratered—even after experiencing such miraculous victory. That is why it’s helpful for us to evaluate
why am I really afraid?

Examining your fear, its origin, its legitimacy, and its pattern can help you understand your fear and develop a strategy to resolve it. First, go before God, who is the Source of wisdom, and pray this prayer from your heart:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23–24)

Identify your specific fear:
Of what are you truly afraid?
Then ask yourself:

• Is my fear tied to recent events or did it originate from a specific situation in the past?
  
• Is my fear of the object or situation a true threat or merely a perceived threat?
  
• Is my fear wrongly associated with an event or object that should not be feared?
  
• Is my fear coming from certain places, people, or things that remind me of possible fearful consequences?
  
• Is my fear due to a persistent fear-based mentality—even though the relationship or lifestyle in which it was rooted no longer exists?
  
• Is my fear a result of having faked fear to get attention over such a long period of time that the fear has now become real to me?
  

“The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.” (Proverbs 14:8)

Gideon makes the same request for supplies at a second town—Peniel—and receives the same refusal. In resuming his pursuit of the Midianite kings, Gideon and his men rout the entire remaining army of 15,000 and capture their cruel kings. Gideon continues living out his personal transformation from fear to faith as he completes the task God has called him to accomplish: delivering Israel from the destructive domination of the Midianites. And he does it in the face of criticism and opposition, not only from his enemies, but from his countrymen. And he does it because he knows that his God, his source for truth, is trustworthy.

Knowing the truth and then acting on the truth is critical to conquering fear. The source of truth is the One who does not lie—our God who
cannot
lie.

The first step in applying truth is to identify the false assumptions behind the fears you are experiencing and to replace the false with the truth.

“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)

• Ask yourself if what you are afraid of is certain to happen.
  
  • Evaluate: “Is what I fear actually likely to happen?”
    
  • Realize that fixating on your fear guarantees its repetition.
    
  • Understand that most fears have nothing to do with what’s happening now.
    
• Determine how current the fear that you are presently feeling is. Ask yourself ...
  
  • What was the past trauma(s) that first instigated my fear?
    
  • What past fear am I bringing into the present?
    
  • When did this fear first begin?
    
  • How old am I emotionally when I am feeling this fear?
    
  • Where am I when I am feeling this fear?
    
  • What is going on when I am feeling this fear?
    
  • How is this fear affecting my life now? What is it costing me?
    
• Decide: Are you determined to get out of the grip of fear? If so ...
  
  • Do what it takes to control your fear and to change from being fearful. Tell yourself, “I will not let this fear run my life. ... I will not let past fears control me.”
    
  • Decide to live in the here and now and act in a way that is not based on fear. Repeat this phrase over and over, “That was then, and this is now. That was then, and this is now.”
    
  • Share your fear and your plan for change with a trustworthy person.
    

As you choose to face your fear with faith, claim this Scripture as your own:

“I sought the L
ORD
, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:4)

Gideon moves from the testing of God to triumph with God from a fear-based fleece to a faith-based foundation. Previously, Gideon kept asking God for supernatural signs affirming that God would do what He clearly and repeatedly said He would do. (See Judges 6:36–40.)

Ultimately, Gideon moves from weakness to strength, from doubt to faith, from vacillating to victorious—and he does so by trusting in the one true God and taking action based on that trust. For it is God who gives Gideon victories in defeating both his foes and his fears.

Because of Gideon’s successes in saving his people from perishing, in conquering enemy kings, and in gaining victory over vast armies, his people ask him to rule over them. However, Gideon tells them,
“I will not rule over you. ... The L
ORD
will rule over you”
(Judges 8:23).

God’s call on Gideon’s life is clear: he is to go in the Lord’s strength and
“save Israel out of Midian’s hand”
(Judges 6:14). But that call does not include
ruling
over Israel. Gideon knows this, and he also knows that God is not to be replaced by the man He made into a
“mighty warrior”
and empowered to accomplish His purposes. Gideon is still just a man and God is still the Almighty Ruler of the universe.

As you seek to follow Gideon’s example in moving from fear to faith ...

• Begin with a healthy fear (awe) of God.
  
  • Believe that God created you because He loves you.
    
  • Believe that God has a purpose and a plan for your life.
    
  • Believe that God has the right to have authority over you.
    
  • Believe that God wants you to entrust your life to Him.
    
  • Believe that God has the power to change you.
    
  • Believe that God will keep you safe as you trust in Him.
    

  “The fear of the L
  ORD
  is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”
  (Proverbs 1:7)
  

• Be aware that living in a “state of fear” is not part of God’s plan for you.
  
  • Fear-based thinking suggests you may not be fully trusting God.
    
  • Fear-based thinking does not appropriate the grace of God.
    
  • Fear-based thinking keeps you in bondage to fear.
    
  • Fear-based thinking is physically, emotionally, and spiritually damaging.
    

  “In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?”
  (Psalm 56:4)
  

• Be willing to analyze your fear honestly to discover the real source of your fear.
  
  • Fear of rejection. Do you need to be loved?
    
  • Fear of failure. Do you need to feel significant?
    
  • Fear of financial loss. Do you need to feel secure?
    

  “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the L
  ORD
  is kept safe.”
  (Proverbs 29:25)
  

• Be aware of the power of God’s love for you.
  
  • God’s love provides you with complete acceptance.
    
  • God’s love provides you with a realization of your true value.
    
  • God’s love provides you with the power to overcome fear.
    
  • God’s love provides you with true security.
    

  “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”
  (Jeremiah 31:3)
  

• Be committed to developing your faith in the Lord.
  
  • Be actively involved in a Bible study. (2 Timothy 2:15)
    
  • Be in daily prayer—truly talking with God. (Philippians 4:6)
    
  • Be consistently active in a local church that teaches the Word of God. (Hebrews 10:25)
    
  • Be committed to memorizing and meditating on God’s Word. (Philippians 4:8)
    
  • Be obedient to God’s promptings in your spirit. (Philippians 4:5)
    

  “His delight is in the law of the L
  ORD
  , and on his law he meditates day and night.”
  (Psalm 1:2)
  

• Be involved with other believers.
  
  • Be engaged with fellow Christians. (Hebrews 10:25)
    
  • Be willing to testify to God’s faithfulness in your life. (Lamentations 3:22–23)
    
  • Be focused on serving others. (Philippians 4:10)
    
  • Be aware of the twofold responsibility (Christ’s and yours) in assisting others in need. (Philippians 4:13–14)
    
  • Be accountable to a small intimate group of growing Christians.
    

  “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
  (Proverbs 27:17)
  

• Begin using truth from God’s Word
  to rein in your fear-producing imagination the moment it starts spinning out of control.
  
  • “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.”
    (Psalm 56:3)
    
  • “The L
    ORD
    is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The L
    ORD
    is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?”
    (Psalm 27:1)
    
  • “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
    (Psalm 46:1)
    
• Be willing to face the situations
  you fear through faith in the power of Christ.
  
  • Know that Christ is always ready to respond to your needs.
    
  • Acknowledge His actual presence and call for His help.
    
  • Release your fear to Him and receive His powerful love.
    
  • Act in love toward others by focusing on their needs and relying on God.
    

  “The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.”
  (1 Thessalonians 5:24)
  

• Become free
  from your fear and strengthened in your faith.
  
  • Become more trusting.
    
  • Become more peaceful.
    
  • Become more thankful.
    
  • Become more Christlike.
    

  “Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
  (Colossians 2:6–7)