Why We Fear

Fear. It’s everywhere.

You can feel it in the air, see it in the headlines, hear it in conversations.

Fear of war, fear of the economy collapsing, fear of the unknown.

Fear of sickness, of losing loved ones, of being alone.

Everywhere we look, we are bombarded with reasons to be afraid. The media thrives on it. Social media amplifies it. Our own minds struggle to escape it.

In this video / post I will share what is at the heart of fear. The Bible has a lot to say about fear, and I am going to show you why we feel it, where it comes from, and most importantly, how to overcome it.

Fear Is A Spirit

Some have used the word FEAR as an acronym, saying it stands for False Evidence Appearing Real. This suggests that fear is merely an illegitimate illusion that drives emotion, a fleeting feeling that has the power to shape our decisions and control our actions, and even dictate the course of our lives.

While it may be true that we sometimes have a natural emotion called fear, 2 Timothy 1:7 says God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power and of a sound mind. In other words, there is a form of fear that is not just an illusion, but a spirit, and this spirit is not from God.

Ephesians 6:12 says our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers and evil spiritual forces of this present darkness.

So, while fear is not an illusion, it is illusive – because fear is a spirit. But even so, just because fear is an unseen spiritual force that influences the physical realm, it does not mean the danger isn’t real. Fear, as a spiritual entity, seeks to use the danger to manipulate your natural emotions so it can control you... enslave you... and keep you in bondage.

When this fear is tolerated, it corrodes your thinking and corrupts your mind.

But why does it seem like the world is so easily gripped by fear? There are primarily two reasons. The second reason applies to Christians, and we will get to that in a second. The first reason, however, is because whether we realise it or not, by default we all have a fear of death.

Fear Of Death

One thing the pandemic from 2020 highlighted is the fear people have of death. On a global scale death came knocking on more doors than we are used to, and for a period the reality of death became vivid for many.

This fear of death is subtle, but understandable. The Bible declares that the entire human race is by default gripped by the fear of death (Hebrews 2:15). We tend to shrug it off and try to ignore it; sometimes even be in denial about it. But we need to understand the true reason why we have a natural fear of death, and it has to do with Hebrews 9:27 which states that it is appointed for a man to die, and after death we face judgment. Or as Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 says, God will bring every deed into judgment, even every secret thing you have done, whether good or bad.

While many will casually throw out the phrase “only God can judge me”, Hebrews 10:31 says it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Why? Because God is holy, and by default, we are not. So yes, God will judge, but when we measure ourselves against His holiness, the phrase “only God can judge me”, should instead terrify you.

Fear Of Judgment

Romans 2:15 says that God has written His Moral Law on your heart, and that you were given a conscience to know that you have violated it.

The word "conscience" comes from the Latin word conscientia, which means "knowledge within oneself" or "moral awareness." This means that when we stand before God to be judged, we will be without excuse. To confirm what Solomon wrote in the Book of Ecclesiastes, Paul continued in Romans 2 by saying that God will even judge the secret sins you have committed.

Most of us can say we have not committed murder, but Jesus said in Matthew 5 if you hate you have committed murder in your heart.

We also don’t like to think of ourselves as thieves, but who can say they never stole anything in their life?

What about all the lies you have told in your life?

Or think about every time you looked at pornography or lusted after someone. Jesus said in Matthew 5 that to look with lust is to commit adultery in your heart.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says that no thief, adulterer or sexually immoral person will inherit the Kingdom of God. Revelation 21:8 says that all murderers, and even all liars will have their part in the lake of fire.

This is why Jesus said in Luke 12:4-5 we should not fear man who can kill the body and thereafter do nothing more, but rather we should fear God who, after He has killed you, has the power to throw you into hell.

So, this is the first reason why we fear. By default, we all have a fear of death and, ultimately, judgment. If we are completely honest with ourselves, and if we don’t suppress our conscience, we instinctively know that something is wrong.

1 John 4:18 says that fear has to do with punishment. Since God has written His Moral Law on our hearts, we know that we are guilty before a holy God, to Whom we will have to give an account of our lives.

As Luke Walker said, “The sun will burn your eyes out from a distance of 92 million miles, and do you expect to casually stroll into the presence of its maker?”

The Real Reason For Distractions

The Evil Spirit of Fear wants to distract you from this inherited underlying fear of death. It hopes you will be so busy with trying to avoid physical death that, in the process, you will neglect to face the actual reason why we fear death and the judgment to come, and deal with it.

Now, to be clear, I’m not saying you should neglect common sense, but to only focus on avoiding death without also preparing for your inevitable appointment with death, would be foolish.

The good news is that God already made provision for you to face Him without fear of condemnation. A real-life analogy to explain how God did this, is to think about what happens when you violated the law and have a massive outstanding fine for your crimes. Imagine the fine is so big that you cannot pay it, and therefore the only option left is for you to face prison time. The only other way for you to escape prison and to go free, is if someone else who cares for you paid your fine on your behalf.

This is what God did for all of us. We broke God’s Moral Law and have an outstanding fine to pay. God is a fair judge who will punish sin wherever it is found, but His love for us is bigger than His wrath. Therefore, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the fine on our behalf. The Bible says God in Christ reconciled the world to Himself, while at the same time urging us to be reconciled to God by repenting of sins and accepting the price Jesus paid on the cross on our behalf.

Now, it could be that you know you are saved, you know where you go when you die, but still, you struggle with fear. This brings us to the second reason why we struggle with fear, but more specifically why Christians still struggle with fear.

Why You Fear Even When You Are Saved

If you are already a Christian, the second reason why you struggle with fear is because there is a direct attack on your faith. Everything in the Kingdom of God operates by faith, and the Evil Spirit of Fear wants to get you out of your faith so you can be ineffective for God’s Kingdom.

