Have No Fear: Embracing Resilience Staying in the Spirit

Shared on December 31, 2024

Introduction

As we leave this year and prepare to enter into the new year, we look with anticipation for what may be ahead.  Some of us look ahead with excitement while some of us look ahead with great concern.  Yet, as I preached throughout my last series of this year, with God, we should always look ahead with hope, no matter what.  So, with that in mind, I want to briefly share a message with you to encourage you to not be so fearful of what’s ahead.

Made to Share God’s Spirit

In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul reminded believers that we did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear.  To understand what Paul means by this, let me take you back to the book of Genesis.

In Genesis 1:26, before He made man, God chose to make man in His image and according to His likeness.  We often think this to mean that we look like God in our physical manifestations.  Yet, we need to look more deeply into this as this goes far beyond our physical appearance.

In His image, God is holy and righteous.  Even more, God has shown Himself to be faithful and deeply committed.  As John concluded, God is love (1 John 4:8).  When God breathed into mankind’s nostrils His breath – the breath of life – this is the spirit that He breathed into mankind.  To be clear, God made man to share the same spirit of holiness, righteousness, faithfulness and love.  

Where Did the Spirit of Fear Come From?

Now, notice that you don’t see the spirit of fear listed in God’s nature and character.  You see, fear is not in God’s nature and character. Who would God be afraid of? So, fear is not of God – it doesn’t come from Him.  So, why does fear dwell in our heart if fear wasn’t breathed into us?

To answer this question, we must continue to look at the very beginning.  In Genesis 2:16-17, man was instructed by God not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Yes, evil was already in existence but not in the heart of man.  Evil was already in existence because Satan had already fallen from heaven by that point.

Rather than living in obedience, we know that both Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree (Gen. 3:6).  Eating from the tree caused man’s eyes to open.  When I speak of man’s eyes, I don’t want you to be solely thinking about our physical vision.

You see, man’s eyes were open to the consequences of his disobedience of God’s instructions.  In understanding their disobedience, scripture shows us that Adam and Eve both hid from the presence of God in the garden (Gen. 3:8).  Do you know what caused them to run and hide?  Fear— they were fearful of what God would do to them because of their disobedience.

Where did the spirit of fear come from?  The spirit of fear entered man’s heart when he ate from the tree he was forbidden from eating from.  The spirit of fear is born of man’s sin and disobedience.  To this day, man fears things going wrong.  To this day, man fears what he doesn’t understand.  The real shame in all of this is that God created man to dwell with Him, not to try to run and hide from Him in fear!

God’s Eternal Promise to Man

In the garden, God made.  God promised to deliver mankind from sin and the wicked spirits born of sin.  

In Genesis 3:15, while speaking to the serpent, the devil, God promised to put enmity between his seed and her Seed.  God promised that her Seed would bruise the serpent’s head.  Bruising the head of a serpent is how you kill/defeat a serpent.  In the end, the seed of the devil would only manage to bruise His heel, essentially being a pest or a nuisance in defeat.  

This promise speaks of Christ, who was born in this world and gave His life to defeat the devil and his seed.  Let’s understand that the seed of the devil is all manner of wickedness – demons, wicked spirits, wicked thoughts, and wicked actions.  So, again, a spirit like the spirit of fear is of the devil’s seed.

Now, because Christ defeated sin by giving His life for us, He set the way to liberty (freedom) from the devil, sin, and all manner of wickedness.  To all of those that desire to be free from the bondage of sin, Jesus has shown us the way to freedom.  We who already believe in Him, have been freed from the bondage of sin.  Therefore, we have been freed from such wicked spirits like fear.

Now, there are still a couple of questions left to be asked.  To those who don’t believe, the question to be answered is whether or not you are going to follow Jesus to freedom or remain behind in bondage?  To those who are following Jesus to freedom, there is a question we must also answer:  Will we continue to follow Jesus or will we turn back to sin?

Why Are We Being Driven to Fear? 

This is the thought that Paul had in mind as he wrote Romans 8.  This is a chapter where Paul wrote, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (Rom. 8:1).”

It was with what Christ had done for us in his mind that Paul wrote, “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors— not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh (Rom. 8:12).”  Paul understood well that Christ freed us from sin – the way of the flesh.  Yet, so many of us are desperately trying to live life according to the flesh!  

