Overcoming the Fear of Man - Carla D Burnette

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Proverbs 29:25 (ESV), “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.”

Have you ever considered the fear of man to be a snare as Proverbs 29:25 tells us? A snare is “anything serving to entrap or entangle unawares; a trap”. How does this fear trap us? If we fear man more than God, we will hesitate to obey Him when He asks us to speak, serve, respond, or carry out a deed. In essence, this fear may prevent us from accomplishing God’s will, if we let it.

For me, I struggled with fearing man. I let it dictate my words and actions, for I constantly imagined what others would think in response. As a consequence, I rarely spoke in group settings. I feared others would laugh and think less of me, and I longed for people to like me.

Small Steps

When I started attending a Bible study, I requested the leader to call on me to answer questions, if no one responded. I confessed to her that If she didn’t, I would never volunteer to answer. Even making such a request frightened me, but the Lord prompted me to do so. It was one small step to overcoming this fear.

Looking back, I chuckle at this, because I currently serve as a group leader, where I am forced to speak. Serving in this way was another step to overcoming this fear. God was patient with me by requesting small steps to overcome my fear of man. He will be patient with you as well.

Believe it or not, I still hesitate at times to speak in a group, unless I have to. Don’t even ask about speaking in front of a large crowd.

In all seriousness, this fear hindered my obedience to God in the past. I still struggle sometimes, but the Spirit reminds me that it doesn’t matter what others think of me, only what God thinks. I am God’s beloved daughter (I John 3:1). He loves me and accepts me just as I am. I do not need man’s approval. Neither do you. The question to ask ourselves is, are we living to please man or God?

Pleasing Man or Pleasing God

Paul boldly speaks of this in Galatians 1:10 (ESV), “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

Strong words, but true. How can we please both man and God at the same time? The answer is we can’t.

Referring back to the second part of our key verse, it states, “whoever trusts in the Lord is safe” from the fear of man. Trusting God liberates us from the fear of man. The more we know our God, the more we will trust Him, and the fear of man will diminish.

However, the enemy knows our weaknesses. If fear of man is a weakness for us, he will keep trying to trap us in this fear. That is why it is so important to take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5b) and reject anything which doesn’t align with God’s Word.

Why Fear Man?

If you stop to consider why a person would fear man over God, it seems absurd. God is omnipotent, and man is not. So why do we fear man then? God is invisible, while man is visible. We can see the person causing our fear, but we can’t see our God standing with us. The solution, besides taking our thoughts captive, is to shift our perspective onto God and how powerful He is. We can trust He is with us and will empower us to overcome our fear.

How to Overcome Fear

When you sense the fear of man paralyzing you:

Pray
Declare the greatness of our God
Speak His Word over your fear

The passage in Isaiah 41:10 (AMP) has helped me. It states, “‘Do not fear [anything], for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you; I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation].”

With God by our side, we do not have to fear man. He is right there to give us the courage and strength we need to carry out anything He asks of us. We live for God, not for man. Let’s seek to please Him alone and not be ensnared by the fear of man.

Father, thank You that You are always with us. We do not need to fear. When we acknowledge You, You will give us the courage to face and overcome our fears. May we live to please you alone and not man. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Comment below:

How have you struggled with the fear of man?
How can I pray for you?

Additional Scripture References:

Matthew 10:28 (ESV), “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

2 Timothy 1:7 (AMP), “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control].”

I John 4:4b (ESV), “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”

Romans 8:31b (ESV), “If God is for us, who can be against us?”