Defeating the Fear of Man

In my experience, there's one thing that will keep you from stepping out and laying hands on the sick more anything else: the fear of man.

Healing is easy. It really is. Unfortunately, the reason most Christians have never experienced God working through them in this way is because they've never actually tried. Their powerlessness has nothing to do with a lack of anointing, impartation, or spiritual gift. Every believer has authority to heal the sick and do the works of Jesus (Matt 10:1, Luke 9:1, Luke 10:19, John 14:12). Rather, it's the fear of man keeps believers from stepping out in obedience, trusting God, and seeing the Kingdom of Heaven crush through the gates of hell. This very thing kept me in bondage for two years, and there are still times when I struggle with it.

Mark 12:14 says, "And they came and said to him, 'Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God." The actual greek says, "you do not look at people's faces."

Obviously, I think Jesus looked at people's faces. Rather, the greek here implies that Jesus did not take the reactions and opinions of man into consideration. He didn't let other's thoughts and feelings about Him sway Him from the truth and obedience to God. Jesus was a free man.

So, what did Jesus know that we don't? How can we renew our minds and break out of these prison bars of fear?

1. Know that the stakes are high - set your mind on the things of God!
   We're talking about life or death, heaven or hell. This isn't about your inner-comfort and reputation, this is about the King getting what He paid for. This is about souls being snatched from the fires of hell. Your obedience or disobedience could mean heaven for somebody, it could mean life. On the flip-side, your failure to overcome the fear of man might mean an early death and Christ-less eternity for someone. I know this isn't easy to hear, but it's the truth. What we do or don't do makes a difference in where people spend eternity (including ourselves - Matt 25:31-47).
   
   Jesus knew that enduring the cross meant an eternity spent with those who loved Him. He set His mind on the "things of God" (Matt 16:23, Col 3:1-4). This allowed Him to "set face towards Jerusalem" (Luke 9:53) and gladly enter into suffering. Hebrews 12:1-2: "...let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."
   
   
   In 1 John 3:8, it says "the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil." And in John 17:4, Jesus says "I glorified You on earth [God], having accomplished the work You gave me to do." Then, in John 20:21, Jesus says "As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you." And Eph 2:10, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
   
   
   Here's what I'm getting at: Jesus glorified the Father by accomplishing the works the Father gave Him to do. Then, Eph 2:10 says that God has prepared good works for us that we should walk in them. These two verses imply that one of the ways we glorify God is by completing the works He has given us to do. If the fear of man in your life is causing you to leave the works God has prepared for you incomplete, then God is being robbed of His glory!
   
   
2. Fear of man is an attack from the enemy - a defeated enemy!
   I had a friend tell me once that if we didn't see the fear of man as an attack from the enemy, then it would be more difficult to overcome. The truth is, "God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control" (2 Tim 1:7). If God didn't give us a spirit of fear, then where is the fear of man coming from? There's only two other sources: you, and the devil. I'm betting on the latter. Either way, it's an attack, and it's not from God. It's standing in the way of your obedience and that means it has to die.
   
   Okay, let me ask you a question: who in the world is scared of a defeated enemy?! Answer: Christians!
   
   Guys, let's get real:
   "He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him." (Col 2:15)
   
   "...that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil..." (Heb 2:14)
   
   "...and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might that He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the Church, which is His Body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." (Eph 1:20-23)
   
   If the above two points are true, here's the situation: people are dying and some are going to hell for eternity because a defeated enemy has imprisoned you with fear, and this is keeping God from being glorified in your life.
   
   
3. Time for a jailbreak - declare war on the enemy!
   That last bit wasn't to guilt trip you, it was to get you fed up. If you're not fed up yet, you need to get fed up. The fear of man is idolatry. My suggestion is that you repent right now, and declare war on the fear of man. You must see it as an enemy! Set your heart right now to be a doer of the Word, to seek first the Kingdom of God, and make a commitment to share and demonstrate the good news of Jesus with every person you encounter who needs to know the love and power of the King. And if the fear of man rises up in your heart, take authority over that work of the enemy and command that thing to BE GONE! in Jesus' Name! If it doesn't leave, show that devil you're serious by busting out of those prison doors, approaching that person and openly destroying the work of the devil in their life. I guarantee you it will feel good to glorify God and show the devil what's up.

To summarize: 1) Know what's at stake, set your mind on the things of God and see the big picture. 2) Realize that the fear of man is an attack from an already defeated enemy. 3) Declare war and repent by openly launching an attack against this thing. Step out in faith and overcome the enemy!

I encourage you as you go about life today to take a risk of faith, and watch how God shows up and meets you. Then, please, share your experience in a comment below.