The Spirit of Fear

There are two different types of the spirit of fear mentioned in the bible.

The first one is the fear of the Lord which is holy reverence of God.  Think of this kind as the good fear. This is not the fear where we are terrified of God but the kind of fear where we know who He is based on His word and how He reveals Himself to us.  We know that He is the creator of all things including the universe, the ocean, the birds in the air, the fish in the sea and all mankind.




Based on that fact alone we should have reverence for God because He is able to do things that we cannot do.  He spoke the universe in to being with one word.  He also had the plan of salvation which is taking on the form of a man, Jesus Christ, and dying for our sins on the cross.

The second type of fear is the fear of man and the fear of the unknown.  This is the bad type of fear that keeps us from doing the will of God.

Here are some bible verses about fear:

First here are some on the Fear of God or the Fear of the Lord and the benefits to those who have this reverential fear of God:

Psalm 25:14 (NKJV) “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant.”  God will show His secrets.

Psalm 33:18 (NKJV) “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy,”  God will show mercy.

Psalm 34:7 (NKJV) “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them.” God will protect and deliver from evil.

Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”  God will give wisdom, knowledge and understanding.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 New King James Version (NKJV) “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.”

Even King Solomon who was known to be the wisest and richest man says, at the end of his days when he had seen and done it all and achieved everything that man could want, it is most important to fear God and keep His commandments.  When we spend our lives chasing after riches and wealth in the end we find out it all doesn’t matter if we have no fear of God.  This is something we should all take to heart.

Here is what the bible has to say about fearing man:

Proverbs 29:25 (NLT) “Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety.”

Romans 8:15 (NLT) “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”

We see that God’s love for us should cast out the spirit of fear.  We should have such a revelation of God’s love that there should be no fear in us whatsoever!

1 John 4:18  “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”

Whenever we feel fear that keeps us from doing the will of God, it means that we are lacking a revelation of God’s love in that spirit-of-fearmoment and we need to pray for a fresh revelation and cast the fear off of us!

2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV) ” For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

One of the spirits that keeps us from being useful in the kingdom of God is fear.  This scripture in 2 Timothy 1:7 says that first

  1.  Fear is not from God.  He did not give this to us
  2. What God has given us to combat fear is Power. The power of God, which is the same power that raised Christ from the dead, lives within us.  With this power whom or what shall we fear?  We also know that with the perfect love of God in our hearts and as a revelation to our mind we should have no place for fear.
  3. The last point in this scripture talks about having a sound mind.  To have a sound mind means that we are not wavering between two opinions.  We are not going back and forth between fear and faith.  Instead we are stable, at peace, courageous and have a soundness of mind that cannot be shaken. Our mind is at peace.  We are no longer discouraged in our thinking and attitude, we are sober and vigilant in our mind knowing that we have resurrection power of the Holy Spirit on the inside of us and the love of our Abba Father.



Keeping all of this in mind and taking it to heart we should have no problem casting out the spirit of fear and moving forward into the things of God.

In the book of Deuteronomy we see “do not fear” so many times!  This was a build up leading to the Israelites going in and taking the land.  This gives us full understanding that when we are ready to embark on the things of God, the spirit of fear is generally there ready to pounce on us.

In Joshua chapter 1 even though God told Joshua many times, while Moses was alive and again when He was leading him into the promise land, that the land was already his, God still had to tell him not to be afraid.  In Chapter one the word “fear or be courageous” was used 4 times in the the first chapter alone.

Fear is a spirit that plagues for mankind but God says when He calls us to do something we must always remember that we have power, love and a sound mind.  These becomes our weapon.

If you are struggling with a spirit of fear we hope that this article helped to clarify a few things and now we want to give you this prayer which you can use to battle this spirit.

Praying against the spirit of fear

Abba Father, thank you for your word!  Thank you for giving me revelation into your word and what it says about fear.  I fear You in holy reverence and You alone.  I know you as the creator of the universe who holds all power in Your hands.  You sit in heaven and You do as You please. You answer to no one. You give Your angels charge over me to guard me in all of my ways lest I dash my foot upon a stone. 

Lord, you know my heart and you know that I want to please You and do all that You called me to do. I need Your grace to follow through.  I confess that I feel fear sometimes but this spirit has no part in me according to Your word.  Now I take the sword of the Spirit, which is Your word, and I bind the spirit of fear.  I cast it from my presence because perfect love cast out fear.  Grant me a fresh revelation of Your love now.

I know that You love me with an everlasting love.  You sent your Son to die on the cross for me and that love is the most perfect love that anyone can receive.  When Jesus died on the cross He took all my sins past, present and future so there is now no need for me to be fearful of anything that I face today or in the future because everything that I was in bondage to has been removed.  Hallelujah! I know that not only did Christ die but He went to hell, conquered sin and the grave, took the keys of Hades and released me from the bondage of fear.  The Holy Spirit and His mighty power resurrected Christ to the heavenly where He is seated at Your right hand Abba in victory and power! Because Jesus Christ overcame sin and death, I am now also an overcomer.

I am now dead to fear and resurrected victorious as well.  This same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives within me today.  This same power drives me to do your will.  I move forward with Power of the name of Jesus.  My mind will no longer waver between two opinions.  Now I move forward in faith.  Now I move forward in victory. Now I move forward with peace of mind and a sound mind.  Now I move forward with determination and courage.  Now I move forward with a renewed mind.  Now I move forward with angels to guard my way and lead me in the correct path.

I bind the spirit of fear and I loose power, love and a sound mind.  Give me grace, O God, to continually walk in your way and to accomplish your will, in Jesus name, Amen.

Scriptures: 2 Timothy 1:7, 1 John 4:18, Psalm 115:3, Psalm 91, Ephesians 6:6-10, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Revelation 1:18, Acts 2:32-35

Here are some other scriptures and prayers that will help you move forward:

Bible Verses to Pray for Protection and Against Fear

The Psalm 91 – Hedge of Protection

Putting on the Armor of God

Binding and Loosing: The keys to the Kingdom and Exercising your Spiritual Authority

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