by Jeff Rath 5-97

TRUST VERSUS TERROR

by Jeff Rath 8-98

God wants us to trust Him; God wants us to trust and believe his Word.

II Samuel 22:3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.

II Samuel 22:31 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.

The desire of God’s heart is that we trust in Him and be free from fear. In the Old Testament trust and confidence are the same as believing and faith in the New Testament.

Psalm 56:3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

Psalm 56:4 In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.

Psalm 56:11 In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.

Isaiah 12:2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

Here are four verses that clearly contrast trust and fear as opposites. Trusting and believing are the opposite of fear and terror. God lays out clearly for anyone who wants to know His Word that fear is the opposite of believing; also, that it is God’s will for us to have trust instead of fear.

Our adversary, Satan, the Devil, is a terrorist. He desires to torment you with fear and he desires to destroy every shred of your trust in God through his terrorist schemes.

Deuteronomy 32:25 The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs.

It says here that terror destroys, and that it is just as destructive as the sword or war. That’s right; terror is just as destructive as war.

In the book of Joshua, the Israelites crossed the Jordan river and were beginning to claim the land when they encountered a walled city called Jericho. The Greeks called a walled city a "polis", from which our word "metropolis" is derived. For instance, Wall Street in New York used to be the wall that protected New York; later that wall was torn down and it became Wall Street. The polis not only included the city but also the farmers and farmland in the surrounding area. All of the residents of the area would get within the stronghold of the walled city in case of an attack. They would stockpile food and water, and they would defend the city from the top of massive stone walls. This gave a distinct advantage to the defender. It took armies thousands of years to invent weapons and strategies to overcome the walled city.

Joshua 2:9-11 And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.

2:10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.

2:11 And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.

The residents of Jericho had a distinct advantage in that they were inside the walled city, but they were terrified of the Israelites and their God. They had heard of what God did to Egypt and the Amorites - - they were afraid. Egypt was the mightiest nation in the world at that time, and the Amorites were stronger than Jericho. So they concluded that they had no chance against God and God’s people. They were so terrified that their hearts melted, and "neither did there remain any more courage in any man."

Joshua 6:20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

What brought down the walls? The terror that was so overwhelming that their hearts melted and they had no courage. The residents of Jericho got what they feared - - defeat. Their terror was more devastating than any weapon the opposing army had. It was a combination of believing on the part of God’s people and fear on the part of the residents of Jericho that brought down the walls.

Hebrews 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.

11:31 By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.

How did the residents of Jericho believe not? They were terrified and afraid of the one true God instead of believing and trusting Him.

Matthew 13:58 And he [Jesus Christ] did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Even Jesus Christ was subject to the law of believing; his believing could not override the believing of others in situations. Often what happens in a situation is a combination of believing and/or fear working in several people.

Lamentations 3:47 Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.

Psalm 73:19 How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.

Here it says that fear and terror will utterly consume, bring desolation, and it is a snare. Fear is a trap; it hinders people and keeps them from believing the Word.

Hebrews 2:14-15 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he [Jesus Christ] also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he [Jesus Christ] might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

2:15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Fear is bondage; our adversary, the Devil, wants to put you in bondage with terrors and fears. Without Jesus Christ we will be in bondage to fears, but when we trust in God and in Jesus Christ, and in the Word of God, we can be free from the bondage of fear and terror.

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

The adversary is a thief; he wants to steal and destroy your trust and your believing in the Word of God so that you have bondage more abundantly, instead of life more abundantly.

TYPES OF FEAR IN THE BIBLE

The Bible tells us many times to fear God, and it tells us many times to fear not. This would seem like a contradiction, but it isn’t, because the word "fear" has more than one usage in the Bible; it has more than one meaning.

It is normal that words have multiple definitions. Take the word "pitch," for instance - - a baseball can be pitched, in music; pitch can denote tone, tuning or volume; in architecture it could be the pitch of a roof; a salesman can be called a pitchman; you can pitch a tent; if you throw something away, you can pitch it.

Joel 2:21 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things.

Leviticus 25:17 Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I am the LORD your God.

There are four major uses of fear in the Bible.

1 – Fear – Respect, awe, reverence, awesome, revered

Ecclesiastics 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

2 – Fear – Sudden fear, to be startled, afraid of sudden danger, fight or flight, adrenaline surge, emotion, self preservation

Job 22:10 Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee;

Proverbs 3:25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.

We can’t let sudden fear build into a deeper fear, or negative believing. For instance, I used to live in a complex called Muirwood. There were so many skunks there that I called it "skunkwood." More that once I was startled by a skunk, and out of respect for his foul scent gland I gave him a wide berth. Yes, I was afraid of that skunk. I had sudden fear and I had respect, but I did not let it build into a deeper fear where I stayed awake at night fearing that I would get sprayed by a skunk. I never got sprayed; I never let my fear build into negative believing.

3 – Fear – Concern

2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, [I am concerned] lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

2 Corinthians 12:20 For I fear, [I am concerned] lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults:

4 – Fear – Negative believing, the absence of believing, the opposite of believing, no trust, no confidence; it brings negative results, but it usually takes time for the consequences to come into fruition.

