Free From Fear

by

David Alsobrook

Contents

1 Works of Fear

Fear Hinders God's Present Protection

Fear, Satan's Tool

Fear Precipitates Unbelief

Fear, A Hindrance

2 Godly or Satanic Fears

Satanic Fear Torments

Satanic Fear Dominates

Satanic Fear Prevents

3 Overcoming Fear Permanently

1. Initial Deliverance

2. Eye gate—Ear gate

3. Fill the Thought Life with Jesus

4. Know Who You Are in Christ

5. Recognize and Practice the Presence of God

6. Submit to God

Make It Your Goal to be Completely Fearless

4 A Personal Experience

About the Author

In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt BE FAR FROM OPPRESSION; FOR THOU SHALT NOT FEAR: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.

—Isaiah 54:14

1 Works of Fear

Three hundred and sixty-six times God said in His Word not to be afraid or dismayed. We are to serve Him without fear all the days of our life. Every day—all 365

days of the year—God says, "Fear not!" Even on the extra day during Leap Year: "Fear not!" It is so easy to get into a habit or rut of saying, "I'm afraid of this," and "I'm afraid of that"—little fears. God wants us fearless.

Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, said this about Jesus:

"That he would grant unto us that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him WITHOUT FEAR, in holiness and righteousness before him, ALL THE DAYS of our life (Luke 1:74).

One of the strongest spirits to overcome is fear. It appears to be the first emotion that man experienced after he sinned. Before he knew hatred, strife, or jealousy, man had FEAR. Genesis 3:8-10 says that Adam and Eve hid themselves from God behind the trees in the garden. The Lord came into the garden and called, "Adam, where are you?"

Adam answered, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I WAS AFRAID." Fear.

The first time Adam felt the paralyzing, terrifying, tormenting fear was after he sinned. Sin brought fear into the human family, and the only basic cure for fear is RIGHTEOUSNESS. Psalm 34:4 tells us Who that Righteous One is: "I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from ALL MY FEARS." Not only are we told who He is, but what He does: delivered me from ALL MY FEARS. Now that's our goal—to be delivered from all fears.

Almost every prophet of God sent on an unpopular or dangerous mission was forewarned by God about the dangers of FEAR. God said to Jeremiah, "Fear not their faces" (1:8).

To Ezekiel God said, "As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not ..." (3:9).

That is to say, "Don't be moved by their hard expressions."

To Joshua the Lord said, "... be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid …" (1:9).

Job had his problems with fear also. It is stated in Job, Chapter 1, that God had built a hedge around Job, his family and all of his house and goods. But in Job 3:25 Job said (in the literal Hebrew): "I feared a fear and it happened upon me." The King James Version reads: "The thing which I greatly feared is come upon me." That is to say, "In my thought life I saw fearful things happening, so what I'd been seeing, happened." Proverbs 23:7 tells us, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." What you hold on to in your mind will get into your heart. Think evil—receive evil. Think good—receive good. During his prosperity, Job began to see fear images. His thought life entertained pictures of disaster: from prosperity to poverty.

He received what he saw.

The Apostle Paul told Timothy, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear [cowardice]: but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:7). Yet, at times we all have experienced fear.

The great patriarch, Abraham, too faced fear. God spoke to him in a vision.

"After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying FEAR NOT, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and lo, one born in my house is mine heir" (Gen. 15:1-3).

The above vision probably occurred when Abraham was 85 years old; however, God first began to deal with him when he was 75 when he lived in Ur of the Chaldees (the land of Babylon). God had told him that if he would come out of Ur of the Chaldees He would make out of him a great nation. This meant that his wife, though she'd been barren throughout their marriage, would bear a son, who in turn would bring forth more children, eventually becoming a multitude of people.

Ten years had gone by. It took a vision from God to alert him to the trap into which he had begun to fall.

Unconsciously Abraham had been developing mental images of seeing himself childless. He was seeing Eliezer of Damascus, a servant born in his house, not his own blood descendant, becoming the heir of all his goods. He sees himself die, and Eliezer, evidently his chief servant, taking over all of his many possessions—herds, gold, silver and servants. Twice Abram told God that he sees it this way. "Behold," [meaning SEE, LOOK, NOTICE, OBSERVE], "one born in my house is mine heir." Abram complains, "God, You haven't kept Your promise and given me a child; it has been ten years, and I'm getting older every year. I have mental pictures of being childless."

Notice in verse 1, God's first word to Abram is, "FEAR NOT." Abram didn't realize what God was after in this experience, but God PERMITTED him to reveal out of his own mouth the greatest hindrance to his faith. In other words, he confessed that he was fearful. Jesus said, "For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" (Matt. 12:37).

Fear Hinders God's Present Protection

The type of fear that is not from God hinders our present protection, oppresses, prevents our entrance into heaven, and hinders our eternal reward.

