Not Fearing Fear

Not Fearing Fear

by Becky Dietz

Fear is as old as Satan himself.  And it’s probably the tool he uses most.  Fear should be a spiritual stop sign for you.  If you feel fear—STOP!!!   Turn to God and ask for truth. Knowing truth brings freedom—even freedom from fear.  

I was reading Exodus 14 this morning.  It’s the account of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt to and through the Red Sea. Verse 8 says, “And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went out with boldness.”   It was probably their last bold act.  

Verse 10 (two verses later) says, “And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them.  So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord.”   They did the right thing—they cried out to God! 

They’d seen Pharaoh break his promise over and over.  There would be a plague and he’d say he’d let them go—but after the plague stopped, he’d change his mind.  He’d finally let them go and they thought all was well.  But he and his entire army were hot on their heels!   FEAR!!!   And they turned and blamed Moses.  

But God had a plan the whole time.  He knew the Israelites would constantly be looking over their shoulders unless he put an end to this source of fear.  They crossed the Red Sea on miraculous dry ground and when the Egyptian army followed them, their chariot wheels started falling off and the sea swallowed them up.  Verse 30 says, “...Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.”   God knew they’d need proof their enemy was dead.  

It’s been so easy to read this through the years and say, “They’d seen God deliver them over and over through the plagues.  They saw God’s power!!   So why did they fear?”  But now we know, don’t we?  We’ve all seen God’s power in our lives.  But when Satan moves in with fear, that’s all we can see!  We fear a plague called Coronavirus.  We fear racial riots and what it’s doing to our country.  Satan won’t stop there.  He’ll bring more things our way to cause more fear.  But God has not given us a spirit of fear—but of love, power, and a sound mind. The spirit of fear (and notice it’s a spirit!) isn’t from God.  I love what Moses told the Israelites:

“ And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

NO FEAR!!  Watch God fight for you and hold your peace.  HANG ON TO PEACE!  Don’t let Satan convince you that fear is the correct response.  Turn to God and keep your peace.