Spirit of fear

Description

Derek Prince teaches about the demon or spirit of fear, Frank and Ida Mae Hammond have FEARS in their groupings, Vlad Savchuk/HungryGen uses the Spirit of Fear category, and John Eckhardt directly lists spirits of fear. Francis MacNutt also describes fear as one of the possible "spirits of trauma" which, according to his model, may enhance excessive anxiety after a severe trauma.

2 Tim 1:7 contrasts the "spirit of fear" with the spirit of power, love and a sound mind. Natural fear warns of a real threat. The problem is chronic, disproportionate fear that remains even when a person is no longer in a situation requiring defense.

The roots of fear may reach back to a time when fear was justified: violence, shock, family chaos, abandonment or long-term insecurity. Later, the reaction may continue like an alarm that cannot switch off. It is in this context that MacNutt describes the possibility of a spiritual influence strengthening the wound after trauma.

The goal is not to shame a person for feeling fear, but to heal the root, regain safety, and free one from the influence that perpetuates fear beyond its proper function.

Symptoms / signs

Chronic anxiety, panic attacks, fear of the future and of rejection, avoidance of risk and decisions, intrusive worst-case scenarios.

Possible roots / causes

Trauma and shock, violence or chaos in the home, rejection and abandonment, childhood insecurity, long-term stress, spoken curses or intimidation, and, according to MacNutt, a spiritual influence that can attach itself to the wound of trauma.

Doors / context

Unhealed traumas and shocks, nurturing fear scenarios, curses and threats spoken over a person, and actual occult intimidation. Trauma itself does not mean the wronged person is guilty.

Effects

Avoidance of decisions and relationships, paralysis of action, a chronic expectation of danger, difficulty trusting God and people, isolation, and physical tension and sleep problems.

Help / what next

Prayer for healing wounds and deliverance from the spirit of fear, rejecting the lies and curses that sustain fear, filling the mind with the Word of God, and rebuilding security and trust in healthy relationships.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
2 Timothy 1:7. Teaching sources: Derek Prince — spirit of fear; Vlad Savchuk / HungryGen — Spirit of Fear; Frank and Ida Mae Hammond — FEARS group; John Eckhardt — spirits of fear; Francis MacNutt — spiritual consequences of trauma.