What were Abram's fears? He feared dying childless—and that Eliezer was going to take charge of his house and that he wouldn't have that child of promise. But God said, "FEAR NOT, Abram: I am thy shield," meaning YOUR PRESENT PROTECTION. God was telling him, "Your fear is hindering MY protection in this life. If you keep on fearing you are going to make a crack in your shield" (Gen. 15:1).

God said to Abram, "Fear not! I am your present protection, and YOUR EXCEEDING GREAT REWARD-your everlasting, eternal inheritance. But your fear is not only hindering your present protection, it is hindering YOUR ETERNAL REWARD."

We don't always see words; occasionally we see pictures or images. When people hear a good speaker, what do they say? "Oh, he was very colorful. He spoke with such picturesque speech." That speaker was able to communicate pictures to the listener's mind. A recent experience proved that even the sightless have mental images.

Shortly before the election, I was buying a newspaper from a blind person who was running a newsstand. I remarked, "I want to buy this paper. I noticed something in it about the electoral col

As he handed back my change, the blind man said, "I don't understand the electoral vote. Would you mind explaining this?"

"I'll be glad to tell you what I understand about the electoral college system," I replied. When I left he said three times, "I see. I see. I see." Completely blind and yet he said that he "saw."

Abram questioned God, "What will You give me, seeing I go childless?"

Fear is something you see. If you are ever going to be delivered from fear you have to realize that fear enters through what you think or see. Abram's statement "Seeing I go childless" was his way of saying to God: "I can only see what I see. You haven't given me any descendant, any heir."

Remember that God chastens every son He loves.

Following Abram's question, comes a word of rebuke from God: "And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him saying, This shall not be thine heir" [Eliezer will not be the heir of your house]; "but he that shall come forth out of your own bowels shall be thine heir."

If you've given place to fear in your thought life and if you've seen mental fear pictures, how do you overcome this fear image?

God so beautifully said in essence to Abram, "I want you to replace the fear image with faith pictures." The admonition is the same as that given in Romans 12:21: "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."

You'll never know permanent freedom from evil until you are willing to replace that evil habit, or evil thought pattern, or evil mental picture with a good one. You don't just cast out evil; that's the negative side—you have to put something good back in; that's the positive side. Notice how God encourages Abram to change.

It must have been night time, for Abram is told to look at the stars: "Look now toward heaven (or to the sky), and tell (count) the stars.... If you are able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. That is the way your offspring will be, Abram!"

I used to take figuratively where God said, "Look now toward the sky and count the stars if you are able to number them . . . " Then, one day I was looking at this verse and noticed that God said, "Look now toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to number them; and he said unto him so shall thy seed be." In other words, God didn't say to him "SO SHALL THY SEED BE" in the same breath that He said, "Look up toward heaven and count the stars."

There is a lapse of time between the instruction "Look now toward the heaven and count the stars if you are able to number them" and the prediction, the word of oath, "So shall thy seed be."

God tells him to start seeing his children as numerous as the stars. Imagine that! Abram, struggling to believe for one child, is told to believe for thousands!

Abram started counting stars. After spending time counting stars, he sees those stars as children with names.

He believed what the Lord had said to him. The Bible tells us that God counted it to him for righteousness. In verse 5 Abram did some counting, and in verse 6 God did some counting. Abram had to keep on counting for almost 15

years. During this time he was not beyond the attacks of fear images. He gave in to Sarah's suggestion, which has precipitated many serious present-day problems (Moslems).

The angel of God said to Hagar that "Ishmael shall be a wild man" (Gen. 16:12). meaning untameable. But God did place a blessing in Ishmael (Genesis 17:20), part of which could be the massive oil fields they possess. Sarah had said to Abram, "Take Hagar, let that be counted for thy seed." But God isn't like Ford, coming up with a better idea! "Sarah, you are right, that is a better idea than waiting, I'll take Hagar." Some Christians say, "God told me to do something," and then later, "Oh God told me to do something else," as if God had changed His mind and now has a better idea. This can only lead to serious problems.

Any time the devil comes against you, find a faith picture (there are thousands of "stars" in the Word) and believe God's promises. If you will say, "Yes, Father, I count those promises as being true," God will count that to you for righteousness.

Abram is told to count the stars when fear bothers him at night. Does he have anything to count during the day when fear comes against him? Yes—sand! God had also promised him that his seed would be as the sand of the sea shore (Hebrews 11:12). As he wandered in the desert Abram kept counting. Whenever the fear image came: YOU WILL DIE CHILDLESS, he'd replace it with a faith image by believing what God had said and looking at the stars or counting the sand. So by faith Isaac was conceived.

Fear, Satan's Tool

Fear is one of Satan's strongest tools. Possibly more people will be hurled into the lake of fire because of the influence of fear than for any other thing. Ten years ago while reading Revelation 21:8, this struck my heart: "But the FEARFUL, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." The Holy Spirit ordered the listing of those words! The "fearful" are mentioned first.

