Facing the Giant of Fear
Deuteronomy 1:19–40
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In this lesson we discover the devastating impact of fear— and how to overcome it.
OVERVIEW
This series of studies is not about the kinds of giants we read about in the Old Testament—giants like Goliath who stood more than nine feet tall. Instead, we’re going to talk about another breed of giants which can be every bit as threatening to our well being: spiritual giants that invade our lives and seek to destroy the work of God in us.
The first of these giants we will study is the giant of fear. Many people have phobias—those irrational roadblocks that keep us from doing things we want to do. Some people are afraid of heights, some of open spaces, some of airplanes. There are more than one hundred different phobias, and about ten percent of the population suffers from one or more of them. But those phobias are not what we’ll be studying in this series.
We will look at the spirit of fear that can take over your life and dominate you in a way God never intended. Fear is not always a bad thing. God uses fear to protect us—to keep us from doing things which might hurt us. But when fear becomes a permanent condition it can immobilize you and bring your entire life to a standstill.
Everyone experiences fear at different times. I experience fear at times when I have to stand and speak in front of a large crowd. Every parent has experienced fear when his or her children have been injured or thrust into new situations for which they are not prepared. And some of us have experienced fear when we are told that we have a serious disease. Ideally, those fears come and go; they don’t dominate our lives. It’s when fear takes over that we know there is a giant that needs to be conquered.
We see fear in understandable circumstances in Scripture. When the disciples were on the Sea of Galilee during a fierce storm, they were afraid. When the Israelites were accosted by the Philistine giant, Goliath, they were afraid. But the Old Testament story which best illustrates how to deal with fear is the story of the twelve spies who left Kadesh Barnea to spy out the Promised Land of Canaan. That story is told initially in Numbers 13–14, but it is repeated in a condensed version in Deuteronomy 1:19–40.
To set the stage, Israel has been freed from slavery in Egypt and is approaching the Promised Land under Moses’ leadership. Before taking the whole nation in, Moses sends twelve men into the land to check it out—to see how formidable the inhabitants were, how well the cities were fortified, and how fertile the land was. When we see the response of some of the spies upon their return, we learn that fear has not changed in several thousand years.
Fear Disregards God’s Plan
Verses 19–21 of chapter one clearly indicate that it was God’s plan for the Israelites to go up and possess the land of Canaan. And verse 21 clearly reveals what would stand in their way to keep them from fulfilling God’s plan—fear and discouragement. And that is exactly what controlled the people after hearing a negative report from ten of the spies.
Fear took hold of their lives, and they couldn’t believe that God had actually brought them to the place of their inheritance and their blessing. Fear will keep you from experiencing God’s plan in your life. We have an inheritance today just as the Israelites did in their day. Our inheritance is just as much the plan of God as was theirs. And we have just as clear a warning from the apostle Paul as Israel had from Moses—a warning about fear: “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (II Timothy 1:7). God has not created us to be creatures dominated by fear. He has given us the principle of faith upon which to live. If we choose to live in fear we are disregarding God’s plan for our life.
The same principle is given by Paul in the book of Romans: “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father’ ” (Romans 8:15). God’s plan for us, His desire for us, is that we live above fear, that we walk in the power of His love.
Fear Distorts God’s Purposes
When fear dominates our life everything gets out of perspective; everything gets distorted. Ten of the twelve spies who returned to Kadesh Barnea brought back a totally distorted picture of what the Promised Land was really like. Their skewed report is found in verses 27–28. They came back and reported that the Promised Land was filled with Anakim, or giants. There were giants in the land of Canaan in those days (remember Goliath?), but not every person in Canaan was a giant. Their fear caused them to see one thing and report another. They saw great cities which were well fortified and concluded that they would never be able to take them. In fact, their fear so totally distorted their thinking that they concluded the only reason God had led them to Canaan was to destroy them!
You may think, “That is the most irrational thought you could ever have of God!” But when fear begins to control your life, you don’t think correctly; rationality goes out the window. If you choose to let fear control your thinking, you will have a distorted view of the situation you are in and life in general. Everything will be totally out of perspective. You will think God has brought you into a terrible situation just to do you harm.
Fear Discourages God’s People
Not only does fear disregard God’s plan and distort God’s purposes, but it also discourages God’s people. The kind of fear that controls is highly contagious—a communicable sin. Think of the situation in Israel at Kadesh Barnea. Ten men out of twelve came back from Canaan controlled by fear, and those ten men determined the destiny of the rest of the entire nation for the next forty years. Their words of fear so infected the rest of the people that the entire nation became fearful of going into the land God had promised. The fearful words of ten people turned the fortunes of an entire nation.
