SWORDS: Strong Women of Rightly Dividing Studies

(All caps for emphasis only)

What is fear? I mean we all know on one level or another…but let us take a few definitions too. I took the definition from the KJB dictionary.

KJV Dictionary Definition: fear

FEAR, n. See the Verb.

1. A painful emotion or passion excited by an expectation of evil, or the apprehension of impending danger. Fear expresses less apprehension than dread, and dread less than terror and fright. The force of this passion, beginning with the most moderate degree, may be thus expressed, fear, dread, terror, fright. Fear is accompanied with a desire to avoid or ward off the expected evil. Fear is an uneasiness of mind, upon the thought of future evil likely to befall us.

Fear is the passion of our nature which excites us to provide for our security, on the approach of evil.

2. Anxiety; solicitude.

The principal fear was for the holy temple.

3. The cause of fear.

Thy angel becomes a fear.

4. The object of fear.

Except the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me. Gen 31.

5. Something set or hung up to terrify wild animals, by its color or noise. Is. 24. Jer. 48.

6. In scripture, fear is used to express a filial or a slavish passion. In good men, the fear of God is a holy awe or reverence of God and his laws, which springs from a just view and real love of the divine character, leading the subjects of it to hate and shun every thing that can offend such a holy being, and inclining them to aim at perfect obedience. This is filial fear.

I will put my fear in their hearts. Jer. 32.

Slavish fear is the effect or consequence of guilt; it is the painful apprehension of merited punishment. Rom. 8.

The love of God casteth out fear. 1John 4.

7. The worship of God.

I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Ps. 34.

8. The law and word of God.

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever. Ps. 19.

9. Reverence; respect; due regard.

Render to all their dues; fear to whom fear. Rom. 13.

FEAR, v.t. L. vereor.

1. To feel a painful apprehension of some impending evil; to be afraid of; to consider or expect with emotions of alarm or solicitude. We fear the approach of an enemy or of a storm. We have reason to fear the punishment of our sins.

(MY NOTE… WE DO NOT FEAR PUNISHMENT OF OUR SINS IF WE HAVE BELIEVED ON THE DEATH, BURIAL AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST…THEN FEAR OF PUNISHMENT IS BANISHED IN UNDERSTANDING THAT CHRISTS WORK ON THE CROSS PAID FOR ALL OUR SINS! FAITH IN HIS SHED BLOOD DEFEATS FEAR OF PUNISHMENT FOR SINS!)

I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Ps. 23.

2. To reverence; to have a reverential awe; to venerate.

This do, and live: for I fear God. Gen. 42.

3. To affright; to terrify; to drive away or prevent approach by fear, or by a scarecrow. This seems to be the primary meaning, but now obsolete.

We must not make a scarecrow of the law, setting it up to fear the birds of prey.

FEAR, v.i. To be in apprehension of evil; to be afraid; to feel anxiety on account of some expected evil.

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtility, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 2Cor. 11.

Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. Gen. 15.

FEAR, n. A companion. Not in use. See Peer.

feared

FE’ARED, pp. Apprehended or expected with painful solicitude; reverenced.

fearful

FE’ARFUL, a.

1. Affected by fear; feeling pain in expectation of evil; apprehensive with solicitude; afraid. I am fearful of the consequences of rash conduct. Hence,

2. Timid; timorous; wanting courage.

What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted?

Deut. 20.

3. Terrible; impressing fear; frightful; dreadful.

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Heb. 10.

4. Awful; to be reverenced.

O Lord, who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises? Ex. 15.

That thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, Jehovah, thy God. Deut. 28.

fearfulness

FE’ARFULNESS, n.

1. Timorousness; timidity.

2. State of being afraid; awe; dread.

A thing that makes a government despised, is fearfulness of, and mean compliances with, bold popular offenders.

3. Terror; alarm; apprehension of evil.

Fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Is. 33.

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So, we see MANY reasons for fear.

We see there is a good fear and a bad fear. Here are some examples:

Fear as in awe of God. (Good fear)

Fear as a form of reverence. (Good fear)

Fear that inspires obedience. (Good fear)

Fear of known dangers. (Good fear)

Fear of the unknown. (Bad fear)

Fear for our lives. (Bad fear)

Fear for the safety and lives of others. (Bad fear)

Fear that makes us fainthearted. (Bad fear)

Fear of pain, be it emotional, mental or physical. (Bad fear)

Fear of evil. (Bad fear)

Fear because we have a lack of courage. (Bad fear)

Fear that is frightful and dreadful. (Bad fear)

Fear of the future. (Bad fear)

Fear of the day and the night in a fallen world. (Bad fear)

The list is almost endless of what can cause a human to fear, to be afraid. Fear can control people’s lives, emotions, mental state and their spirit above all. Fear can freeze people into being “asleep” or disassociating from circumstances, and bad fear surely as the sun rises in the eastern sky….promotes walking in the flesh.

So, the point of this study is not only to know what fear is…but how fear can be defeated.

We are going to first look at the “good kind of fear” and why we should not be afraid of good fear.

Then we will focus the rest of the study on bad fears and how they are overcome.

2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.