Possibly more people reject Jesus Christ because of FEAR than any type of sinful pleasure. Of all the witnessing I've done, when I've come up against a wall of resistance in most people, fear was always there.

Fear Precipitates Unbelief

Remember the ten spies who brought back the evil report of unbelief when the children of Israel sought to enter Canaan? They said, "And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight" (Num. 13:33). No doubt fear was the root of their unbelief.

Fear, A Hindrance

Fear is the greatest hindrance to the life of the Christian.

Jesus said, "But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. FEAR NOT, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:31-32). There are many hindrances in the Christian walk, but the one thing singled out above all others is FEAR! Yet the believer is told:

"FEAR NOT, little flock." In Matthew 25:14 we have the parable of the talents. The servant who received one talent hid it because he was afraid. He missed out on his ministry in this life, and the position and reward the Lord intended him to have in the next dispensation because of fear. That fear was based on a lie of the enemy. There is no reason to believe that his lord (or our Lord) is a "hard man." His own mouth condemned him when he said, "And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent ..." (v. 25).

Another example of fear coming about by something we see is the very familiar story of Peter's walk on water (Matthew 14). People tell how Peter sank. Seldom do you hear people say how Peter walked on the water; more often preachers tell "when Peter got out of the boat he sank." The Bible also says that when he got out of the boat he walked on water! I'd be willing to sink one hundred times to get to walk on water once!

"And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away." Jesus has just fed the multitude. It's late in the afternoon and He sends everyone away, because He wants to spend time in fellowship with the Father. He "constrains" the disciples, meaning He more or less commands them to get into a boat and go to the other side. He desires solitude.

Now, at least nine hours later, in the fourth watch He comes to the disciples walking on the sea. I like to visualize Jesus walking down the mountainside and not even hesitating as He steps on top of the sea. There is no halt in His movement and even when the water is only knee deep He's on top of it from the start. "But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night [sometime between 3-6 A.M.] Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea." Perhaps during those nine uninterrupted hours of communion Jesus was transfigured with the glory of God in His sinless body—maybe as Moses, His face shone. "And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for FEAR. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I, be not afraid."

"Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water." Why does Peter think that if it were truly Jesus that He will let him come to Him on the water? Because he knew Jesus taught repeatedly that it is enough for the disciple to be as his Master, that the disciple can do whatever he sees his Master doing (Matthew 10:24-25). Peter has one consuming desire and that is to be like his Master, the Lord Jesus. In that pathway stands FEAR. Through the darkness Peter issues a challenging cry: "If that is You there, ask me to come out there with You."

Jesus says, "Come." COME—one little word. Jesus didn't preach a whole sermon on why he could walk on water if he only had enough faith to believe on the God who parted the Red Sea. Jesus merely said, "COME."

"And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus," implying that he was looking at Jesus. As long as he was looking at Jesus everything was all right. Some people say if it hadn't been for the storm Peter wouldn't have sunk. But Peter couldn't walk on water even when the sea was calm. He was walking on the WORD—that's how powerful God's WORD

is. If we really dare to believe God's WORD, it, not water, holds us up!

We say it's impossible to walk on water. It was no easier for that fisherman (whose greatest vocational fear was drowning) to step out into the midst of a raging storm than it would be for a pilot seeing Jesus on a thundercloud to get out of his plane and walk on air.

"Lord, is that You?"

"Yes, Roy, it's Me."

"Wow! I never thought I'd see You like this!"

"Well, here I am, Roy. Why don't you come out of the plane and let's visit a while."

"But," you say, "people can swim in water!" That's true, except on the sea of Galilee when there is a storm. That is why we often see the disciples frightened by the frequent storms when on the Sea of Galilee. They were mostly fishermen by trade and knew from night fishing when violent storms rose, without notice, they were in a very dangerous position. Peter wasn't only a fisherman, he was a son of a fisherman. Peter was dealing with his greatest fear: drowning. I personally know this to be so from uncles who were commercial fishermen on the Gulf of Mexico. Their greatest fear was to be out in the gulf during violent gulf squalls which have been known to capsize little shrimpers.

It can be very dangerous.

Peter is walking on the stormy water, going toward Jesus. Peter, of all people, you should know you can't do this! Maybe there had been the fisherman tales that Peter had heard all his life, about fellows out in the middle of the night, over-worked and hallucinating, jumping into watery graves. Can't you see all the fisherman knowledge coming back to Peter now! The exhilaration of the moment begins to fade as he sees those big waves crashing around him.

"But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid."

He first saw it in his mind before he saw it with his natural eye. Everything was all right as long as he was looking at Jesus, the author and finisher of his faith (Heb.

12:2). Notice how quickly FEAR defeats his faith. "But when HE SAW the wind boisterous, he was afraid: AND beginning to sink." in this case fear destroys faith because the heart isn't KEPT full of faith. Fear destroys faith; faith destroys fear. There isn't a long battle between FEAR and FAITH. FEAR takes over and Peter immediately begins to sink. Almost instantly he feels a strong, reassuring hand grab hold of his hand and pull him up. Now he's not even walking on water, but standing on it!