When we operate in faith, we are like a rock climber who believes he can scale the face of a rock but who also trusts the rope will save him from sure death, should he slip and fall.

While Christ delivered us from death, and also from the fear of death, we must guard against falling back into that fear, just like we must guard against falling back into sin.

Practically, you need to make a stand against the fear by declaring that God has not given you a Spirit of Fear.

In contrast, God gives us a spirit of love, of power and of a sound mind:

• A Spirit of Love, to cast out the fear (1 John 4:18)

• A Spirit of Power, to overcome the spirit of fear (Joshua 1:9; Philippians 4:13)

• A Spirit of a Sound Mind so we do not have to conform to this world, and so we can stay in perfect peace (Romans 12:2; Isaiah 26:3)

When most of the world went into total lockdown, I had to make a stand against the fear and declare out loud that I did not permit the fear in my heart or in my home. I prayed and declared Psalm 91 over my life which states that I shall not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flies by day, nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness. I also declared out loud that no evil will befall me, and that no plague shall come near my dwelling.

By exercising my authority in this way, the fear left, and the peace of God filled my heart, my mind and my home.

When You Still Fear

However, if you still fear in spite of these promises from the Bible, I believe there are two reasons for this problem.

Conditional Promises

The first has to do with the previous verse in Psalm 91 which shows us that these promises of protection are conditional. Psalm 91:9-10 says that because you have made the Lord Most High your dwelling place... no evil shall befall you, and no plague shall come near your dwelling.

In Matthew 6:33 Jesus said we are to first seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all these other things will be added unto us.

If you say you are in Christ, are you seeking first His Kingdom, or are you still building your own? Are you trying so hard to preserve your own life that you are unwilling to do what He is asking of you?

When you seek first the Kingdom of God and His way of doing things, you can know you have the protection of the King. Like George Whitefield said, “We are immortal until our work on earth is done.”

Again, I’m not saying we should throw all caution to the wind, but the promises of protection are for those who have truly made the Lord their refuge and dwelling place.

Failure To Take Up Your Authority

The second reason why you might still be gripped by fear is when you fail to take up the authority you have in Christ Jesus. The Evil Spirit of Fear is not from God, and as a Christian you can make a stand against the attack on your faith by commanding the fear to go, in Jesus’ name.

Romans 8:29 says we have been predestined to be conformed to the image of Jesus. If you are a Christian, you cannot allow a spirit of cowardice or fear to control your life. Rather, we should be looking more like Jesus, accepting that God is giving us power and a sound mind to overcome the spirit of fear.

Have You Partnered With The Spirit Of Fear?

If you find, however, that fear persists, even after exercising your authority, you must consider that a spirit of fear is claiming to have a legal right to oppress you. This can happen when you or your forefathers have partnered with fear.

Doors in the spirit might have been opened, especially when you willfully chose to invite fear into your life. This can happen in various ways – like by repeatedly exposing yourself to fear-driven entertainment, such as horror movies, dark science fiction, or occult-related media. What may seem like harmless fascination can, over time, create a stronghold where fear is claiming to have a right to oppress you, because you wanted it in your life.

It can also happen when you actively choose fear in moments when God has commanded you not to fear. Each time you give in to fear instead of standing on God’s promises, you are, in a sense, yielding to it, granting it a place of influence in your life.

Beyond personal choices, ancestral agreements with fear could also have created an opening. Historically, fear has been weaponised to control others. For example, oppressive regimes often used fear tactics to subdue entire populations. In some cases, fear was deliberately instilled to maintain power – whether through witch trials, where false accusations and paranoia led to mass hysteria, or through colonial oppression, where fear of punishment kept people in bondage. If your forefathers engaged in these acts, using fear as a tool to dominate or harm others, the spirit of fear may still claim a generational right to operate within your lineage.

The good news is that these doors can be closed by repenting of those sins, and by renouncing them. When you do, you can stand in the full authority you have in Jesus Christ and finally put the fear behind you.

Conclusion

And now you know why we fear. The first reason is because we all have a natural fear of death. This is because on some level we all know we have sinned and that we will have to face a holy God on judgment day. The good news is that God made a way for us to escape His wrath, by repenting of our sins in humility, accepting the price Jesus paid on the cross on our behalf. 

If you are already saved but still struggle with fear, know it is because fear is an evil spirit that wants to get you out of your faith. It is either working because you are still building your own kingdom instead of doing what God is calling you to do, or it is because you are not taking up the authority you have in Jesus Christ to make a stand against it. 

If you fall in the first category and realise you need to make right with God, check out my video and why Jesus said you must be born again, or click the link in the description below. 

If you fall in the second category, I have also included a link to an article that includes a prayer that will help you take up the authority you have in Christ and to resist the spirit of fear, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, I take my stand today against the spirit of fear.
Your Word says that You have not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).
So right now, I reject fear. I renounce every agreement—spoken, unspoken, inherited, or experienced—that has allowed fear a foothold in my life.

I repent of every time where I chose fear over faith. I repent of every sin where I or my forefathers used fear to oppress or control others. I ask that the blood of Jesus will speak on my behalf, and cleanse me of this unrighteousness.

I stand in the authority of Jesus, and I say:

Fear, you have no place here. Leave now in the name of Jesus.

I shut every door that may have been opened through fear-based choices, traumatic moments, or generational agreements.
I declare those doors closed by the blood of Jesus, and I cancel every assignment of fear and torment that has tried to influence me.

Now, Holy Spirit, I ask You to fill every empty place with Your presence.
Let the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).
Let Your perfect love cast out all fear (1 John 4:18).
Where fear tried to live, let Your peace reign instead.

I receive Your love. I receive Your peace.
And I choose to walk boldly, anchored in Your truth,
unshaken, unafraid, and full of faith.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.