Two Steps for Fighting the Fear of Man
For many years I struggled with crippling fear, specifically in social situations. I constantly cared about what others thought of me, obsessed with others’ perceptions of how I looked, what I said, and who I was. Social anxiety was a prison and a stronghold over my life.
Maybe you don’t have something as severe as social anxiety, but you’ve noticed that you care a little too much about what others may think of you, or you tend to base most of your decisions on the approval of others.
Has this fear of man caused you to become a hermit, slinking into the shadows to avoid the spotlight for fear of being judged? Or it has the opposite effect and has caused you to become a people-pleaser, perpetually trying to make everyone happy and molding yourself into what everyone else wants you to be.
Whatever the case, living in fear is no way to exist. Our culture drives us to care about what others think, but our God has a different perspective. 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." The Lord never meant for fear to be a part of our lives, and He especially doesn’t desire for us to put our fellow man’s opinion front and center.
If the fear of man has taken hold of your heart, let’s discuss two essential keys to fighting this fear and taking back our true identity in Christ.
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1. Say Goodbye to Your Identity Crisis
When we want to overcome the fear of man, we have to realize the actual problem, which is that we have an identity crisis. As Christians, we are called to put our identity in God, who designed us, formed us, planned a life for us, and now guides our every step. Therefore, Christ should be the only one we aim to please.
However, when we become engrossed in fear of others besides God, we begin to allow them to tell us how to act, what to say, and ultimately who we become, taking Christ out of the center of our lives and placing our identity in the acceptance and approval of this world.
The first step to overcoming the fear of man is to realize this identity crisis, repent from it, and move into your God-given identity as a born-again follower of Christ. Then, when we only care about what God thinks about us and wants for our life, the fear of man can no longer touch us!
“In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered and set me free. The LORD is on my side; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?The LORD is on my side; He is my helper. Therefore I will look in triumph on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.” Psalm 118:5-8
2. Put On The Full Armor of God
After we’ve shed our old identity in man and accepted our new identity in Christ, we must protect our new state of mind by putting on the full armor of God. The truth is that the fear of man is a tactic straight from the devil’s arsenal to deter us from our God-given purpose of loving others and destroy the peace, joy, and freedom the Lord wants to give us. Satan wants to make us scared of what God means for us to love and impact: other people.
Even after taking on our new identity in Christ, we must protect it diligently. Satan is constantly prowling around, looking for ways to destroy us. Ephesians 6:10-18 gives us direct insight on how to fight off the devil and his schemes:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints…” Ephesians 6:10-18
In this passage, we read about the full armor of God and our need to use every weapon in God’s repertoire. Without divine help, we cannot gain victory over the devil’s strategies. The pieces of armor come from God’s own armor in Isaiah 59:17. As God’s chosen people, we must use every part of the strength God gives in defeating our great enemy. So let’s break down those elements a little further and how to apply them to our lives.
Belt of Truth
Lying is Satan’s native tongue. Satan will feed you lies all day about yourself, those around you, this world, and even God, which can lead us to fear our fellow man. But if we are rooted in the truth of God’s Word as established in both the gospel and the established doctrines of the church, then we can immediately detect a lie and refuse to believe it.
Breastplate of Righteousness
Satan loves to tempt us, but Jesus has given us a new nature: one of holiness. Therefore, we must combat Satan's temptations to fear man with righteousness, a pure desire to do what God has asked us to do. By the power of the Spirit, putting on the new self and pursuing righteousness will enable us to expose evil and live a holy life dedicated to God.
Shoes of Readiness (Gospel of Peace)
God wants us to be ready to go when He calls us to do anything at any time. His word prepares us to engage the cosmic powers in spiritual warfare. By arming ourselves with the gospel, the peace we now have with God through Christ, we are taking the fight to the enemy. But if we allow Satan to have his way, we will be held back by fear of what others may say or do. Therefore, we must let God’s peace have control so we can be content to go and do anything He asks, no matter the circumstance. Satan brings conflict and division, so proclaiming peace amounts to a victory over the powers of evil. Peace always combats fear!
Shield of Faith
No matter how Satan attacks you, He always wants to get you to doubt God’s truth. Not only does belief in the truth shield us from Satan’s deceptions it is also our active trust in and dependence upon Christ. Faith turns our hearts and minds from relying on ourselves to total surrender and continuous reliance on him. The enemy will use the flaming arrows of temptations, trials, and evil thoughts to weaken your faith. But if we have unshakable faith that what our God says is true, then fear can not prevail against us.
Helmet of Salvation
Satan loves to get in our heads and use his clever mind games to try and make us doubt, worry, falter, and feel shame and guilt. We must protect our minds and stand firm in Jesus’ promise of salvation — the truth that through His divine power and deliverance, he has wiped our past clean, made a new heart and life for us, and that our identity is in Him no matter what. It is now time to put this present salvation to work in our daily lives.
Sword of the Spirit (The Word of God)
The sword is wielded and made available to us by the Spirit. He has made the sword an unstoppable force to take the fight to the enemy, for it is the very “word of God!” As God’s word is proclaimed and taught, the cosmic powers retreat and creep off in defeat. Therefore, to combat fear, we must read, study, memorize, speak, share, and listen to the Word of God every day. This includes His written but also spoken Word. So make time to read the Bible and listen for God’s voice daily.
"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Hebrews 4:12
Spirit-Filled Prayer
At the end of describing the armor of God, Paul makes a point to highlight the importance of praying in the Spirit. There are two types of prayer: self-seeking, obligated, powerless prayer, and then there is Spirit-led, God-honoring, power-filled prayer. We must be rooted daily in the latter, for we are called to train our sight and to depend utterly on our heavenly Father. Praying in the Spirit includes praying with faith, praying with words from Scripture, and praying about what the Holy Spirit leads you to pray about. Satan never takes a break in his warfare against us, so we dare never grow weary of covering all our activities in prayer.
