Fear (June Hunt Hope for the Heart) (4 page)

So again, Gideon’s troops are thinned! This time God is looking for fearless men who are fervently committed to engaging the enemy in battle, men who will keep pursuing the enemy even when hungry, thirsty, and exhausted.

God has Gideon lead the thirsty men to water where He separates those who kneel to drink from those who lie on their stomachs, lapping water like dogs. The 300 who scoop water into their hands and lap while maintaining vigilance—become God’s chosen army to be led by Gideon in defeating the monstrous army of the Midianites.

“The L
ORD
said to Gideon, ‘With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place.’” (Judges 7:7)

Sometimes people have a physical or medical condition that contributes to their being fearful. There is no indication of a physical cause for Gideon’s fear—no coronary condition, no blocked arteries, no heart attack. Rather, God sees something in Gideon’s heart that is fatal to faith—a fortress of fear, albeit crumbling, but still standing after living so many years under terror and tyranny. His residing fear is the result of how he has viewed his situation, how he has viewed his insufficiency, and how he has viewed God as having no real commitment in spite of His promises.

Some people, however, experience fear and anxiety when no fearful situation exists, and they become further frustrated when they try to talk themselves out of their anxious feelings—but to no avail. They have no idea their feelings may simply be a reaction to something physical, such as a particular medication or illness.

If you are suffering with a level of anxiety that is interfering with your normal functioning, seriously consider the following steps:

• First, obtain a thorough medical check-up.
  
  • While you cannot be
    genetically
    predisposed to panic attacks, you may be
    psychologically
    predisposed to having them. (Tell the doctor that you feel unusually anxious. Be specific.)
    
  • If you do not get substantial help, get a second opinion from a medical doctor who specializes in anxiety disorders.
    

    “The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out.”
    (Proverbs 18:15)
    

• Consider your medical condition.
  
  • Especially to be evaluated are heart, endocrine system, respiratory, metabolic, and neurological conditions. (Identify any deficiency in the B-vitamins, niacin, pyridoxine, calcium, or magnesium.)
    
  • The medical world has a classification called
    Anxiety Disorder Due to a General Medical Condition
    . This name clearly indicates that a person’s poor physical health can contribute to fearful anxiety or even to panic attacks.
    
• Consider your exposure to substances.
  
  • A condition known to cause fearful anxiety is called
    Substance-Induced Anxiety Disorder
    .
    
  • Any exposure to toxins, all drugs, medications, vitamins, and minerals—legal and illegal, over-the-counter and prescription—should be evaluated, along with food substances (for example, caffeine or sugar).
    

Regardless of your affliction—whatever the suffering—know that your heavenly Father loves you, listens to you, and will help you.

“He has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.” (Psalm 22:24)

Once Gideon hears words of his upcoming victory from the mouth of a Midianite, he is immediately filled with the praises of God and the courage of God. Quickly, in the dark of night, he summons his men and, with trumpets blasting, jars breaking, they shout,
“For the L
ORD
and for Gideon”
(Judges 7:18). Gideon’s men surround the enemy camp with a fearsome ring of fire, striking terror into the hearts of the massive Midianite army. They cannot see who they are fighting. Confusion and chaos reign as God causes the vast army to turn their swords on one another. The result is that 120,000 of the mighty enemy lie dead (Judges 8:10) without Gideon’s ever even raising a shield or losing a single one of his 300 men—
and God gets all the glory
!

The Lord gives the Midianite camp into Israel’s hands. And all the Israelites, along with all of their surrounding enemies, know that only God and God alone could achieve such an awesome feat! Surely the God of Israel is the one true God!

Gideon knows he has to depend on God, not on himself, and not on his army. God is able to use Gideon to gain a great military and spiritual victory because Gideon chooses to put his trust in Him. Because he decides to obey God—in spite of fear—while he is preparing for battle, Gideon is able to obey God without fear in the midst of the battle. He let God be God—the all-powerful One, who goes before us and conquers for His name’s sake.

“Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

Gideon’s greatest weakness eventually becomes his greatest strength. He discovers that when he acknowledges he is weak and inadequate, God’s strength and adequacy prevail in him.

Imagine! God has an encounter with a fear-filled Gideon and reveals truth to him both about the fearsome man of God he will become and the plan God has for him!