Jesus seems so far away a few split seconds earlier, and now He's standing right in front of Peter. "And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand." We don't know if He stretched it thirty feet or five feet, or whether Jesus was supernaturally transported to the spot where Peter sank, but "Jesus stretched forth his hand." The Word of God says "The Lord is nigh to all that call upon him" (Ps. 145:18). He can seem far off, and that is when you get fearful, you see the opposition and circumstances that oppose you. However, if you cry to the Lord He'll rescue you.

After Jesus lifted Peter up He did not say, "Oh, that's all right, Peter, sometimes I get scared too, you know, no one can live free from fear." No, Jesus reproved Peter with a question: "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"

Peter doesn't even answer Jesus. He was glad to be lifted out of that water. With his hand in the hand of Jesus, Peter was confident to continue walking. Now that Peter was able to feel the hand of Jesus he wasn't fearful any longer. He had Someone to lean on while walking on the water. "For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee" (Isa. 41:13).

In essence Jesus said, "See, Peter, how easy it is to walk over these waves. I want to show you that you can conquer storms."

"And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased." Only after they had climbed back into the boat did the wind stop, and all of the disciples on board worshipped Him saying, "Jesus, You are the Son of God!"

In Isaiah 54:14 we read: "In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee." Man lost his established relationship God through sin, but God said that we'll be established in a right relationship with Him again through righteousness (Christ).

"In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt BE FAR from oppression," not living next door to it, or having the victory only half the week. "Well, I really had a good time in the Lord yesterday, but today, wow!"

Sickness or physical oppression can find no place to lodge where righteousness is present and fear is cast out.

Fear is a ROOT of oppression. Fear can cause oppression.

“For you shall be far from oppression." FOR is a conjunctive adverb that can be translated "because." You will be far from oppression because you will not fear.

While ministering in Louisiana, Pastor Harold Vincent impressed me by his radiant faith. He told the account of his ten-year-old son who was shot accidentally in the side of the head. The father walked into his home as the boy was convulsing. With the brains oozing out of the side of his head, the boy was rushed to the hospital. His vital signs failed. While the nurses worked on him Harold prayed in tongues, not knowing what else to do. The Lord said to him, "the thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill and to destroy, but I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly." The father laid his Bible on his son's chest saying, "Jesus came that you might have life, son," and the boy opened his eyes.

The doctors said, "Don't get your hopes too high, he'll be a vegetable. All we can do is clean out the wound and later we'll put in a metal plate." They found the bullet lodged inside the skull. "There is no way we can take out that bullet from the back of the skull, and he'll never walk," they said.

"That's okay, the Lord has healed him," replied the father.

That boy is seventeen years old now and has seven track awards. He is an honor student. All Tim has to show for the accident is a little scar near his temple where the bullet originally penetrated. The doctors had planned to put in a plate, but all the bone grew back—a solid, perfect skull. Fear of what the enemy could do did not dominate the thinking of this boy's father. Great glory to God has been given as a result of Harold's sharing this testimony.

2 Godly or Satanic Fears

How can I tell if the fear I have is the fear of God or satanic fear?

There is a wrong kind of fear of God and there is a healthy, reverential respect of God. The latter is the true fear of the Lord, and the two are as different as day is from night. In First John 4:18 we are told, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment."

The kind of fear that God does not want you to have is spoken of in First John 4:18 because there is no satanic fear in agapao— God's love. God wants you to be filled with His love, and not a satanic fear, which is the fear that has torment. God does NOT want you to have any fear that torments.

In Acts 9:31 the Bible says that the early churches were walking "in the fear of the Lord, and in the COMFORT of the Holy Ghost." Notice the fear of the Lord brings comfort, whereas satanic fear produces torment. When you have a healthy, deep reverential respect and awe of God, it actually comforts your heart. It makes you shake and tremble and serve the Lord with fear, as Psalm 2:11 says: "rejoice with trembling," because you begin to realize how big, mighty and powerful God is. This realization produces a humility and reverential respect for God.

The Apostle John said there is no tormenting fear in love. First John 4:8 tells us "God is love." The word LOVE (AGAPE) is the same Greek word used to say that God is AGAPAO—and there is no fear in AGAPAO. God is love.

It's not only that He has it as a commodity to give, but that is what God is. God and love are inseparable. He is AGAPE love. AGAPAO is God. There is no difference in saying GOD IS AGAPAO and to say AGAPAO IS GOD.

There is no fear in AGAPAO and God is AGAPAO, therefore there is no fear in God. There is no fear in love, God is love; therefore there is no fear in God. Agapao is the divine kind of love, not phileo or eros love. Love is not a quality of God, it is God's very essence! There is no tormenting fear in God.

