Spiritual Warfare – the enemy’s strategy and tactics part 3 – FEAR

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Satan – opponent Job 1:6; 3:25; Heb. 2:14-15

Strategy: Fear. Our response: Shield of faith and prayer

FEAR has been described as False Expectations Appearing Real. But we realise that fears are often very real and about real things. Fear can be a strategy for self-preservation.

In 1 Cor. 15:26, Paul describes death as an enemy, which will finally be destroyed (described in Rev. 20:14) but in the meantime, fear of death is a weapon that the devil uses against us to keep us in bondage to himself.

In a clever stratagem, he deceived the Greeks into welcoming death as a friend releasing the true self from the prison of the body (hence the idea of a physical resurrection was laughable – see Acts 17:32) and is doing the same in our generation. Euthanasia (literally ‘good death’ in Greek) is being promoted and assisted across Europe. A recent book tries to make death just as acceptable as going to sleep. But people are still just as much in bondage – fear of death drives people to these ideas.

Our culture has no place for an after-life, we came from slime and to slime we will return – when you’re dead, you’re dead and that’s it. You can buy books on Amazon about easy ways to kill yourself and they also sell the means to do it! But we wonder what happens to people at the point of death? Of course, no one has come back to tell us (the book on Amazon has lots of reviews, but one wonders how people are able to review a book that tells you how to kill yourself – the reviewers can’t have tested the ideas out! It’s so sad, especially that there’s so much interest in the topic and that suicides have increased dramatically in recent times, when help and hope is freely available in the Lord Jesus Christ).

For the believer, death itself holds no fears as we go to be with the One who saved us, and Who holds the keys of Death (Rev. 1:18). For the unbeliever, the prospect of an eternity without God should be terrifying. So fear of death is reasonable enough but has been twisted by the devil into a weapon whereby he brings people into bondage to himself, to the point where, as well as persuading people that he doesn’t exist, he makes his use of the fear of death invisible by celebrating death.

Not all fear comes from the devil though. The World and the Flesh can play with our minds just as much as he. So we will start by looking at the Greek words used in the New Testament for care, worry, anxiety and fear to see what we can learn about how to deal with it.

Three levels of care, leading to fear

1.     Interested or concerned

  • G3199 Meio to care for, to be concerned, to be of interest to, it matters;
    • Matt. 13:22 (+ pp) cares of this world; 2 Cor. 11:28 care of the churches;
    • Mark 4:38 Carest Thou not that we perish?
    • 1 Pet. 5:7 it matters to Him about you

2.     Distracted

  • Words based on merizo G3307 – to divide or share
    • G3308 merimna – solicitude, care (root distraction)
      • Matt. 13:22 (+ pp) cares of this world; 2 Cor. 11:28 care of the churches;
      • 1 Pet. 5:7 cares to be cast on Jesus
    • G3309 merimnao – be anxious, worry
      • Luke 10:41 worried (full of care)
      • Phil 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but not careless – prudence is called for (Luke 1:17) from phroneo – to exercise the mind – the renewed mind, renewed common sense (which is far from common!)
      • Matt. 6:25-34 take (no) thought careful
      • but can be used positively:
        • 1 Cor. 12:25 caring for one another.
        • Phil. 2:20 Timothy cared for their spiritual state

3.     Paralysed

Care – careful – anxious – worry   —   FEAR?

  • The Fear of the Lord – reverential love and awe 2 Cor. 7:1; Eph. 5:21; (1 John 4:18)
  • phobos – fear, fright; phobeo – to be afraid
    • When angels turn up – Matt. 1:20; Luke 1:12; 2:9; Matt. 28:4
    • When God demonstrates His power – Mark 4:41; Luke 7:16; 8:37
    • When end times events unfold – Luke 21:26
    • Fear of being found out Mark 9:32; Mark 5:33
    • Fear of man – Luke 20:19; 22:2; Act 5:26; Gal. 2:12 (Heb. 11:23,27; 13:6)
    • Fear of bad consequences – John 7:13; 9:22; 19:38; 20:19
    • Fear of good consequences – Acts 2:43; 9:31
    • Fear of human government – Matt. 2:22; Rom. 13:3,7; Eph. 6:5; 1 Pet. 2:18
    • Fear of death – Heb. 2:15; 1 Pet. 3:14
    • Fear of self – Rom. 7:24

Some of the points which came up in the online discussion (which you can watch here) focussed on the need for good teaching and discipleship. As Jesus says, “You will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Ultimately, He is The Truth, so knowing Him is paramount. (In fact, Jesus describes knowing Him as the character of eternal life in John 17:3!) Good teaching and discipleship will point us to Jesus as the Author and Finisher of Faith (Heb. 12:1-2) and being grounded in Scripture will give us the weapons we need to stand firm (Eph. 4:11-16; 6:10-18).

How to handle fear

It is essential that we get to know our God personally, not just as a “logical deduction from the text of Scripture” (a phrase I have borrowed from A W Tozer) but as a living reality in our lives, a constant companion, Friend and Lover, if we are going to deal with any fears. A line from a song by Casting Crowns (“Oh My Soul”) puts this very well “There’s a place where fear has to face the God you know”. How well do I, how well do you, know God? The time to develop that relationship is now, so that you will be prepared to meet the trial – or rather, let your God in you meet the trial.

As we considered last week, it is apparent from Scripture that the Shield of Faith is actually God Himself (Gen. 15:1). Our faith, be it small as a mustard seed (Matt. 17:20), latches on to a God who is powerful beyond description and loves us with a love that is beyond comprehension! (Eph. 3:19) The Apostle John tells us that ‘Perfect love casts out fear’ (1 John 4:18) and whose love is perfect, other than the Lord’s? So it’s not the size or quality of our faith which matters, but the One that we have the faith in.

The table below lists some of the tactics that the enemy uses to bring us under the control of our fears (and therefore, ultimately in bondage to him 2 Tim. 2:26), and the response of faith to those tactics. These are drawn from some of the other resources published on this website (here and here) that we have referenced before.

Some of satan’s TacticsOur defense
Fear of failurePhil 1:6; 4:13; Heb. 12:1-2; 2 Cor. 4:16
Constant fearLuke 12:32; Rev. 2:9-11.
Fear that God will abandon meRom. 8:35-38.
Struggle with anxiety and worry about everythingMatt. 6:25-34; Phil. 4:6-7; 1 Peter 5:6-7.
Shamed into silence by fear when confronted by non-Christians2 Tim. 1:8-12.
Fear that other people have the power to destroy you or undermine who you areHeb. 13:5-6; Rom. 8:31-34.
Spiritual Warfare, The enemy's strategies