4a – Doubt – waver, the beginnings of negative believing in the mind.

Mark 11:22-24 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. [have the believing of God]

11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

It says here in Mark 11 that what you believe will come to pass, and when you pray, you believe to receive what you pray for.

James 1:5-8 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

The word "wavering" is the same word as the word "doubt" in Mark 11. A man who believes one minute and doubts the next minute does not get what he prays and believes for.

4b – Worry – Stronger negative believing in the mind.

Matthew 6:25-34 NIV Version "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

6:26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

6:27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ?

6:28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.

6:29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

6:30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

6:31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'

6:32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

4c – Fear – Negative believing that starts in the mind and settles in the heart, which ultimately issues in unbelief.

Esther 7:6-10 And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen.

7:7 And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king.

7:8 Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face.

7:9 And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon.

7:10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified.

Haman got what he feared - - he got hung by the neck until he was dead.

Job 3:25 For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.

The thing that Job greatly feared came upon him. It took time for this fear to build into negative believing, and he kept it in his heart continually until he received the results of his fear.

1 Samuel 28:5 And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.

Saul was about to do battle with the Philistines, and he was very afraid. He wanted to get some spiritual help so he went to his psychic advisor, the prophetess of Endor. The result of his false spiritual help was to greatly increase his fear. The long-term effect of false spiritual help (like what people go to psychic advisors for) will be fear and destruction.

1 Samuel 28:20 Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night.

Samuel was dead; he could not have said any words. The words of Samuel here were spoken by a false prophet. Whenever anyone seeks after wisdom from the dead and those who impersonate the dead, the end result will be destructive fear and terror.

1 Samuel 31:4 Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.

Saul’s fear built to the point that he finally killed himself. Saul got what he feared - - defeat and death. But trust conquers fear, and believing facilitates deliverance.

Jeremiah 39:17-18 But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the LORD: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid.

39:18 For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD.

Trust and believing overcome fear. Also, God’s mercy can keep believers from getting the results of their fear. Mercy is judgement withheld; mercy is when God keeps us from getting from what we deserve.

Jeremiah 42:11-16 Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.

42:12 And I will show mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.

42:13 But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the LORD your God,

42:14 Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell:

42:15 And now therefore hear the word of the LORD, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there;

42:16 Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.

God says here that if you do what his Word says, then your fear won’t get you because God will have mercy on you; but, if you go against the Word, then you get what you fear.

Jeremiah 23:1-4 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.

23:2 Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.

23:3 And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.

23:4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.

There are those that call themselves pastors, apostles, evangelists, men of God, etc., who are false apostles; they are wolves in sheep’s clothing. God says that these false pastors destroy the sheep. God will always raise up new shepherds to replace those pastors who destroy people’s lives with fear and terror. The new shepherds who God raises up will not preach fear and destruction, but trust and believing and love.

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Perfect love casts out fear, but how does the love of God cast out fear?

Galations 5:6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by [is energized by] love.

God’s perfect love casts out fear because it energizes believing, and believing conquers fear. Sometimes people are so beat up that they need to be loved before they can ever believe God’s Word. Also, if the Word is taught without love then the fruit will be fear and not believing. You can have the right doctrine, but if there is no love there will be a wrong application that will hurt people instead of helping them.

Mark 5:36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.

Mark 4:40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

Luke 8:50 But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.

Jesus Christ was always teaching that believing was the opposite of fear. After he was crucified and resurrected, he worked with the apostles and disciples to build believing and love in their hearts and lives.

John 20:19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

Jesus Christ worked with these men for forty days to help them believe and get rid of their fears. By the day of Pentecost they were no longer hiding behind closed doors; they were going out in public places, and they were going to the Temple in Jerusalem. They were no longer hiding behind closed doors for fear that the Jews would crucify them like they did to Jesus Christ. Then they received the holy spirit into manifestation and spoke with tongues and they became very bold and fearless. They did not get what they feared because they changed their believing from fear to faith. Jesus Christ personally ministered to them for forty days to energize their believing with the love of God.

Romans 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

We need not be in bondage to fear any more. Fear comes from the wrong spirit - - it does not come from God.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

God has not given us the spirit of fear. God’s power, God’s love, and a sound mind do not come from fear. But when we have trust, confidence, and faith, then we will have a sound mind that operates God’s power and God’s love.

Joshua 1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Words to Study:

Positive – Trust, Believing, Believe, Confidence, Faith, Bold, Boldly, Brave, Valor, Valiant, Courage, Good Courage, Very Courageous, Fearless, Strong, Encourage, Fully Persuaded, Committed, Entrusted, Persuaded, Assurance, Faithful, Sure.

Negative – Terror, Fear, Timid, Anxiety, Horrors, Panic, Cowardice, Scare, Fright, Quake, Horrible, Worry, Tremble, Distressed, Fled, Faint, Afraid, Heart Melted, Dismayed, Dread, Fearful, Careful, Waver, Unbelieving, Distrust, Unbelief.