How to live without fear of evil people ?

[MassimoTheChristian]

Or more generally how can I live without fear of evil ?

 

[Gregory Thompson]

The bible says that matured love casts out all fear. Prior to that, it says that God is love, and this love is matured within us so we have confidence on the day of judgment. This confidence is derived from being like God is in this world.

The solution is not easy, but we can work at it every day.

The bible also says, the only thing that matters is faith expressing itself through love. So perhaps work on that.

 

[tdidymas]

Or more generally how can I live without fear of evil ?

Heb. 2:15 "and free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives." It means that if you fear death, you're a slave to fear, which kills your motivation to do God's will in times of trouble. Jesus said in Mat. 10:28, "And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." IOW, your fear of God needs to be much greater than your fear of man.

But "fear of God" doesn't mean to be afraid of Him, unless you're not embracing His love for you. When people embrace God's love, then their fear of Him is not diminished, but it appears to fade into the background. An analogy may be: the foundation of a house is hidden after the house is built. Since the Bible says "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," fear of God is the base foundation of relationship with God, and then the love of God covers it.

Thus we have the statement from Paul in Rom. 12:21, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Perhaps it's easier said than done, since we all are cowards at heart. But this should be the goal in every adverse relationship, to express the goodness of God so that evildoers have no excuse to do evil. Worst case would be to kill a righteous person to silence him, because of the conviction of the Spirit on the conscience. That's called being a witness (martyr). Mat. 5:16 "let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

 

[HarleyER]

Or more generally how can I live without fear of evil ?

This is not your homeland. You have been bought with a price and are now a subject of the Kingdom of God. So if you lose everything you have here on earth, if you are disgraced and people laugh at your testimony, or you're tortured or killed; none of that matters. They did the same to our Lord Jesus. We are only passing through this world, as brief as it is.

It's all about perspective.

 

[tturt]

Might want to check out Psa 91. There's a lot of symbolism but can learn what they mean. It's filled with some of God's promises to us.

 

[timf]

Or more generally how can I live without fear of evil ?

1Jn_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 (or completed) love is that which is selfless

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

As we grow in selflessness, fear diminishes.

Psa_118:6 The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

 

[Neogaia777]

@MassimoTheChristian

Get or be angry and sin not, and turn it into power, and shock/scare them with it.

Difficult to do without sinning, but it'll work for sure.

God Bless.

 

[Neogaia777]

@MassimoTheChristian

Get or be angry and sin not, and turn it into power, and shock/scare them with it.

Difficult to do without sinning, but it'll work for sure.

God Bless.

@MassimoTheChristian

Turn around and love others who have not done anything in those very moments to incur your wrath or be the victims of your very great disdain in those very moments, etc.

Forgive the others once they have repented or stopped, etc.

God Bless.

 

[Hazelelponi]

Or more generally how can I live without fear of evil ?

It really is about learning to trust God more. Understanding that God will not only get us through the trial, but be with us every step of the way.

Whenever you don't have peace regardless of the storm it's because you're not trusting in Him to see you through or your focus is on your flesh (wants, needs, desires) and your not keeping Him front and center.

Prayer, literally just start talking to God in prayer all the time even when your doing dishes. Pour out all your fears, your worries and concerns to Him in petition, begging God show you the right path to take for your good.

This is what God wants us to do but we get distracted and instead of going to God in prayer we have a tendency to go to men instead and without Him fear will only increase ..

So just start praying and talking to God all the time. The next time you get a vent session going go to Him, pour it out into the Hand of the One who has the power to heal and comfort and lead us.

We will become stronger in this way.. more sure of our steps.The prophet Jeremiah indicates this is true .. it's my interpretation of some passages so I've been doing this personally and I am getting stronger and far less fearful.

Read Scripture and pray a lot more, pray when your doing dishes even...We have to let God take the lead in total now, there's too much deception in the world.

A question asked in Revelation was who can stand in that day, and the answer is every single person who is in Christ. You have nothing to fear.

 

[MassimoTheChristian]

It really is about learning to trust God more. Understanding that God will not only get us through the trial, but be with us every step of the way.

Whenever you don't have peace regardless of the storm it's because you're not trusting in Him to see you through or your focus is on your flesh (wants, needs, desires) and your not keeping Him front and center.

Prayer, literally just start talking to God in prayer all the time even when your doing dishes. Pour out all your fears, your worries and concerns to Him in petition, begging God show you the right path to take for your good.

This is what God wants us to do but we get distracted and instead of going to God in prayer we have a tendency to go to men instead and without Him fear will only increase ..

So just start praying and talking to God all the time. The next time you get a vent session going go to Him, pour it out into the Hand of the One who has the power to heal and comfort and lead us.

We will become stronger in this way.. more sure of our steps.The prophet Jeremiah indicates this is true .. it's my interpretation of some passages so I've been doing this personally and I am getting stronger and far less fearful.

Read Scripture and pray a lot more, pray when your doing dishes even...We have to let God take the lead in total now, there's too much deception in the world.

A question asked in Revelation was who can stand in that day, and the answer is every single person who is in Christ. You have nothing to fear.

It's hard because I feel as though there are times when Yahweh doesn't care or isn't listening makes me wonder.

 

[Hazelelponi]

It's hard because I feel as though there are times when Yahweh doesn't care or isn't listening makes me wonder.

The specific insights I had from Jeremiah were from Jeremiah 9 and 10 (entire chapters)

I read the Bible differently in that I don't turn away from reading Scripture until I feel the writer has completed their points, which with prophets you just immerse because they are wordy...

