The Fear of Man

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The fear of man keeps us from following God. But the fear of the Lord is the first step to knowing God and His love.

The Fear Of The Lord

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. Psalm 111:10 NIV

We are instructed to fear the Lord, not men. The fear of the Lord is the recognition that He is judge Luke 12:4-5 and has the authority to convict a person to eternal hell. He is holy. He is pure light and there is no darkness found in Him. 1 John 1:5 God does not sin. James 1:13 That is why we can trust Him as Judge.

What amazes me so much is how the Judge of the universe, who should sentence us all to hell for our sin, loves us so much that He offers grace and absolute redemption to all who have faith in His Son Jesus Christ! God sent His Holy Son, Jesus, to die in our place! John 3:16 God’s love is phenomenal!

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who wait for His faithfulness… Psalm 33:18 NASB

It is His holiness that makes His love so pure and His grace so powerful! The love we feel for our children seems immense, but it cannot compare to the love our Heavenly Father has for each one of us. To refuse to fear the Lord is to reject Love Himself, because God is Love. To fear the Lord is to trust Him so completely that we revere Him and His Word. Those who fear God and come to know Him are filled with awe of His great power and goodness. They are amazed by Him and desire to know Him, follow and obey Him regardless of what others may say or do!

The Fear of Man is a Stronghold

The fear of people becomes a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord will be set on high. Proverbs 29:25 NET

The fear of man is a fear of any person, not just men. It is a spiritual stronghold– an area of our lives where the devil has built a fortress. It can be large or small, obvious or hidden. But only the Lord can tear it down.

How the Fear of Man Develops

When a person has been treated unkindly, molested, ignored, abandoned, etc., it can create a subtle or deeply embedded belief that they are unloved and unprotected. They may become overly cautious, suspicious or fearful of others. This fear can even be amplified by hearing about others being mistreated. Add all of these memories to a person’s natural imagination, and this is how the fear of man can develop.

There may be loving people in their lives, but the devil has a way of magnifying the evil and diminishing the good. When a stronghold of the fear of man develops in a person’s life, they may interpret everything that happens as a possible threat, whether it is or not. They become more and more fearful that they are unloved and unprotected.

Defensive Mode

A person with the fear of man stronghold often has issues with their own value. They try to build themselves up to prove their worth. Hoping others will show them love and acceptance they work harder and try to be better. Strangely, they can be applauded for their achievements and still have trouble believing that others sincerely appreciate and admire them. Their soul strives to survive by doing things to try and protect their already bruised heart. Some retreat and stay away from others, fearful that they may be hurt again.

This is the stronghold of the fear of man. They feel like they are being punished and spend all of their energy trying to “be better” so the pain will stop but that is not the solution. I have good news! The punishment has already been paid by Jesus Christ! God’s supernatural love can set us free from all fear!

There is no fear in love [dread does not exist]. But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves [the expectation of divine] punishment, so the one who is afraid [of God’s judgment] is not perfected in love [has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love]. We love, because He first loved us. 1 John 4:18-19 AMP

Attack Mode

If the fear of man is allowed to grow, it can cause a person to become intimidated, defensive, reclusive, offended, critical, judgmental, accusatory, controlling or even hateful. These attitudes that begin as inward thoughts may grow into outward behaviors manifesting blame and shame. Sadly, family, friends and co-workers learn to tiptoe around for fear that they might unintentionally offend them and create an uncomfortable situation. This stronghold not only damages their own heart but affects the lives of others around them.

Guard Your Heart

God warns us throughout scripture to guard our hearts because everything we do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23 He tells us that man looks on the outside but God looks on the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 We will be judged by the inward thoughts and intentions of our hearts, not just what we say and do. Hebrews 4:12 It is important to fear the Lord because He is Judge. But take a step closer and trust Him because He loves you! He alone has the power to deliver us from the fear of man and fill us with His love that heals!

The Real Enemy

Finally, build up your strength in union with the Lord and by means of his mighty power. Put on all the armor that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the Devil’s evil tricks. For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age. Ephesians 6:10-12 GNT

The real enemy is not your family member, your co-workers, friends, neighbors, your landlord, the government, the librarian, or any person. Our enemy is Satan and his demons. So, before you get frustrated with people, turn your gaze upon the Lord, Jesus Christ. God already knows the devil’s schemes. He will help you not only see what’s been happening in the spirit realm, but give you the power to overcome for the sake of your future and the future of others. That’s not to say that people won’t do mean or even evil things, but we can learn to view this life from God’s perspective as we walk in His light.

