Winning the War Part 6: Dealing With the Spirit of Fear
Good morning. How are you guys doing today? My name is Andrew, and I’m the lead pastor here at Passionate Life Church. I want to welcome you to church, and I also want to welcome everybody watching online right now—thank you for tuning in and staying connected.
Before I jump into the final part of our Winning the War series, I want to briefly mention something practical our church is doing in Colorado. Over the last year, I’ve had so many people ask me, “Pastor, how do I get involved? How do I make a difference in the political landscape here in Colorado?” One small way to take a positive step is by signing petitions in the lobby—because we have to get a certain number of signatures for these issues to even be on the ballot. We’re just trying to do our part, take one step at a time, believing God wants to change culture here in Colorado.
Now, today is Part 6—our last message in this spiritual warfare series—and we’re talking about something that hits everybody at some point: dealing with the spirit of fear.
What Fear Really Is
Let’s start with what Scripture says. In 2 Timothy 1:6–7, the Apostle Paul tells Timothy to “fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you,” and then he says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear…” and he contrasts it with power, love, and self-discipline.
Here’s what I want you to hear clearly: fear is not just an emotion. Fear tries to disguise itself as part of your personality, like “this is just who I am.” But I’m telling you—fear is a spirit. The spirit of fear brings emotions with it: insecurity, anxiety, and paranoia. And not just mild levels that everybody experiences from time to time—I’m talking about crippling levels, the kind that keep you stuck, keep you from moving forward, keep you from being productive, and keep you from obeying God.
Crippling insecurity doesn’t just make you feel awkward—it can make you feel unable to function. Crippling anxiety can keep you trapped in negative thoughts that never stop. Crippling paranoia can convince you that something horrible is always about to happen. That’s not healthy. That’s not from God. That’s the spirit of fear working to steal what belongs to you.
So how do we know when fear is attacking us? I gave four ways.
Four Ways to Know Fear Is Attacking You
Fear Attacks Your Peace
The first way you know fear is attacking is when it starts messing with your peace. And I want to say something that surprises a lot of people: the opposite of fear is not faith—it’s peace. If you’re struggling with peace, you’re being attacked by the spirit of fear.
Jesus says in John 14:27, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart.” Peace is not something the world can give you. It doesn’t come from more money, a bigger house, a better job title, a nicer car, or more padding in your 401(k). The world can’t produce the kind of peace Jesus gives. That’s why He calls it a gift—you have to receive it.
Peace in Scripture isn’t just “no conflict.” It carries the idea of wholeness, completeness, and harmony. That means fear doesn’t only want to make you nervous—it wants to break your sense of wholeness. Fear whispers, “If you only had this, then your life would be complete.” No. If you have Jesus, you can be whole. Fear attacks your peace because peace is what keeps you steady.
If you need help anchoring your mind in truth, spend time in passages like this Psalm 27 scripture reading and let God’s Word rebuild your confidence.
Fear Wants to Keep You Silent
The second way fear attacks is by trying to keep you silent. Satan would love for you never to talk about Jesus—especially publicly. He would love for you to shrink back, stay quiet, and keep your faith private.
Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:8, “So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord…” That’s the fight: the spirit of fear wants to make you ashamed, hesitant, and quiet.
But you have a testimony, and God doesn’t just want you to share it—He needs you to share it. You’re in your family, your school, your workplace, your friend group for a reason. Your testimony is part of why you’re there.
Revelation 12:11 says believers overcome “by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony.” That means testimony isn’t optional—it’s a weapon. When you speak up about what Jesus has done, fear loses ground. The moment you share your testimony, the spirit of fear has to back up.
And let me address a lie people believe: “Pastor, I don’t have a great testimony.” Listen—every believer has a testimony, because every believer is saved by the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. Some people think a testimony only counts if you have a dramatic past. That’s not true. God uses every story. Some of you have a testimony of self-discipline and staying close to God—that’s powerful too. And for anyone who has done “dumb and stupid things,” God’s grace is still enough, and He can still use your story to reach someone else.
Fear Wants to Keep You Discouraged
Third, fear wants to keep you discouraged. If you’ve felt discouraged this week, don’t just treat it like a normal mood swing—recognize what’s behind it. Discouragement is one of fear’s favorite tools.
Isaiah 41:9–12 is God speaking to His people, reminding them: “I have chosen you and will not throw you away.” Some people need to hear that again today—you’re chosen. It doesn’t matter how many mistakes you’ve made. God doesn’t throw you away.
Then God says, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.” Notice that connection: fear comes in, and discouragement comes with it. Fear tries to make you feel weak, alone, and like you can’t win.
But God says, “I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” Fear says, “You’re going to lose.” God says, “I’ve already won.” Fear says, “You’re stuck.” God says, “I’m holding you up.”
If you need reinforcement in seasons of anxiety, meditate on this Psalm 91 scripture reading and declare God’s protection over your life.
And when you stop partnering with fear—when you stop letting discouragement run your mind—Scripture describes the enemy getting confused. Their usual tricks don’t work anymore. That’s spiritual warfare. When you stand in God’s victory, what attacks you begins to come to nothing.