Then God supplies him with 32,000 men to accomplish that plan, but gradually reduces that number to only 300 men!

Finally God sends this band of 300 against the army of 135,000—with odds of 450 to 1—so that the
victory would clearly be the Lord’s and His alone!
And though no one man could ever defeat 450 men (the ratio God arranged) in his own strength, Gideon
goes forth
with a whole heart! But not until God first removes the final kernel of fear residing in Gideon’s heart by sending him among the sleeping Midianites to overhear the interpretation of a dream.

“He [Gideon] and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. ... Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. ‘I had a dream,’ he was saying. ‘A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.’ His friend responded, ‘This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon. ... God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.’ When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped God.” (Judges 7:11, 13–15)

So now, it is time to rally the troops.

“He [Gideon] returned to the camp of Israel and called out, ‘Get up! The L
ORD
has given the Midianite camp into your hands.’” (Judges 7:15)

• WRONG BELIEF:
  

  “I have no control over my fear. My only recourse is to avoid all fearful situations.”
  

  RIGHT BELIEF:
  

  “As I face my fear in the strength of the Lord, fear will not control me. Christ lives in me, and as I focus on His perfect love and His perfect truth, I will feel His perfect peace in the midst of every fear-producing situation.”
  

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18)

Throughout the Bible God repeats the instruction over and over and over:
“Do not fear. Do not be afraid. Fear not.”
God tells us not to fear circumstances, people, things. But we are told,
“Fear the L
ORD
your God, serve him only”
(Deuteronomy 6:13). This fear is not “fright” in the sense that we would be afraid
of
God. The meaning of this kind of fear is
reverence
and
awe for
God. We are to fear Him, be in awe of Him because He is the one and only all-powerful God. He alone has the ability to change us from being fearful of others to being courageously obedient to Him.

“Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

The first step in experiencing freedom from the fear in your life is acknowledging that God is worthy of your reverence. The second step is submitting your life and your fears to His authority by receiving His Son, Jesus, as your Savior and Lord.

#1 God’s Purpose for You is
Salvation.

What was God’s motive in sending Christ to earth?

To express His love for you by saving you! The Bible says,

“God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
(John 3:16–17)

What was Jesus’ purpose in coming to earth?

To forgive your sins, empower you to have victory over sin, and enable you to live a fulfilled life! Jesus said,

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
(John 10:10)

#2 Your Problem is
Sin.

What exactly is sin?

Sin is living independently of God’s standard—knowing what is right, but choosing wrong.

“Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.”
(James 4:17)

What is the major consequence of sin?

Spiritual “death,” eternal separation from God.

“Your iniquities [sins] have separated you from your God. ... For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
(Isaiah 59:2; Romans 6:23)

#3 God’s Provision for You is the
Savior.

Can anything remove the penalty for sin?

Yes! Jesus died on the cross to personally pay the penalty for your sins.

“God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
(Romans 5:8)

What can keep you from being separated from God?

Belief in (entrusting your life to) Jesus Christ as the only way to God the Father.

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”
(John 14:6)

#4 Your Part is
Surrender.

Give Christ control of your life—entrusting yourself to Him.

“Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross [die to your own self-rule] and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?’”
(Matthew 16:24–26)

Place your faith in (rely on) Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and reject your “good works” as a means of earning God’s approval.

“It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
(Ephesians 2:8–9)

The moment you choose to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior—entrusting your life to Him—He comes to live inside you. Then He gives you His power to live the fulfilled life God has planned for you. If you want to be fully forgiven by God and become the person God created you to be, you can tell Him in a simple, heartfelt prayer like this:

By placing your trust in the completed work of Jesus Christ, look at what God says He has just done for you!

“The
Lord
himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)

“Get up!”
commands Gideon.
“The L
ORD
has given the Midianite camp into your hands.”
Obviously, something has changed, something in Gideon! His words could not be more direct, decisive, and divinely inspired. The stronghold of fear in his heart, that formidable fortress of fear,
has finally fallen
.

Dividing his men into three companies, Gideon gives each of them a trumpet for one hand and a jar with only a torch inside for the other. Now, in yet another test of faith God calls Gideon and his men to war
weaponless!
They will face an army of 135,000 with not a sword, not a spear, not a shield in sight!