FEAR IS DEVIL’S GIFT
By Babatunde Olugboji (Kingdom Dynamics)
Fear is ruining lives and spoiling relationships. The Covid-19 pandemic and its attendant effects, including unemployment and disappearing livelihoods, have created hardships, but as overcomers, all these should not define who we are in Christ. Broadly, fear can be categorized into two. One that comes from the devil, Type 2 fear, and the other of the reverential variety, Type 1 fear. Type 1 fear should characterize our relationship with God, while we should keep Type 2 fear far away from our dwelling place!
Type 2 fear is a stronghold of the mind, it is the opposite of faith. Faith sees the opportunity, fear sees the obstacles; faith says I can, fear says I can’t; faith says it is possible, fear says it is impossible; faith says I can do all things, fear says I am unable to do anything. Fear is crippling, it is paralyzing, manifesting in stress, worry, burn-out, and depression. Fear has torment. It keeps us from doing what God wants us to do, it can control our lives, affect our words, and impact our actions.
In 2 Tim 1:7, Paul wrote to Timothy his protégé: ‘For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Paul wrote this to press home the point to Timothy that boldness matters; without it, we would not be able to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives. God’s purpose for us is more than making money, being entertained, and living a comfortable life. His purpose is for each of us to use the gifts he has bestowed on us, embrace his power, his love, and his calmness, and be the best we can.
As Paul instructed Timothy, the spirit of power, love, and a sound mind is the birthright of every follower of Jesus Christ. He told Timothy how to let what God gave him, not the Type 2 fear the devil was dangling in front of him, guide his thinking.
There was the story of a wealthy woman who died of pneumonia in her apartment in Philadelphia, United States. She steadfastly refused to turn on the heating in her home even in the dead of winter but tried to keep the cold away by covering up with layers of blankets. Why? She was afraid of receiving a huge bill from the power company, even though she was wealthy. So, she froze to death. Her fear drove her to her death. Talk about lack of wisdom! Did you notice that Paul spoke to Timothy about the spirit of fear? This means fear is not just an emotion, it is a spirit. We can tackle Type 2 fear by chasing it away with Type 1 fear, the fear of God.
I encourage you this week to pray that God will give you the courage to reject Type 2 fear that the devil is packaging as the real deal. It is not, it is the lie of the devil. Declare emphatically: Devil, you have been found out. Fear is a terrible gift, I have rejected it, and I will continue rejecting it. This week, I send Type 2 fear back to sender. I embrace the spirit of love, power and sound mind.
Kingdom Dynamics, a weekly column, is written by Dr Olugboji, the President of Kingdom House, a non-profit organization in New Jersey, USA.