Fear Attacks Your Confidence in God
Fourth, fear attacks your confidence in God. Whenever you’re doubting whether God hears you, whether He’s moving, whether He loves you, whether Scripture is true, whether you should keep going—recognize it: that’s fear trying to erode your faith by attacking confidence.
Psalm 27:1–3 says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid?” If God is your savior, your fortress, your protector, why should you tremble?
Fear wants to convince you God isn’t with you, God isn’t protecting you, God isn’t speaking, and God isn’t faithful. But when you see God rightly, fear can’t keep its grip.
I shared a personal story about my early marriage—being spiritually attacked, feeling overwhelmed, feeling like quitting. I remember asking God to show me the supernatural because I could feel the oppression, and the Lord told me He wasn’t going to show me what was around me because it would scare me—but He helped me understand I was protected. What the enemy wanted was simple: for me to believe I couldn’t do marriage and the best option was to quit. That’s the voice of fear. We made a stand that we weren’t going to give in. We stopped saying the D-word. We chose to fight, believing God had already given us victory.
What To Do This Week to Break the Spirit of Fear
Here’s what I asked our church to do, and I’m asking you the same thing: ask the Lord, “What do I fear?” Write out a list, and give it to God. Put it on the cross. Bring it to prayer. Lay it at the altar.
And here’s a key point: your words can create contracts in the supernatural. If you keep saying, “I’m afraid I’m going to lose everything,” you’re giving fear permission to attack that area. So you need to break covenants you’ve made with fear—with your words.
I gave examples from my own life. When my boys were little, flying on airplanes suddenly triggered paralyzing anxiety: “This plane is going to crash. I’m going to die. My boys won’t have a dad.” Then later, when they were older, fear shifted into worst-case scenarios about school, safety, birthday parties—constant anxiety. And I had to work through it with the Lord because at the end of the day, I wasn’t trusting God. I had to surrender my kids to God and say, “I’ve prayed. I trust You.”
That’s how we break fear: we identify it, we confront it, we renounce agreements we’ve made with it, and we surrender that area to Jesus.
And I want to anchor you with God’s command from Joshua 1:6–9: “Be strong and courageous… Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” If you truly believe God is with you, it changes what you’re willing to fear.
This week, I want you to visualize something: the army for you is greater than the army against you. God is with you.
If you need someone to stand in agreement with you, submit a prayer request and let our team believe with you.
Communion and Response
We took communion in this service because it’s not just tradition—it’s a reminder of what Jesus finished. The bread represents His body, broken so we can be made whole again. The cup represents His blood, shed once and for all—past, present, and future—so we can walk in true freedom.
And then we moved into response time with three stations:
Before I jump into the final part of our Winning the War series, I want to briefly mention something practical our church is doing in Colorado. Over the last year, I’ve had so many people ask me, “Pastor, how do I get involved? How do I make a difference in the political landscape here in Colorado?” One small way to take a positive step is by signing petitions in the lobby—because we have to get a certain number of signatures for these issues to even be on the ballot. We’re just trying to do our part, take one step at a time, believing God wants to change culture here in Colorado.
Now, today is Part 6—our last message in this spiritual warfare series—and we’re talking about something that hits everybody at some point: dealing with the spirit of fear.
What Fear Really Is
Let’s start with what Scripture says. In 2 Timothy 1:6–7, the Apostle Paul tells Timothy to “fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you,” and then he says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear…” and he contrasts it with power, love, and self-discipline.
Here’s what I want you to hear clearly: fear is not just an emotion. Fear tries to disguise itself as part of your personality, like “this is just who I am.” But I’m telling you—fear is a spirit. The spirit of fear brings emotions with it: insecurity, anxiety, and paranoia. And not just mild levels that everybody experiences from time to time—I’m talking about crippling levels, the kind that keep you stuck, keep you from moving forward, keep you from being productive, and keep you from obeying God.
Crippling insecurity doesn’t just make you feel awkward—it can make you feel unable to function. Crippling anxiety can keep you trapped in negative thoughts that never stop. Crippling paranoia can convince you that something horrible is always about to happen. That’s not healthy. That’s not from God. That’s the spirit of fear working to steal what belongs to you.
So how do we know when fear is attacking us? I gave four ways.
Four Ways to Know Fear Is Attacking You
Fear Attacks Your Peace
The first way you know fear is attacking is when it starts messing with your peace. And I want to say something that surprises a lot of people: the opposite of fear is not faith—it’s peace. If you’re struggling with peace, you’re being attacked by the spirit of fear.
Jesus says in John 14:27, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart.” Peace is not something the world can give you. It doesn’t come from more money, a bigger house, a better job title, a nicer car, or more padding in your 401(k). The world can’t produce the kind of peace Jesus gives. That’s why He calls it a gift—you have to receive it.
Peace in Scripture isn’t just “no conflict.” It carries the idea of wholeness, completeness, and harmony. That means fear doesn’t only want to make you nervous—it wants to break your sense of wholeness. Fear whispers, “If you only had this, then your life would be complete.” No. If you have Jesus, you can be whole. Fear attacks your peace because peace is what keeps you steady.