If you have any tormenting fear, you need to become firmly convinced that it does not come from God. He doesn't want you to have tormenting fear, and, therefore, as you agree with God and take your stand against it you can command it to leave your life.

Godly fear comforts. Satanic fear torments. Godly fear motivates. Satanic fear dominates.

Satanic Fear Torments

In the eleven verses preceding First John 4:18 (cf. Matthew 18:34), John mentions love seventeen times.

Abruptly in verse 18—FEAR! Why? FEAR CHOKES THE LOVE OF GOD FROM FULL MANIFESTATION! There is no (satanic) fear in God's love. Neither is there any divine love demonstrated when fear is given place.

Many believers are hiding precious gifts and ministries because a spirit of fear hinders them even as it bound Timothy (2 Timothy 1:6-7). The Greek word for fear here is the spirit of cowardice. It does not denote a feeling or an emotion—but a trait of character or conduct, it is an ATTITUDE. Paul was telling Timothy not to bow down to this fear (cowardice) because it would cause him to shrink from duty, cause him to lose hope, abandon that to which he should hold fast, and surrender to the enemy. Paul said, "God did not give you that, Timothy!"

Perfect (mature) love casteth out fear. Fear can keep a believer from maturity, because fear has torment. This very fact that fear torments clearly reveals that there is a personality behind it! Four times John repeated: Fear ...fear ... fear . . . fear . . . A PERSONALITY? Yes!

You may recall in John's writings how he mentions the spirit of error (1 John 4:6) and the spirit of antichrist (1 John 4:3). On other occasions he said error while omitting the phrase the spirit of. In other places he simply states antichrist, again omitting the spirit of. However, in both cases you know he is speaking of the spirit of error and the spirit of antichrist, having previously identified them as such. Although John only says fear, he is referring to the spirit of fear. The Holy Spirit leaves no doubt and under the same inspiration the divine breath speaks through another writer saying the same thing. Paul warned young Timothy:

"for God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind...." Thus the Spirit of God bears witness to my spirit through the Word of God that fear is a spirit!

Consequently then when John says, casteth out fear he is speaking of casting out an evil spirit. The way to deal with an evil spirit is to cast it out. The Word teaches that in dealing with sin, God has provided that by the blood we cleanse it. In dealing with the flesh, by the cross we crucify it. And in dealing with evil spirits, by the name of Jesus we cast them out. Let me illustrate it this way:

Three C's To Victory

Our Condition

God's Provision

CLEANSE SIN

CRUCIFY FLESH

CAST OUT DEMONS (evil spirits)

The nominal church has tried to cleanse demons, crucify sin, and cast out flesh. The Pentecostal churches have tried to cleanse flesh, crucify demons, and cast out sin.

Both have failed.

You can't crucify a spirit any more than you can cleanse one. If you want to rid a person of an evil spirit, call the demon a demon, and in the name of Jesus cast it out.

ALWAYS DEAL WITH OBSTACLES TO VICTORY IN THE DIVINELY REVEALED METHODS: cleanse sin, crucify flesh, and cast out demons. The spirit of fear not only torments but also dominates.

Satanic Fear Dominates

The fear that Saul had dominated him (1 Samuel 16, 17). Satanic fear dominates, that is, it holds you back. It keeps you from accomplishing the will of God. It keeps you from doing what God has called you to do. The wrong kind of fear of God is where people are actually scared of God, it dominates them, oppresses them and keeps them from coming nigh to God, and eventually holds them back from serving God.

A contrasting picture is the godly fear that motivated Noah. When Noah was building the ark he was moved with fear. "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house" (Heb. 11:7). That godly, healthy, reverential fear motivated him. Can you imagine the Lord giving you a job to do that would take 120 years to complete? There had to be a motivating influence that kept Noah out there all those days, months, and years that dragged into decades, building the ark—something in which to sail—when there never had been a flood, much less rain! He was moved by fear, the healthy kind of fear that motivates one to do the will of God. It wasn't a dominating, bondage type of thing, it was liberating.

Another example of having a godly fear that motivated action is given in First Samuel, Chapter 17, where David killed the giant, Goliath. David's love for God ("Is there not a cause" 17:29), impelled him to be fearless, knowing "that the Lord saves not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you (the giant) into our hands." This is what happened—David was able to kill the giant—fearlessly.

The Bible not only teaches that fear torments and dominates, but also that satanic fear prevents.

Satanic Fear Prevents

As we pointed out earlier fear prevents many from entering into God's Kingdom through the new birth. Fear also prevents many born-again believers from possessing the Kingdom of God. God has a two-fold objective for every person born into the world:

1. Save him.

2. Save others through him.

To this end God has assigned the Holy Spirit the ever-present task of lifting up the Standard: Jesus Christ.

Through this Standard God is reconciling men unto Himself. He saves a man and then uses what He saves as a vehicle to save OTHERS. The Holy Spirit operates in this two-fold ministry by witnessing through the consciousness and awareness of His personal presence.

