Most of the manifestations of the Spirit of fear are not visible to people. The manifestations can come in different forms, such as unbelief, depression, anxiety, and many others, all of which are rooted in the enemy’s lies.
Regardless, there are also manifestations that people can see with their eyes.
We need to know important for us to understand what these manifestations are so we can be equipped to overcome them, significantly if they have been affecting our lives negatively.
This severe matter can lead to devastating consequences for an individual, family, and community.
This blog post will explore the manifestations of fear, its causes, and its effects.
What Does The Bible Say About The Spirit Of Fear?
The Bible is totally against you having the Spirit of fear. According to the Bible, God has given us the Spirit of love and not of fear, and as such, we, as his children, need not fear anything or harbor the Spirit of fear.
When we fear, we are simply going against the ordinances of God. God is love, he wants us to Love, and there is no fear in love.
Let’s take a look at the various scriptures that speaks about fear in the Bible and draw lessons from there:
1 John 4:18(GNS)
There is no fear in love; perfect love drives out all fear. So then, Love has not been made perfect in anyone afraid, because fear has to do with punishment.
In this scripture, we can see God’s instruction that we should be perfect at showing Love, as fear is a reward for wrongdoing, a punishment for not showing love.
This goes forward to still proves that the Bible is against us having the Spirit of fear. In the old testament, King David the psalmist wrote in Psalm 23:4,
Psalm 23:4 (GNS)
Even if I go through the deepest darkness, I will not be afraid, Lord, for you are with me. your shepherd’s rod and staff protect me
This is another confirmation for us to note as the Bible is clear that as a Christian, you should not have the Spirit of fear in you.
Sometimes you might be faced with challenging situations that could even be life-threatening, but understanding, like the psalmist said, “Your rod and staff, they comfort me” is an indication of God’s presence at all times.
How Does The Spirit Of Fear Manifest?
The Spirit of fear manifests in several ways. Some manifestations are physical, meaning they can be seen (Physical signs), while others are not physical but felt by the individual experiencing them ( Spiritual Signs).
We cannot entirely rely on God, which causes us to have a spirit of fear. Countless times in the Bible, God has warned us against the Spirit of fear and shown us the signs we should look out for.
However, before we go down to how the Spirit of fear manifests, I want you to understand that not all fears are considered bad in the sight of God, and the fear of God is the only acceptable kind of Fear as Christians should have.
The fear of God comes with wisdom, understanding, and blessings. Having a fear of God doesn’t mean we should be afraid of God, but rather it means we should respect God and keep His commandments and ordinances in our daily life.
Nevertheless, we will look at some of these signs, especially the most common ones.
If you are concerned and uncertain if you have the Spirit of fear or not, take note of the signs below;
1. Doubting Gods Love Toward You
Do you feel like God no longer loves and cares for you? Are you unloved by God? If you find yourself in this position, know that what you are experiencing is a sign of the Spirit of fear.
It is the Spirit of fear that causes you to start having this insecurity about the love of God towards you.
We often ignore this feeling, but it is a huge sign or manifestation of the Spirit of fear. When the Spirit of fear possesses a man, it first brings doubt and uncertainty to the believer’s mind, drawing them away from faith in God and into the feeling of doubt.
It is likely a result of the Spirit of fear or an inability to accept God’s goodness if you feel abandoned by Him or question His love for you.
Some situations and challenges sometimes make it difficult for us to accept that God still loves and cares about us, but He does.
At all times, God never forsakes us. When we build our faith in God’s word and His love over us, we will defeat the Spirit of fear.
Fear is a destroyer of faith, while Faith is the direct opposite of Fear. If we have Faith in God, we will not be afraid of anything. That is why the Spirit of Fear always tends to attack our faith in God by making us feel unloved by God.
2. Staying Away From The Gathering Of The Brethren
Another sign of being on the outlook for as a manifestation of the Spirit of fear is a feeling to stay away from the gathering of the children of God or the feeling of not wanting to read the Bible or hear from God.
The Bible says in Hebrews 10:25 (GNS),
Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Instead, let us encourage one another all the more since you see that the day of the Lord is coming nearer.
Are you feeling like running away from God? Are you becoming very uncomfortable in church? Do you feel attacked whenever you go to gatherings of believers? If your answer is yes to all or any of this, then know that the Spirit of fear is at work in your life.
The Spirit of fear tends to want to isolate an individual from others to maximize its damage to the individual’s life. God knows this; that is why he instructs us in the scripture above never to forsake the gathering of the brethren.