The Demonic Realm

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10 NKJV

God is always with us and is there to help us overcome the devil’s schemes. Strongholds that may have been built up in our past may tell us that demeaning thoughts are who we are, but the devil is a liar. You must not fear! God wants to tear those strongholds down but we have to yield to Him. We can live free of the fear of man by trusting in God’s love for us.

Who Are You Listening To?

You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Psalm 23:5 NLT

The enemy is a loud bully standing to the side, yelling lies and trying to manipulate our thought processes. And our own bad thought habits must be hushed. It takes time to change the way we think.

The Lord speaks with a quiet voice and He always gives us the choice to believe His truth or the enemy’s lies. We can be confident that God loves us and protects us. He wants to give us everything we need– if we trust Him like a sheep trusts it’s shepherd. Psalm 23:1 When we focus on the heavenly realm Ephesians 2:6 where we are seated with Christ we can enjoy the fullness of all the riches of His grace! This includes living free of the fear of man. The Beautiful Dream

Fearing People Impedes The Flow Of Grace

We are unified in the Body of Christ. Fighting, even inwardly, against our Brothers and Sisters is spiritual self-harm. Forgiving others quickly every time leads to grace. Matthew 18:21-22 We do not have to live in the fear of man! Instead, we can love them like God loves them. God has freely given us His grace so it can flow out of our hearts to others. Matthew 10:8

Progress Is a Process

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage battle according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.  We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,  and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete. 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 NASB

Persevere! Jesus has given us His authority to overcome all the power of the enemy. Luke 10:19 Taking our thoughts captive is a form of spiritual warfare that drives the enemy from our hearts and minds. We can overcome but it may take time.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7 KJV

Renew Your Mind

When your emotions signal to you that you fear what a person thinks of you, what they might do to you, etc., first of all, acknowledge it to the Lord and submit to His love. Then reject the thought by remembering scriptures such as Proverbs 29:25 and 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 from your heart. By doing this, you are submitting to God and resisting the devil. You can even command the fear to leave you by simply demanding, “Fear, leave in Jesus name.” Be persistent and don’t give up.

God expects us to use the authority He has given us not only for ourselves but to bless others. The devil wants to cause you to fear others to keep you from loving them. Don’t let the devil have his way! Instead of fearing them– love them! Hallelujah! The Word of God spoken from our hearts routs the enemy like nothing else, especially when we acknowledge the love of the Holy Spirit inside us! Apathy or cowering in fear accomplishes nothing and actually strengthens the enemy’s strongholds in our lives.

Stephen

Stephen feared no man. He feared God and stayed so full of the Holy Spirit that God’s love shone through him supernaturally. Stephen was chosen to feed the poor because he was:

• full of the Spirit and wisdom
• full of faith and of the Holy Spirit
• full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people

Stephen served the poor, healed the sick by the power of God and was arrested for sharing the love of Jesus. When he was on trial before the religious Sanhedrin, his face appeared in some way like the face of an angel! Stephen boldly and fearlessly shared the gospel with his accusers in the court room. He was stoned to death by that religious mob for being powerfully good and loving. As they were hitting him with large rocks, he prayed, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Stephen was a light in a very dark world because he didn’t fear– he only loved.

Ripples Of Grace

The grace that flowed from Stephen’s lips touched the ears of a man named Saul. Stephen’s last words were not only Jesus’ Words on the cross, they were a declaration to the spiritual realm that all charges against Saul’s sin in the stoning were dropped. Luke 23:34

Perhaps Stephen’s declaration of forgiveness silenced the enemy and opened spiritual doors for Saul to encounter Jesus. John 20:23 Saul, who was later called Paul, took the gospel to the world.

Stephen did not fear man because He was so consumed with the presence of the Lord. Stephen died that day but he planted a seed in Saul that would later yield a huge harvest that continues to this day!

We Are Overcomers!

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the fear of man keeps us from accomplishing God’s purpose for our lives. It breeds gossip, intimidation and offense within the Body of Christ and keeps us focused on ourselves instead of loving others. Fear of man stops us from sharing the Good News of Jesus to the world.

We are the fearless children of God, full of the Spirit of grace. Satan knows that peace and unity in the Body of Christ is a lethal weapon against the realms of darkness. He is always trying to stir up strife, fear and accusation. But we have overcome the fear of man by the power of the love of God!

Heavenly Father, I pray that we, Your children, will receive a supernatural baptism of Your love so that the fear of man no longer binds us. Help us to persevere and love others deeply from our hearts! In Jesus’ name, amen!

God is reaching out to you right now and is ready and willing to set you free and give you life to the full! If you would like to know the love of God, I invite you to click this link: Meet Jesus