In that session I started from Jeremiah 7:1 but I don't recall what chapter he was entirely finished in, I don't pay attention to chapter and verse so much as I focus on what they tell us.

Really on the surface the passages seem pretty horrific because of the problems they were facing.

But when you look at the whole it is very comforting.

All the problems their society was facing was due to their own bad choices and lack of doing the right thing before God. They hadn't been following His laws and precepts and had completely ignored God all together and the Prophets.

From this there's a reap what you sow vibe and we honestly can't be offended about that. Usually in systemic societal problems we have all contributed to what has gone wrong... The blood at some point is on all of our hands and when nations don't repent and change their ways then the destruction is self inflicted.

However, these passages also show us hope even if that's the case.

First, even though God is rightly angry with us, we are still His people and He will see us through to the other side so long as we remain in Him. He still loves us even when he's angry with us.

Second is that even though the punishment seems bad God will still provide an easing of the burdens of tribulation, it won't be as harsh or as bad a punishment as it could be and certainly rightly deserves to be. There's hope in that.

Third is that, God always knew we would be in this situation and tried time and again to get us to listen to reason and we just wouldn't listen.

You can reflect upon all the warnings you had and didn't listen to here. (I figure we might all have a list).

God never left us alone and sent warnings after warnings and we ignored the warners as nutters. That shows us a real God who is with us in our every moment, who knows what we need and provides that for us, it's us who refuses to accept it and heed our own warnings.

And we see history, from the past to the present, at all the prophecies, foretold hundreds of years in advance that all came to pass and we know we have a God who is unchanging and able to affect His will upon our reality.

For me I find God's sovereignty comforting. His purpose and His plan will never be thwarted by any evil thing, there's a purpose and a reason for everything and a God who is sovereign over it all that wants nothing more than our good...

In this I find a God who isn't on the sidelines but one who speaks to and interacts with His people. One who is with them always, even to the end of the age.

It's a nice reminder. We can only affect change our own selves, and we need to be seeking out our own sins and repenting of them post haste but when we are doing that, so are all God's people, even if you don't realize it - and in that there is hope for a better tomorrow when all Gods people stand together in the power of the Holy Spirit, doing the exact things that need to be done the right way.

Clearly you can see why I like wordy prophets..

I don't know what trial you face, but maybe you can draw some inspiration and insight about Him from these words that are helpful to you.

He is always listening to us .. and always with us even when we aren't cognizant of that presence.

 

[Pop D.]

Learn to let your spirit rest in the Lord, whatever happens, letting His Peace and Holy Spirit fill you.

 

[com7fy8]

Whatever God's word says to do, believe and trust God to do this with you. *Do not depend on yourself!*

And here is one thing we are told to do >

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:21)

To me, this means we can overcome any evil, at all. With God this is possible. And so, instead of fearing trouble, pray and do what God has us doing.

But we might say we can not overcome the wars in Ukraine and Palestine; after all, we have prayed and they have not stopped. But I think God mainly means to overcome evil by not fearing it and by doing whatever good God does have us doing.

And do not allow evil people's stuff to control our attention, then.

And it can be like how we each put some money in the collection of a church. Each one's gift does not pay for everything, but contributes. The penny is included and God uses it. It can be that there has to be the penny, in how God has things.

 

[MassimoTheChristian]

Whatever God's word says to do, believe and trust God to do this with you. *Do not depend on yourself!*

And here is one thing we are told to do >

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:21)

To me, this means we can overcome any evil, at all. With God this is possible. And so, instead of fearing trouble, pray and do what God has us doing.

But we might say we can not overcome the wars in Ukraine and Palestine; after all, we have prayed and they have not stopped. But I think God mainly means to overcome evil by not fearing it and by doing whatever good God does have us doing.

And do not allow evil people's stuff to control our attention, then.

And it can be like how we each put some money in the collection of a church. Each one's gift does not pay for everything, but contributes. The penny is included and God uses it. It can be that there has to be the penny, in how God has things.

It's hard not to focus on people who are evil when they show up in my face at times that I cannot control.

 

[Hazelelponi]

It's hard not to focus on people who are evil when they show up in my face at times that I cannot control.

Would you like to share the physical situation your in that's causing your fear?

Maybe some people can give you some practical advice that would help you if they knew more about the situation...

 

[MassimoTheChristian]

Would you like to share the physical situation your in that's causing your fear?

Maybe some people can give you some practical advice that would help you if they knew more about the situation...

One time these two homeless people on byciles stole my backpack which had my laptop in it.

 

[com7fy8]

One time these two homeless people on byciles stole my backpack which had my laptop in it.

Joseph's brothers stole more than that.

Have you read Genesis 37-50, about what Joseph's brothers did to him, and how he overcame that with good?

And those brothers were not homeless. Members of one's own family can be the worst enemies.

I think of this. Yes, our own families can influence us in ways which are evil but which we can fail to notice and refuse > we can go along with bad influence at home, right while we are so busy worrying about the evil outside our homes. We need to get wise to bad habits which family members can pass on to us.

And arguing and complaining can develop at home, and be very destructive to our discovering how to love in a close relationship.

"Do all things without complaining and disputing," (Philippians 2:14)

Overcoming evil, then, includes stopping our arguing and complaining so we can become more deeply strong and learn how to relate the way God's word says to love even impossible and wrong people.

When evil people get our attention, the attention we need to give to them is how Jesus has us love them and bless them. And be their good example and give them the attention of prayer.