Fear can only thrive when we face it alone, but if we are amongst believers and with a joint faith, the Spirit of Fear will be defeated.
Whenever as a Christian, you find yourself trying to resist going to church or the worship center of the children of God, note that the Spirit of fear is at work and take swift measures to attend the gathering of the believers of god as this is the first step in defeating the Spirit of fear.
3. Loneliness And Fear Of Getting Into Relationships
A fearful person is a lonely person. A fearful person always wants to to to be run away from relationships because of fear of the possible outcome.
The relationship does not imply romantic relationships as seen in the practice of the world but a Godly relationship as instructed by God.
The Spirit of fear tends to disassociate an individual from their family, friends, colleagues at work, and even peer groups.
The Spirit of fear makes the individual feel rejected, hurt, discriminated and scared of taking up responsibilities. The Bible says, Love your neighbor as you love yourself, but the Spirit of fear makes us unable to keep this instruction from God
It is generally almost impossible for one to live alone, and We all live together as support systems for each other. It becomes much more straightforward, though, when we acknowledge that God, and not any other person, is the most significant connection in our lives.
If God is our top priority and we rely on Him, we shall have the firm support of God’s love to stand on even if humans falter, as they always do.
4. Fear Of Failure And Anxiety Over Matters That Concern Life
Ever been faced with making a decision whose possible outcome could be terrible? Ever felt scared of trying out something new because of uncertainty? If yes to any or both of them, they know that the Spirit of fear was at work in that situation.
The Spirit of fear makes us worry so much about the outcome of certain decisions making tasks by diverting our minds only to the negative effect rather than the positive side.
But when we realize that God, and no other person, is the most critical link in our life, everything gets much more straightforward. If He is our main priority and we put our trust in Him, we will have the unwavering love of God to lean on even when people falter, which they always do.
To overcome this challenge, we need to take that problem to God and seek his counsel.
As noted earlier, these signs can come both physically or spiritually and are not the same for everyone. That is why it is advisable that at all times, we should be vigilant and always commune with God and build our faith strongly in Him.
What Are The Causes Of Fear?
Various things cause fear for an individual, but the most common is Uncertainty. Often, people get scared because of the uncertain nature of something- Not knowing the outcome.
We will be taking a closer look at this factor coupled with other factors that causes fear for a child of God.
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Uncertainty
This is fear of the unknown. worrying about the result of something,, be it a job interview, proposal presentation, preaching, prayers, etc., causes fear and gives room for the Spirit of fear to thrive.
Most times, the children of God are so worried about what to eat, what to wear, how to pay their bills, and other things, forgetting that they have their father in heaven who is more capable of providing for all of their needs.
As children of God, we should always be sure that God controls everything. We need to put our faith and hope in him; he will never disappoint us.
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Dreams Of Specific Objects Or Situations
Another factor that causes fear is having strange dreams or seeing strange objects. Having nightmares, most often than not, always leaves the individual in a state of dismay, frightened and worried about the interpretation of the nightmare.
This gives room for the Spirit of fear to get into the person’s mind to deposit fear into the individual’s mind.
To overcome this, you should always pray whenever you have a nightmare and understand that it is a revelation of your victory on what was supposed to happen.
The nightmare is not to frighten you but God’s revelations to you that the battle has been won.
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Future Occurrences.
The Fear of the future can cause the Spirit of fear to possess an individual. Whenever we set our minds on something, we should hand it over the God; worrying about the event will only lead to developing fear about it.
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Lies.
God hates sin. As children of God, we should desist from telling lies, as lies, too can cause fear. Whenever we lie, we expose ourselves to the possibility of being caught, and that possibility brings about fear in our minds.
It is very important always to speak the truth at all times as the truth will set you free.
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Dangerous Environment
Our environment, too could cause us to fear ourselves. If we find ourselves in an unsafe or unfamiliar territory, we start feeling scared and insecure.
We should at all times be mindful of our environments and not deliberately put ourselves in places that are unsafe or could cause harm to us. If our environment makes us feel scared, we should change it.
Overcoming The Spirit Of Fear.
It is straightforward to overcome the Spirit of fear, and it is left to the individual if they are ready to over fear.
Below are listed ways you could utilize to overcome the Spirit of fear;
- Identify the cause of the fear
- Pray to God about what fears you
- Believe and trust God completely
- Actively participate in the activities in the church
- Speak to your spiritual father or any older adult about what bothers you
- Read the Bible frequently
- Build your faith in God
The Spirit Of Fear And Its Effects On Our Lives
The Spirit of fear is a very dangerous and a destroyer of destiny. Let us look at what the Spirit of fear can do to our lives.
