Apostle Jan Oosthuizen, from Harvester Church Citrusdal, ministered in Harvester Reformational Church Cape Town on Sunday, 7th November 2004.
He gave some clear guidelines to overcoming negative fear from Scripture. Many people were set free as mindsets and perspectives regarding the four main areas of fear were confronted. He explained how 'fear contaminates your faith' and that the devil uses fear to change your perception of life. Read and overcome!OVERCOMING NEGATIVE FEAR!
Genesis 3:10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” God never wanted us to be afraid of Him. Adam was afraid of punishment, because they had disobeyed God. They were thus punished accordingly. The punishment was – slavery and death. The consequences of sin were even more far-reaching.

Sin effected our eyesight
Sin effected our eyesight and caused us to mistake the identity of an object. “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good (Single KJV), your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad (diseased KJV), your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? (Matthew 6:22-25) In this scripture we see that when the eye is single, it is in focus and the whole person will be full of light. But when the eye is sick and diseased it cannot see straight, double vision, deceptive vision that causes the viewer to mistake the true identity of an object. We cannot serve to Gods. We have to choose between God and Mammon. But how do I serve Mammon? You may ask. The next verse gives the answer. Through worries! Worrying is a form of fear.

Fear in itself is not wrong or evil.
When we see right we will fear what is right, our fear is thus justified because of the sure scale of things. Negative fear is when we fear the illusions the enemy produces in our lives. When we fear a mouse, jumping on chairs and tables to get away, is a bit ridiculous is it not? For the person involved the fear is very real and they are totally controlled by it. Many Christians who are supposed to sit with Christ in heavenly places are still held in bondage and slavery because of negative fear.

God has not given us a spirit of fear
2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
God has not given us a spirit of fear, timidity or cowardness. (Greek – Deilia)
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27) But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. (Matthew 8:26) But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (Mark 4:40)

Fear contaminates your faith and makes it of no effect!
(Mat 14:22-33) Jesus walked on water, and Peter is bold enough to ask if he can try it too! What a display of faith! He had great courage and faith in Jesus at that time to even think it be possible. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid… (v30) Fear contaminated his faith and he began to sink. We all believe God and trust Him, yet the secret root of fear, doubt, worries that has crept in our heart makes us ineffective and our faith does not produce.

Get your focus right.
The key is to know and understand what you are focussing at. The Lord once told me; “Seeing is believing.” I did not understand, for I always understood that we live by faith not by sight. (2 Cor 5:7) Yet the Lord explained something to me. We all believe many things, yet not all of what we believe is correct. We believe this remedy, or believe in that manufacturer all because of what we have seen or heard that have formed our perception about things. To believe right is to see with your spirit the things that are real and eternal and not to be deceived by the illusions of the enemy and this world that is temporary. (2 Cor 4:18) We should believe the Word of God that is true and eternal more than the deceptions of the world. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. (Hebrews 11:3) We shall know (intimately through firsthand experience) the truth (Christ) and He shall make you free. (John 8:32)

According to psychiatrist there are four areas of negative fear in people’s lives.

1. Fear of losing Control
Root problem – Fear of the unknown. (Will I be able to cope?)
Solution – Power
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)

2. Fear of abandonment and isolation
Root problem – Loneliness, unloved.
Solution – Love
For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15)
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us. (1 John 4:18-19)

3.Fear of rejection and embarrassment
Root problem – Fear of man.
Solution – Sound mind
Sound mind – SŌPHRONISMOS (ςωφρονιςμός , (4995) from sōphrōn, saving the mind, from saos, contracted to sōs, safe (sōzō, to save), phrēn, the mind, primarily, an admonishing or calling to soundness of mind, or to self–control, is used in 2 Tim. 1:7, “a sound mind;” “discipline.” sōphroneō (to be of sound mind), sōphronizō (to admonish), sōphronōs (soberly), and sōphrōn, of sound mind
I gave My back to those who struck Me, And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting. “For the Lord God will help Me; Therefore I will not be disgraced; Therefore I have set My face like a flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed. (Isaiah 50:6-7)
Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.” (Numbers 14:9)
“Do not say, ‘A conspiracy,’ Concerning all that this people call a conspiracy, Nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. (Isaiah 8:12)
The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe. (Proverbs 29:25)
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)

4.Fear of death or injury
Root problem – Death
Solution – Faith
and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (Hebrews 2:15)
“O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”