Fearlessness

by R.T. Kendall
Spring 2015

God has not given us a "spirit of fear" said Paul to the fearful young Timothy (2 Tim. 1:7, KJV). The NIV translates this "spirit of timidity," which I think misses the real meaning. A person may have a personality tendency to be timid or shy — and probably always will be. Paul is not speaking of a personality tendency. The Holy Spirit does not change our basic temperament. If you were an extrovert or sanguine when you were converted, you will be an extrovert afterward. The same would be true with melancholy, choleric, or phlegmatic type of people.

The Greek word translated "fear" is phobos — from which we get words such as claustrophobia (fear of being closed in). Second Timothy 1:7 may be put alongside Romans 8:15: "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.'" Paul here contrasts the spirit of bondage — which comes from living under the Mosaic Law — with our loving heavenly Father. You do not need to be afraid of your heavenly Father or fear you will not come up to His standard. Our Father accepts us as we are, and we don't have to prove anything to Him, unlike what many fear with their parents.

In any case, a spirit of fear is alien to the Holy Spirit. Dr. Lloyd–Jones used to say, "God never oppresses us." Satan does. A spirit of fear is a perpetual anxiety that governs a person — worrying that something will always go wrong, that you will displease someone. You are always looking over your shoulder. People governed by a spirit of fear have a constant dread of disapproval. It comes down to this: the fear of man. "Fear of man will prove to be a snare" (Prov. 29:25).

If you are obsessed with what people think of you, this is a spirit of fear; it did not come from God, says Paul. Apparently Timothy was governed by a spirit of fear (1 Cor. 16:10). Paul did not moralize him for this, but merely pointed out that such an attitude did not come from the Holy Spirit. We all have attitudes that come from the flesh, not the Holy Spirit. Even Paul was once so depressed that he "despaired even of life" (2 Cor. 1:8). There is not a single one of us who has not had an off moment — a time we would die a thousand deaths for anyone to see us. The point is, such feelings do not come from the Holy Spirit. It certainly does not mean we are not Christians; it does not even mean we are not spiritual or pleasing God generally. Were God to hide His face from us — even for five minutes — most of us might get all kinds of thoughts, attitudes that would make the angels blush.

Fearlessness is not courage. Of course one seems to have courage when there is no fear. But you can have courage when you are scared to death. You just press on. We have reason to believe that Martin Luther was filled with great anxiety when he stood before the Diet of Worms in 1521 and said, "Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen." He was showing courage.

Fearlessness is when there is simply no fear. I wish I felt this way every day. But I have known this — at times. There is nothing like it. It is when the Dove comes down and the whole landscape changes, like a sunrise that reveals what was hidden in the night. Fearlessness. As the hymn Like a River Glorious puts it in verse two:

Fearlessness is a state of mind that can only be achieved by the Holy Spirit. You can't work it up. You can work up courage. But you can't make yourself feel no fear. If you have it, admit it; just say, "I'm afraid. I'm anxious. I'm nervous. I don't know what is happening." It is no disgrace to feel like that. But when the Holy Spirit comes down, all fear is gone. At least for then. It may not last forever. But when this calm sets in, you know God has come. It's the real thing. Only the Holy Spirit can bring this about. One reason the devil cannot produce fearlessness is that he is full of fear himself. He is the embodiment of fear. He is running scared sixty seconds a minute, sixty minutes an hour. He knows that his time is short (Rev. 12:12). The next time Satan reminds you of your past, remind him of his future. All those who oppose us — mark it down — are the ones who are afraid. "Do not fear what they fear" (1 Pet. 3:14). So if you have been given the grace of fearlessness, you have an inner strength for which there is no natural explanation.

Total fearlessness is what Peter had on the Day of Pentecost. No fear. He was not the slightest bit bothered by thousands of intimidating Jews around him — some of them high ranking. It was what he later felt when he said to the Sadducees, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:19–20, ESV). It was what Peter and John felt when they left the Sanhedrin having to pinch themselves that they were chosen to suffer the shame of Jesus' name (Acts 5:41). It is what Elijah felt when God swore an oath to him: he knew there would be no rain unless God said so (1 Kings 17:1–2). It is what he experienced on the top of Mount Carmel when poking fun at the desperation of the false prophets (1 Kings 18:27).

When you have no fear, you do not need to raise your voice. You will not panic if you think you are losing an argument or lacking the exact words. The greatest freedom is having nothing to prove. This freedom — fearlessness — can only be produced by the Holy Spirit. When this fearlessness has set in, you know it is the Holy Spirit and not you. And when you find yourself governed by fear, accept the plain truth: God did not give you that fear. The flesh or the devil can never manufacture this fearlessness.

These things said, the word fear can be tricky in this discussion. In the days following Pentecost, everyone was filled with fear or awe (Acts 2:43). Strange as it may seem, the same Holy Spirit who imparts utter fearlessness in a person can simultaneously impart an astonishing awe of God. Indeed, the greater the measure of the Spirit in us, the greater will be our genuine fear of God. You will respect God and His Word more than ever. Never forget that the "eternal gospel" is a command: "Fear God and give him glory" (Rev. 14:6–7). The more I love God, the more I fear Him; the greater my measure of the Holy Spirit who instills calm and joy will be matched by the greater my desire to glorify God.

R.T. Kendall, Holy Fire (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2014), Used by permission.

R. T. Kendall is an international speaker, minister, and author of over 60 books.