Somebody said that when the spies came back from the land of Canaan, they not only talked about the giants they saw, they brought one of the giants back with them—the giant of fear. And that giant walked into Israel’s camp and destroyed everything that was in the heart of the whole nation. Fear like this is akin to someone yelling, “Fire!” in the midst of a crowded theatre. Without any knowledge of the facts, panic sets in and causes a stampede among hundreds of people. The entire landscape changes when one or more people are consumed by fear.
Fear Disbelieves God’s Promises
You would think that when Israel stood on the threshold of the Promised Land and faced a new set of challenges they would have trusted God to see them through. Wasn’t He the God who worked mighty miracles for them in Egypt? Moses outlined in verses 29–33 what God had done for Israel in the past and how, on the basis of His past promise-keeping, He would then keep His promises to deliver Israel into the land of milk and honey. But instead, fear caused Israel to disbelieve the promises of God.
Think of all the things God had done for them: The plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, the giving of the Law, the provision of water and food in the wilderness, defeating their enemies on the way, guiding them by a pillar of fire and a cloud. God carried Israel through the wilderness as a father carries a child. Shouldn’t Israel, on the basis of all those demonstrations of God’s power, have trusted Him one more time? I have found in my own walk with the Lord that each new test must be approached with new faith. We cannot live on yesterday’s faith. Many Christians don’t realize that they can trust God ten times in a row and then disbelieve Him the eleventh time if they allow fear to set in. Yielding to fear will lead to disbelieving the promises of God.
Fear Disobeys God’s Principles
When we don’t believe, we usually don’t obey. Verse 26 documents that Israel rebelled against the command of the Lord. This may sound a bit harsh, but I believe it to be true: Fear is disobeying God. Many, many times in the Bible we are told, “Fear not,” or “Do not be afraid.” Now, if we are told by God not to fear, and we choose to live in fear, what are we doing? We are disobeying God.
Because the people did not obey God, they did not go up into the land and receive from God what He had promised to give them. The entire generation of those adults who succumbed to the fear of the ten spies were kept from going up and receiving their inheritance in the land. That generation spent the next forty years wandering in the wilderness, slowly dying off, until their children’s generation was of adult age. The only two people allowed to go into the land from the disobedient generation were Joshua and Caleb, the two spies who wanted the people to trust God for victory in the Promised Land.
When fear grips our lives it ultimately destroys everything God wants to do in and through us. I have known people to whom God has given a vision, a direction for life and ministry, but who failed to follow through with God because of fear. As a result, their lives became rambling, meaningless journeys instead of focused, purposeful missions. Fear can steal the very thing God wants to give us.
What do we do when fear is knocking on the door of our heart? How do we keep it from taking control? Five principles will protect you from being controlled by fear.
Fear Demands a Biblical Response
Confront Your Fear Honestly
Fear doesn’t just decide to act nice and leave you alone. You have to confront it to get rid of it. You must discover what it is that is giving fear an invitation to take up residence in your life and face it honestly. If you don’t know what it is, ask God in prayer. Get counsel from a trusted friend or pastor. You can’t get rid of what you can’t identify.
Moody Monthly magazine (Sep/Oct, 1996) had a fascinating story about a Canadian family who was growing fearful about the likelihood of another world war. They wanted to move to a location in the world where peace would be assured. So they moved to the British-controlled Falkland Islands off the cost of Argentina in March, 1982. Five days later, the Argentine army invaded the Falkland Islands, and they found themselves in the middle of a war. That’s how fear is. It will follow you wherever you go unless you confront it.
Confess Your Fear as Sin
I have touched on this already—if God says “Fear not,” and we fear, we are disobeying God. And disobeying God is sin. You may think it is impossible to be able to command your feelings, to tell your feelings to “Fear not.” You may not be able to command your feelings, but you can command your will to obey the voice of the Lord and fill your life with His truth. Psalm 34:4 says, “I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” Where our will goes, our feelings follow. If we seek the Lord, obey the Lord, dwell in the Lord, meditate on the Lord’s word, we will find our feelings—including our feelings of fear—following closely behind. Too many people try to get rid of fear without recognizing it, and confessing it, as sin. What God has forgiven and removed will not have dominion over you.
Claim God’s Promises of Protection
If I found myself overcome by fear, here is what I would do. I would take a stack of index cards and fill them with the verses from the Application section of this lesson (plus as many other verses on fear as I could locate). Put one verse on each card; then put the cards in places where you will see them all day long: on your car visor or dashboard, on the bathroom mirror, on the kitchen counter, on your desk at work, in your purse or wallet, in a coat pocket. Everywhere you go, take the Word of God with you to remind you of the truth about fear.
