This year, my company invited Deniz Kayadelen, world champion swimmer to share her motivational story for International Women’s Day. Deniz was born in Turkey and was an expat in Germany. Deniz shared that she had a deep fear of cold water. Having a fear of cold water can prove challenging when your goal is to cross the English Channel.
When fear became Deniz’s focus, it was magnified and was bigger then her goal of crossing the channel.
In the KJV bible, fear is mentioned over 500 times. Fear not is mentioned 365 of the 500 times.
The Bible mentions two specific types of fear. The first type is beneficial, the second is detrimental and is to be overcome. The first type of fear is fear of the Lord. Reverential awe of God, a reverence for His power and glory is to fear Him. The fear of the Lord is a total acknowledgement of all that God is, which comes through knowing Him and His attributes.
Fear of the Lord brings with it many blessings and benefits. It is the beginning of wisdom and leads to good understanding (Psalm 111:10). Only fools despise wisdom and discipline (Proverbs 1:7). Furthermore, fear of the Lord leads to life, rest, peace, and contentment (Proverbs 19:23).
The second type of fear mentioned in the Bible is not beneficial at all. This is the “spirit of fear” mentioned in 2 Timothy 1:7: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (NKJV). A spirit of fearfulness and timidity does not come from God.
To overcome fear, we need to trust in and love God completely. “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that fearith is not made perfect in love (1 John 4:18). From the book of Genesis through the book of Revelation, God reminds us to “Fear not.”
For example, Isaiah 41:10 encourages us, “Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God, I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Sometimes fear of the future and the obstacles to overcome may seem overwhelming so we stop pursuing our dreams, goals, God’s will. Jesus reminds us that God cares for the birds of the air, so how much more will He provide for His children? “So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:31). Just these few verses cover many different types of fear. God tells us not to be afraid of being alone, of being too weak, of not being heard, and of lacking physical necessities.
In Psalm 56:11 the psalmist writes, “In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” This is an awesome testimony to the power of trusting in God.
The key to overcoming fear is total and complete trust in God. This trust comes from knowing God and knowing that He is good.
Once we have learned to put our trust in God, we will no longer be afraid of the things that come against us. We will be like the psalmist who said with confidence “…let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you” (Psalm 5:11).
Check out Deniz’s story:
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