If you need help anchoring your mind in truth, spend time in passages like this Psalm 27 scripture reading and let God’s Word rebuild your confidence.
Fear Wants to Keep You Silent
The second way fear attacks is by trying to keep you silent. Satan would love for you never to talk about Jesus—especially publicly. He would love for you to shrink back, stay quiet, and keep your faith private.
Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:8, “So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord…” That’s the fight: the spirit of fear wants to make you ashamed, hesitant, and quiet.
But you have a testimony, and God doesn’t just want you to share it—He needs you to share it. You’re in your family, your school, your workplace, your friend group for a reason. Your testimony is part of why you’re there.
Revelation 12:11 says believers overcome “by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony.” That means testimony isn’t optional—it’s a weapon. When you speak up about what Jesus has done, fear loses ground. The moment you share your testimony, the spirit of fear has to back up.
And let me address a lie people believe: “Pastor, I don’t have a great testimony.” Listen—every believer has a testimony, because every believer is saved by the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. Some people think a testimony only counts if you have a dramatic past. That’s not true. God uses every story. Some of you have a testimony of self-discipline and staying close to God—that’s powerful too. And for anyone who has done “dumb and stupid things,” God’s grace is still enough, and He can still use your story to reach someone else.
Fear Wants to Keep You Discouraged
Third, fear wants to keep you discouraged. If you’ve felt discouraged this week, don’t just treat it like a normal mood swing—recognize what’s behind it. Discouragement is one of fear’s favorite tools.
Isaiah 41:9–12 is God speaking to His people, reminding them: “I have chosen you and will not throw you away.” Some people need to hear that again today—you’re chosen. It doesn’t matter how many mistakes you’ve made. God doesn’t throw you away.
Then God says, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.” Notice that connection: fear comes in, and discouragement comes with it. Fear tries to make you feel weak, alone, and like you can’t win.
But God says, “I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” Fear says, “You’re going to lose.” God says, “I’ve already won.” Fear says, “You’re stuck.” God says, “I’m holding you up.”
If you need reinforcement in seasons of anxiety, meditate on this Psalm 91 scripture reading and declare God’s protection over your life.
And when you stop partnering with fear—when you stop letting discouragement run your mind—Scripture describes the enemy getting confused. Their usual tricks don’t work anymore. That’s spiritual warfare. When you stand in God’s victory, what attacks you begins to come to nothing.
Fear Attacks Your Confidence in God
Fourth, fear attacks your confidence in God. Whenever you’re doubting whether God hears you, whether He’s moving, whether He loves you, whether Scripture is true, whether you should keep going—recognize it: that’s fear trying to erode your faith by attacking confidence.
Psalm 27:1–3 says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid?” If God is your savior, your fortress, your protector, why should you tremble?
Fear wants to convince you God isn’t with you, God isn’t protecting you, God isn’t speaking, and God isn’t faithful. But when you see God rightly, fear can’t keep its grip.
I shared a personal story about my early marriage—being spiritually attacked, feeling overwhelmed, feeling like quitting. I remember asking God to show me the supernatural because I could feel the oppression, and the Lord told me He wasn’t going to show me what was around me because it would scare me—but He helped me understand I was protected. What the enemy wanted was simple: for me to believe I couldn’t do marriage and the best option was to quit. That’s the voice of fear. We made a stand that we weren’t going to give in. We stopped saying the D-word. We chose to fight, believing God had already given us victory.
What To Do This Week to Break the Spirit of Fear
Here’s what I asked our church to do, and I’m asking you the same thing: ask the Lord, “What do I fear?” Write out a list, and give it to God. Put it on the cross. Bring it to prayer. Lay it at the altar.
And here’s a key point: your words can create contracts in the supernatural. If you keep saying, “I’m afraid I’m going to lose everything,” you’re giving fear permission to attack that area. So you need to break covenants you’ve made with fear—with your words.
I gave examples from my own life. When my boys were little, flying on airplanes suddenly triggered paralyzing anxiety: “This plane is going to crash. I’m going to die. My boys won’t have a dad.” Then later, when they were older, fear shifted into worst-case scenarios about school, safety, birthday parties—constant anxiety. And I had to work through it with the Lord because at the end of the day, I wasn’t trusting God. I had to surrender my kids to God and say, “I’ve prayed. I trust You.”
That’s how we break fear: we identify it, we confront it, we renounce agreements we’ve made with it, and we surrender that area to Jesus.
And I want to anchor you with God’s command from Joshua 1:6–9: “Be strong and courageous… Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” If you truly believe God is with you, it changes what you’re willing to fear.
This week, I want you to visualize something: the army for you is greater than the army against you. God is with you.
If you need someone to stand in agreement with you, submit a prayer request and let our team believe with you.
Communion and Response
We took communion in this service because it’s not just tradition—it’s a reminder of what Jesus finished. The bread represents His body, broken so we can be made whole again. The cup represents His blood, shed once and for all—past, present, and future—so we can walk in true freedom.
And then we moved into response time with three stations:
- The cross: write a fear down, put it there, and say, “In Jesus’ name, this fear is finished.”
- The altar: come meet with God.
- The prayer cove: let someone pray with you and stand with you.
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