Wherever you are, when the spirit of fear begins to intimidate you, you will have the truth of God near at hand. Instead of allowing your mind to be filled with fearful lies, fill it with the Word of God. Tell the enemy when he begins whispering to you about fear, “Forget it. I have a word from God that says, ‘Fear not!’ ”
Cultivate a Closer Relationship with God
Before dismissing this as elementary, think carefully with me. What was it about the two of the twelve spies who weren’t fearful, the two who believed God would help them take the land? We get a clear picture of them from three passages of Scripture: Deuteronomy 1:36; Numbers 14:24; 32:12. To summarize, all three of these passages say that Joshua and Caleb “wholly followed the Lord.” This was the difference between the two who were courageous and the ten who were fearful. They had a relationship with God that was the dominant force in their lives. As a result, there was no room for fear. When they saw giants and walled cities, they said, “Our God can handle this. What’s to fear?” Where the others saw obstacles, Joshua and Caleb saw God.
God’s perfect love casts out fear (I John 4:18). Just as a parent showers a fearful child with love and protection when he or she is frightened, so God enfolds us in His loving arms and casts out fear.
Commit Your Life to Jesus Christ
The greatest fear anyone could have is the fear of death (Hebrews 2:14–15). It only stands to reason that if the greatest fear is conquered, all lesser fears could be conquered as well. There is only one sure way to conquer the fear of death, and that is by accepting the gift of eternal life offered by Jesus Christ. If you are a Christian, certain of your eternal life, you have already conquered the greatest fear. No other fear should concern you. If you are not a Christian, and live not only in fear of death but of other things as well, I invite you to begin this series of lessons by accepting God’s gift of love for you, Jesus Christ. Remember: His perfect love casts out all fear.
APPLICATION
1. Read Deuteronomy 31:1–8.
a. What did Moses tell the Israelites God would do for them when they crossed over the Jordan River into the Promised Land? (verses 3–5)
b. What were the four responsibilities given to the Israelites? (verse 6)
c. Why would the Israelites be able, in good faith, to be courageous? (verse 6)
d. What is the connection between the resources one has and one’s ability to be courageous?
e. Therefore, if a Christian has God on his side, how courageous should he be?
f. What instruction did Moses give to Joshua? (verse 7)
g. What is the connection between a leader’s level of courage and the level of courage of those he leads?
h. If Joshua had been fearful and failed to obey God, what would the Israelites likely have done?
i. What promises about God’s presence do you find in verse 8?
j. Hebrews 13:5 is an oft-quoted verse in the New Testament. Read it, then record how it helps your understanding of this New Testament promise, knowing the situation in which it was originally spoken (verse 8).
2. Read 1 Chronicles 28:20.
a. What word does David use that would indicate whether Solomon was really “strong and of good courage?”
b. In overcoming fear, there are two parts: God’s part and our part. How would you describe God’s part?
c. How would you describe our part?
d. How will a person who is afraid of heights know if he has overcome that fear?
e. Describe something (past or present) you have been postponing doing because of fear?
f. What is God’s part in the situation?
g. What is your part?
h. How will you know when you have conquered that fear?
3. Read Psalm 27:1, 13–14.
a. In what three ways is the Lord described in verse 1?
b. How do each of these three descriptions of God help to dispel fear in the life of the believer?
c. What will happen unless we exercise faith in God’s strength and attributes? (verse 13)
d. What do we sometimes have to do in order to gain strength from the Lord? (verse 14)
e. What does it mean to “wait on the Lord”? (See the fourth of the five Biblical responses to fear in this lesson.)
4. Read Isaiah 41:8–10.
a. What parallels do you find in God’s description of Israel in verse 8 and Paul’s description of himself in Romans 1:1?
b. Fill in the reasons God says what He says to those He calls (verse 10).
• Fear not, for …
• Be not dismayed, for …
c. What three things does God promise to do for those facing fear-inducing circumstances:
(1)
(2)
(3)
DID YOU KNOW?
Fear can be a good thing. The American Heritage Dictionary says fear is “a feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by the presence or imminence of danger.” If we are planning on wading through a snake infested swamp, we have every reason to entertain a healthy sense of fear. But if our goal is to wade across the shallow end of a swimming pool, we shouldn’t be afraid. What makes fear legitimate in one circumstance but not the other? It’s the circumstance itself. If we are in danger, fear might save our life. If we are not in danger, then fear is a false obstacle which should be overcome. Common sense and wisdom from God can show the difference. Fear can be a life saver or a life taker.
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