The devil likewise has a two-fold objective for every person born of the flesh:

1. Prevent him from being saved.

2. Prevent him from being used to save others.

To this end the devil has assigned evil spirits the ever-present task of blinding men's minds, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ should shine unto them (2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:1-2).

Satan's primary spirit in preventing men's entrance into the Kingdom of God is fear.

Overcoming fear is the condition to be met. Inheriting the Kingdom of God is the provision to be enjoyed. Before you inherit, you overcome. If you do not overcome, you will be overcome by whatever you fail to overcome.

Whatever you give the preeminence is what will dominate your life. God hates fear so much that those who allow it to prevent them from being saved, will head the list of those who will have their part in the lake of fire, along with murderers, whoremongers, and liars. Think of it!

Satanic fear not only can prevent entrance into the Kingdom of God, but also the believer possessing the Kingdom. Not only does Satan successfully use the spirit of fear to keep men from being saved, but he also uses the same demon to keep a saved man from leading other men to salvation. Fear cripples Christian witness.

Fear keeps many a believer from possessing that which Jesus Christ has already purchased for him. Consider healing. The spirit of fear whispers into the ears of man: If you believe God for that healing, you will die. Many are kept from inheriting this wonderful provision. Consider the baptism in the Holy Spirit. How many preachers have been deceived by the lie of fear and have thus prevented themselves from pressing into God?

Fear then can not only prevent a saved man from saving others, but can also keep a saved man from possessing or inheriting his part in the Kingdom of God. To this Jesus affirms: "But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:31-32).

Fear can keep you from entering into all God's provision. Jesus says in paraphrase: Don't fear, little flock, because your Father has willed to bring you into all He has for you, and that He will do, IF YOU DON'T FEAR.

It is God's good pleasure (will) to give you the Kingdom. If it is your will to receive the Kingdom, then fear not, and it shall be yours.

A Christian is not a coward. Three characteristics that become a believer: power, love and control over self. It is possible that even the Apostle Paul feared, but he did as the psalmist said: "I put my trust in God," and that made the difference.

3 Overcoming Fear Permanently

Our scriptural basis in claiming total deliverance and protection from fear is both a promise and a provision of God as given in Isaiah 54:14:

In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt BE FAR FROM OPPRESSION; FOR THOU SHALT NOT FEAR; and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.

I am a great believer in making scripture both practical and personal. I have paraphrased and confessed this scripture many times: In righteousness I am established: I am far from oppression; for I do not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near me.

With this as our confession before our Great High Priest, let us study more of God's plan of victory.

1. Initial Deliverance

Fears are defeated with perfect love. First John 4:18 says love casteth out fear. Ask God to fill you with His love, and in the mighty, ever-living name of Jesus Christ command the spirit of fear to get out of your life. It has to go; if you forgive all others from your heart, the tormentor must leave. In Matthew 18:35 we are told if we don't forgive from our heart we will be turned over to the tormentors. Fear is a tormentor. If you have any unforgiveness in your life, you CANNOT be fearless.

When you stand against the devil you simply dismiss that spirit of fear that comes against you. When a king speaks with authority he doesn't have to say to an attendant or any man who comes before him, "Now leave, go on, get out of here. Go, I'm the king." He doesn't have to keep telling the man to leave. He simply dismisses the person, and he leaves quickly. And YOU are a king under the headship of the King of kings (Romans 5:17; Revelation 1:5-6). When a demon such as a spirit of fear comes against you, simply dismiss it and it will flee in terror.

When I first began preaching I was so fearful that at times it was hard for me to get the words out of my mouth.

A Spirit-filled brother said, "David, you have a man-fearing spirit." He prayed and commanded the spirit to go. It was like a noose which had been choking and was taken from my neck. "The fear of man bringeth a snare" (Proverbs 29:25). SNARE in the Hebrew means "noose." Later that old fear came again. I cried to the Lord, "What shall I do now, rebuke it?" He said, "Perfect love casts out fear."

While praying in the Spirit, the Lord showed me the needs of various people in the audience and I forgot myself and forgot about fear-perfect love filled my heart for those I would be ministering to and suddenly there was no room for fear. "He that feareth is not made perfect in love," that is, he is not yet mature in love.

2. Eye gate—Ear gate

Satan is ever seeking for an avenue into the believer's thought life through two essential gates: sound and sight.

Proverbs 4:20-21 tells us:

"My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear [ear gate] unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes [eye gate]; keep them in the midst of thine heart."

God is calling His every son to keep His Word in the midst of his heart. To accomplish this, the child of God inclines his ear [the ear gate to the mind opened] and never closes his eyes [the eye gate to the mind opened]. When God has the ear gate and the eye gate of His child, then FAITH WILL fill his life. "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17).

First Samuel 17:10-11 is an example of fear entering through the ear gate:

"And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we might fight together. When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid."