Desperately living according to the flesh

Why is that?  Why are we so desperate to fill the lust of sin?  What has living according to the flesh done for us?  Aside from temporary pleasures and joy, it hasn’t worked to fulfill our long lasting needs!  Living according to the flesh – the law of sin – has done nothing for us but get us into a world of trouble!  

We don’t owe sin a thing!  However, I will point out to you today that all of us, especially those of sincere faith, do have a debt we owe to the Lord.  We owe a debt to God because He gave His only begotten Son for our sins.

So, how do we pay back the debt we owe the Lord?  How do we pay the Lord back for giving His only begotten Son who laid down His life for us?  Jesus said that one should love the Lord with their wholeheart and also love their neighbor (Matt. 22:37-39).  Jesus said that one should believe and go to Him (John 6:29,35).

To pay back the debt we owe the Lord, we should be living full of sincere faith.  This means that we ought to be doing our best to live a life that is of holiness.  We ought to be living a life of righteousness.  Yes, we ought to be living a righteous life that is full of love and confidence in God’s work.

Yet, many of us are living in great fear today because we aren’t living as debtors to Christ – we aren’t living faithfully to His word.  Understandably, many of us are entering this new year with great concern for our life and also the well being of those close to us.  Wherever faith and confidence lacks, fear will always lay in wait.  Where fear is, there is the potential for the paralyzing spirit of doubt to settle in as well.

How to Overcome the Fear of Tomorrow

For this upcoming year, we all have a choice to make:  we can either choose to move by faith or be paralyzed in fear and in doubt.  What will you choose?

Stop worrying about tomorrow

Now, as terrifying as the coming days may be, Jesus teaches us to not worry for tomorrow.  Why should we be so worried about tomorrow when our faith rests in the one who is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent?  The Lord is sovereign and Almighty!

Jesus teaches us that of all the things that are in the care of God, we – those who love Him – are more valuable than them all (Matt. 6:26).  You see, the Lord knows our every need and, again, He is more than able to meet and supply our every need!  So, rather than having a spirit of fear, we should be living with a spirit of faith— confidence in the Lord.

Jesus pointedly said, in Matthew 6:34, “Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.”  Yes, there will always be trials and tribulations – Jesus never hides that from us!  Yes, there will be something you will want to worry about tomorrow, or weeks from now, or even months from now – don’t do it!  Such fear is unhealthy and even causes us to lose motivation to move!  

Jesus said, in Matthew 6:34, “Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”  Yes, while each day will come with its own problems, God will be there to supply our needs.  As God made a way through your troubles yesterday, He does the same today, and will do the same tomorrow!

Remember to call on God

In the last of my key verses, Paul, again, reminds us that rather than the spirit of fear, we have received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out “Abba Father”.  Believers, here is your reminder, that your Father sits high and He looks low.  Believers, here is your reminder that God has opened His door to you and desires for you to come to Him with your problems.

Believers, here is your reminder that you can call on God at any time because you, by sincere faith, have entered into fellowship with Him.  You see, we have a Father who is always there for us!  No matter the day, no matter the hour, no matter the circumstance, God’s door is always opened to His children!

So, because His door is always open, we should be willing to enter, especially when we may be filled with fear about something ahead of us.  If there is a monster in your closet, call on God.  If there is a monster under your bed, call on God.  If there is a monster somewhere else in your life, call on God!  God will calm our fears by taking care of whatever may be a cause of fear in our life.

Don’t Move Forward With Fear in Your Heart

So, as we leave this year behind us and prepare to enter into the new year, I want to leave you with this word of encouragement:  do not fear!  Inevitably, something is going to come up that will likely cause us to panic and worry – that is a part of life, as Jesus said.  Again, I say to you, do not fear.

I encourage you to stay in the spirit throughout this next year.  In all of the ups and downs of the new year, I encourage you to stay in the spirit.  Be prayerful and trust in the Lord.  Know that God knows your worries and your fear, and again, He will meet them head on and care for you.

Move forward in this next year knowing that God will meet and supply your every need!  When the devil shows you that he is at work, remember that your God is also at work and there is nobody that outworks Him.  Not only that, but God’s works will always override whatever effort that the devil has put in.  Most importantly, I want you to remember that whatever plan the devil has in mind has already been defeated through Christ.