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Anxiety
The Spirit of Fear comes with anxiety on you, and it causes worry and chaos in the lives of individuals.
Anxiety is the preliminary stage of depression and, if not checked, could be disastrous not just to the individual involved but also to the people around them.
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Restricted Thinking And Actions
The Spirit of fear makes us make decisions in haste without proper consultation. As its first aim is to disassociate our trust in God and destroy of faith in God, it causes us to start making unwise decisions that could only need to be failures.
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Destroys Destinies
Our ability to become the persons God intends us to be is hampered by fear. We cannot accomplish the objectives He sets for us when we are under the control of negative emotions.
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Lack Of Peace Of Mind
When we live in constant fear, doom and gloom rule our lives. The Spirit of Fear brings chaos and frustration to your mind. -
Doubt In God
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Sinful Lifestyle
Ways to use prayer to combat the Spirit of fear
There are various ways a child of God could use prayers to combat the Spirit of fear.
But None of these ways are operational except one is well vested with the different verses of the Bible that speak about Fear and how to overcome it.
2 Timothy 1:6-7 (GNS)
For this reason I remind you to keep alive the gift that God gave you when i laid my hands on you.
For the Spirit that God has given us does not make us fearful; instead , His Spirit fills us with power, love and self-control
As children of God with the understanding of the above scripture, we have been empowered by God to overcome the Spirit of fear and take dominion.
God has given us His Spirit, and we can do exploits without fear whatsoever. We can command the Spirit of fear out, and it goes out immediately.
We can combat the Spirit of Fear through prayers using the following was;
- Praying about what worries us
- Rebuking the Spirit of fear
- Praying with the word of God
- Fasting and Praying
- Giving thanks to God for taking charge of the situation
A list of Bible verses that speaks about the fear you should use to combat the Spirit of fear;
Old Testament
These Bible Verses are extracted from the Old Testament, and they show what the Bible says about the Spirit of fear.
- Psalm 27:1
- Psalm 23:4
- Hebrews 13:16
- Romans 8:26
- Psalm 34:4
- Joshua 1:9
- Deuteronomy 31:6
- Proverbs 29:25
- Isaiah 41:13
- Psalm 56:3-4
- Romans 8:1-39
- Psalm 23: 1-6
- Psalm 34:7
New Testament
These Bible Verses are extracted from the New Testament, and they show what the Bible says about the Spirit of fear.
- John 14:27
- 2 Timothy 1:6-7
- Matthew 10:28
The importance of seeking counsel from others in overcoming fear
Seeking counsel from others is an important part of overcoming fear. The Spirit of Fear is a normal emotion that the right support system can overcome.
The best way to do this is to seek out those who can give you advice and support, even if it’s just for one session. This can be done through friends and family members or counselors.
Speaking to a Third-party about your worries or fears is beneficial as they could share unique ideas on the same or similar instances they faced and how they overcame it.
Personal testimonies about how another person was able to overcome a similar challenge that you are facing are a very powerful tool you could utilize in also overcoming the Spirit of fear.
When you speak to your spiritual fathers (Pastors, Church Elders, Leaders, and so on) about your fears, they support you with meaningful advice and prayers; this is one of the reasons why God had instructed us never to forsake the gathering of our brethren’s.
The Spirit of Fear tries to isolate us and weakens us; the first step to overcoming it is to speak up and stand out. A closed mouth is a fast Destiny, learn to speak up.
Examples Of How People Resisted The Spirit Of Fear
A few examples of how people resisted the Spirit of fear include:
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Jesus Christ
He was a perfect example of resistance against the Spirit of fear. He walked on water, healed the sick, and raised Lazarus.
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Samson
Samson killed a lion and then cut his hair. God told him to go out and meet the Philistines looking for him. When he did, he killed them all with their weapon.
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Moses
God ordered Moses to lead his people out of Egypt without being afraid or afraid of anyone. He obeyed God’s orders despite what no other human would have done in that situation: to flee with the people of Israel from Egypt.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Spirit of Fear can be a powerful force that prevents us from taking the steps we need to take.
It’s easy to become so fearful and overwhelmed by fear that we can’t see past it, let alone move forward. Fear makes us hesitant, nervous, and even paralyzed.
While no one wants to be entirely ruled by their fears, it’s essential to acknowledge that they exist and are a normal part of being human.
You don’t have to live with this feeling forever. There are ways to overcome the Spirit of fear, as discussed above in this article, and making new habits that will free up your life and help you move forward once again is possible.