As Goliath roared these words of challenge into the ears of men whose hearts were not prepared by the Word of God, fear struck them, so that even their knees smote together. When David, who was anointed by the Spirit and walking in obedience to God, heard these same words, righteous indignation came over him. Even as fear can come in through what is heard, so also faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Fear is defeated by faith!

3. Fill the Thought Life with Jesus

Fix your imagination on Jesus of Nazareth, the glorified Head of the Body of Christ; eternal and shining in His splendor. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose

mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee" (Isa. 26:3).

4. Know Who You Are in Christ

We must know who we are and what we have in Christ —that He is our righteousness. Don't feel condemned if you have fear. Even Timothy, as great as he was in the Lord, had a fear problem. Second Timothy 1:6 tells us fear hindered his operation in the gifts. Verse 8 and Chapter 2:3

teaches it hindered him in his willingness to suffer for the Gospel—he was fearful of suffering. Paul told him, "Don't be ashamed of my chains, don't be ashamed of my imprisonment—therefore be willing to endure hardness as a good soldier." It is not enough just to rebuke the spirit of fear, or any evil spirit, because you only overcome evil permanently with good (Romans 12:21).

5. Recognize and Practice the Presence of God Note the following Scripture promises, and that the Divine Presence forbids fear:

Joshua 1:9: "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."

God told Joshua to go into the land, tearing down the strongholds and killing the giants. He was not to be dismayed, he was not to be afraid, because "the Lord your God is with you everywhere you go."

Psalm 23:4: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: FOR [because] THOU ART WITH ME."

Proverbs 28:1: " . . . the righteous are bold as a lion."

Isaiah 35:4: "... fear not, behold, your God ... (This includes beholding your God by praying in the Holy Spirit.)

Isaiah 41:10: "Fear thou not, for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

Isaiah 41:13: "For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee."

Hebrews 13:5-6: "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have; for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me."

Living in the conscious awareness of His presence through much prayer, praise, and adoration—this will help you come under God's authority to stand against fear.

6. Submit to God

Submit to God by telling Him: "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me" (Ps. 139:22). Get it all right between you and the Lord.

James 4:7 says to "submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Some people resist the devil before they submit to God, and then the devil doesn't flee—they flee. Others resist God and submit to the devil. Resist doesn't mean to push, it means to stand against. When you are properly under the authority of the Lord in your life and you stand against the devil he runs in terror. That's what "flee" means—to run as if in terror—from you.

When you submit to God you can say, "Lord, I want to see how big YOU really are. I want to see your majestic greatness. I want to get the heavenly, not the earthly, viewpoint of my situation. All these problems seem to me like gigantic mountains, but up there in the heavenlies if I look down at them from where YOU are they look like little specks of dust—so small, so insignificant."

I often paraphrase Hebrews 13:6, "And I will not fear what man shall THINK about me. I will not fear what man shall SAY ABOUT ME." If we are overly concerned what others think about us, this can hinder us from moving in true faith. Jesus said, "How can you believe when you receive honor from one another, and seek not the honor that comes from God only" (John 5:44). If you wonder what people think about you you are trying to receive their honor. As long as you are wanting to receive honor from men, you can't operate in faith.

Make It Your Goal to be Completely Fearless Although all of us have been subject to fear, the Word clearly declares what stand we are to take regarding FEAR.

It will not do you any good until you put this truth into your life and can say, "God, I want to be delivered from all my fears and want to be completely fearless." Make that your goal—to live all your days without fear. Know that Christ, your righteousness, makes you a conqueror. Read Psalm 27:1-2 and confess it:

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life" [I'm not going to be afraid of diabetes, heart attack, or anything like that] "because the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell" [claim that for germs].

In Psalm 27:1-4 David addressed his greatest fear.

When anointed as king, he had that position for life. When he died his son would take the throne, or someone with an army from a stronger nation would come against him and take the throne. Opposing armies could probably come against David in a very real way, but David said, "Though an host [army] should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, In this will I be confident." He said, "I'm not even going to give it any thought; I'm not even going to give much attention to troops, I'm going to do one thing—I'm going to seek the Lord. I'm going to spend my time in the house of the Lord, beholding His beauty and meditating in His temple. In verse 5 he gives this reason: "for in the time of trouble He [God] shall hide me in His pavillion."

Through Jesus Christ, who is your righteousness, learn to deal with your fear by pulling it up from the root before it has a chance to grow fruit. Deal with it by laying the axe to the root.

4 A Personal Experience

Now that I have shared many of the important principles from God's Word about overcoming fear in our lives, I would like to share a recent experience with you.

On January 12, 1982 I arrived home after driving three days in blizzard conditions. According to a national news broadcast it was "The Coldest Weather of the Century."

New record lows were marked in many parts of North America.

I was wrapping up an eight day stint of mostly one night meetings across lower Ontario when the blizzard hit with full force on Sunday, January 10. I had concluded a Sunday morning service at a church near Kitchener and was scheduled to speak that evening at a church in London, Ontario.

