What is fear? Webster’s dictionary defines fear as “an unpleasant, often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger.
Many people who live with bipolar disorder also live with an anxiety disorder such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, or social disorder. When feelings of fear surface, these feelings can amplify in both manic and depressive episodes. Fear is not a direct symptom of bipolar disorder, but it can be present due to unpredictability and stressful times in one’s life.
This poses the question, what do we do when faced with fear? You can do a combination of things, such as therapy, taking medication, or having a supportive community. However, knowing and fearing God is the only medicine I have found to obliterate the fear.
1 John 4:18 tells us: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
What should be terrifying is not knowing who that perfect love comes from. When fear comes like a thief in the night, we need to be running towards the cross and not away. God will not let you strike your foot against a stone—He will rescue you.
A good example of someone fearing God would be the story of Gideon in the Book of Judges 6-8.
Gideon was a military leader and a judge in Israel. God called him to deliver the Israelites from oppression by the Midianites. An angel of the Lord appeared to him while he was threshing wheat and told him that he would be the one God had chosen to lead Israel to victory over the Midianites.
What does Gideon do? He asks God for a sign of his calling. Gideon placed a fleece on the ground and asked God to make the fleece wet while keeping the ground dry; graciously, our God did so.
Still, he was not convinced, so he asked for another sign. This time, he asked for the fleece to remain dry while the ground was still wet. Graciously again, God did so.
Gideon gathered an army of 32,000 men but was instructed to send home anyone fearful of the battle ahead. Of the 32,000 men, only 10,000 were left—this was still too many, and God instructed Gideon to bring the men to a stream to observe how they would drink the water.
“So Gideon took the men down to the water. The Lord said, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel to drink.” Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. (Judges 7: 5-6).
Fighting with only 300 men seemed impossible. Our strategies cannot compare to the vastness of God’s. At night, the small army who fought with Gideon surrounded the Midianite’s camp with torches hidden in clay jars, trumpets, and empty jars. Upon Gideon’s signal, the men would break the jars, blow their trumpets, and reveal their torches, causing mass confusion within the camp. Panic, chaos, and madness broke out while many fled and slaughtered one another, leading the Israelites to victory.
What can we learn from the story of Gideon?
God’s Patience:
Despite Gideon’s doubts, our God is good and showed him the needed signs. As we continue to grow in our faith, even in our weakness, he provides grace that we don’t deserve. He knows our flaws, He understands our struggles, and we need to trust that He is constant.
Faith and Obedience:
Often, it is in our weaknesses and valley moments that God propels us to our next mission—our destiny. His plans will unfold right before your eyes if we obey His guidance and not our own.
God’s Power:
Gideon’s victory only came by the power of God. He is omnipotent (All-Powerful), sovereign, resurrecting, transforming, and unquestionable. He is without any constraints. Unlike humans, He is unshakable.
When the enemy tries to attack your mind, destroy him by knowing God will never fail you. The world, medications, and the flesh can and they will. The only real source of victory comes through the power of Christ. Knowing God can empower you amid your crisis, amid your panic attack, in the midst of not knowing the outcome. I cannot count the number of times God has pulled me from the wreckage and rescued me from my most desperate situations.
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High rests in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of
the Lord, “He is my refuge and fortress, my God, whom I trust.” Indeed, he will save you from
the fowler’s snare and the deadly pestilence; He will cover you with his feathers; under his
wings, you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your child and rampart. You will not fear the
terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor
the plague that destroys at midday. Psalm 91: 1-6 (NIV)
Fear is the enemy—fear is a thief. You do not have to be a slave to fear. We have a choice. There is a way forward. We can choose to fear God more.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Jesslyn McCutcheon-Fighting Goliath for Mental Illness
Featured Image by Patricio González from Pixabay
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