After the morning service many of the brethren in Kitchener advised me not to leave for London that afternoon. The blizzard snows were driving fierce winds of 60 m.p.h. and stronger over that region. The radio stations announced that all snow removal and rescue equipment was called off the roads. Even the hardy Ontario Provincial Police were no longer patrolling the highways. All drivers were exhorted to pull off the roads at rest areas and service stations. Everyone in Kitchener told me to prepare to remain there for a couple of days.

Although I believe in listening to godly counsel and was open to their advice I did not have a check in my spirit about proceeding on to London. I called the pastor there and he told me they always had their meetings regardless of the weather.

So I decided to head the van toward London and keep my appointment for the evening. (It was a good thing I went on because the 401 Highway was barricaded four hours later.) I don't imagine I will soon forget the feeling of fear that hit me only a few seconds after I pulled on the four lane expressway that stretches from Windsor to Toronto.

The draperies of snow so encircled the van that I could not see more than a few feet in any direction. Sometimes I could not discern the shoulder of the road or even the white dividing line down the middle of my two lanes. The wind chill factor was a minus sixty degrees and falling and the steering wheel was almost too cold to hold it. Even though the heater was on at full force my breath vaporized inside the van. The radio announcer said that nineteen Canadians had already died from exposure and accidents.

I was creeping along at ten miles an hour when the fear hit me. All of a sudden I found myself almost on top of another motorist. I applied the brakes too quickly and nearly slid off the highway altogether narrowly missing a stranded vehicle. A deep sick feeling hit in the pit of my stomach and spread its paralyzing power all over my body.

It was as though a thought screamed in my head: YOU FOOL! YOU WILL BE THE 20th VICTIM OF THIS BLIZZARD TODAY!

With nothing but blowing snow and freezing cold around me the most precious word in my vocabulary came to my lips: JESUS!!!! And then the heavenly language He gave me years ago began to bubble up and tumble out of my mouth, too, and suddenly a forcible resisting of Satan in English burst forth in a strong, commanding voice. Soon a sweet peace settled over me and I confessed some of the Scripture presented to you in this book. Then I proclaimed in faith, "This blizzard shall not prevent me from ministering the Word in London tonight, or from going home to Kentucky."

And it didn't! We had a wonderful service that night with several receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit and deliverance. The next morning I left London for Paducah (almost 800 miles) with the London pastor and his wife wishing me Godspeed since much of the 401 was now being barricaded and time was now of the greatest importance. All I could think of was how I would be seeing my dear family soon and that God was going before me. I arrived safely the following evening full of joy and praise for the God who brought me safely over hundreds of miles of treacherous roads. Whenever I started losing control of the van or when I passed cars and trucks turned over and piled up this scripture would go over and over in my mind:

"Fear thou not for I am with thee . . . " (Isaiah 41:10).

If you need prayer to be delivered from fear, please write me. I am honored to pray for you and God will set you free.

About the Author

Sharing his testimony with host Roger Holloway David Alsobrook is a living testimony to God's great grace. Although he was raised in a minister's home he rebelled against the church's teachings in his early teens. He became involved in all forms of sin embracing the hippy tradition of the late 60's.

Through active involvement in Transcendental Meditation a strong spirit of suicide obsessed his mind in the Summer and Fall of '69 until in his despair he called on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was born again on November 30, 1969, and read the Bible from cover to cover four times the first six months.

As a result of intensive study of the Word of God he was led into a conviction of the reality of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit for today. At the age of 17 he began traveling the country sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and teaching the Word of God without partiality to man's traditions.

God has confirmed His Word through supernatural signs and wonders on many occasions. David teaches the Kingdom of God on a wide variety of subjects. Dianne, his wife, assists him in ministering to people's needs. They are the happy parents of two lovely children and make their home in Paducah, Kentucky.

Table of Contents

1 Works of Fear......................................

Fear Hinders God's Present Protection

Fear, Satan's Tool

Fear Precipitates Unbelief

2 Godly or Satanic Fears.......................................

Satanic Fear Torments

Satanic Fear Dominates

Satanic Fear Prevents

3 Overcoming Fear Permanently..........

2. Eye gate—Ear gate

3. Fill the Thought Life with Jesus

5. Recognize and Practice the Presence of God

6. Submit to God

Make It Your Goal to be Completely Fearless

4 A Personal Experience........................................

About the Author.

Table of Contents

1 Works of Fear......................................

Fear Hinders God's Present Protection

Fear, Satan's Tool

Fear Precipitates Unbelief

2 Godly or Satanic Fears.......................................

Satanic Fear Torments

Satanic Fear Dominates

Satanic Fear Prevents

3 Overcoming Fear Permanently..........

2. Eye gate—Ear gate

3. Fill the Thought Life with Jesus

5. Recognize and Practice the Presence of God

6. Submit to God

Make It Your Goal to be Completely Fearless

4 A Personal Experience........................................

About the Author.