Nervousness And Fearfulness

Definition: The state of being easily excited or irritated, timid or fearful; instability due to uncomfortable feelings.

1. Nervousness indicates a lack of faith and trust in the Lord.
• Mark 4: 40 And He said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?
• Isaiah 48: 18a O that thou hadst hearkened to My commandments! Then had thy peace been as a river.
• James 1: 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
• 1 John 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.
2. Nervousness may be brought on by worry, fear of man, shyness, self-consciousness, fear of failure, etc. -- but fear is the root cause.
• 2 Kings 19: 6b Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard.
• Psalm 3: 6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.
• Psalm 118: 6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?
• Proverbs 29: 25 The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.
• Jeremiah 1: 8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.
• Ezekiel 3: 9b Fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks.
3. Nervousness is nearly always manifested physically; when our hearts tremble, our hands show it.
• Job 4: 14 Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake.
• Psalm 55: 5 Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.
• Psalm 107: 26,27 They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. 27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit's end.
• Isaiah 13: 7,8a Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt: 8a And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them.
• Jeremiah 6: 24 We have heard the fame thereof: our hands wax feeble: anguish hath taken hold of us, and pain, as of a woman in travail. [See also 50: 43 .]
4. The wicked and disobedient have a lot to be nervous about!
• Exodus 15: 15b,16a [Moses said to the Lord:] The mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. 16 Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone.
• Leviticus 26: 36 [God sent faintheartedness on the people He was about to judge, and they became ultra-nervous.] And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth.
• Deuteronomy 28: 15,65-67 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes which I [Moses] command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: ... 65 And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: 66 And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: 67 In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! And at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! For the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
• Ezekiel 7: 17,18 All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as water. 18 They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads.
• Ezekiel 21: 7 [The Lord instructed the Prophet Ezekiel how to answer the wicked when they asked about the message God gave for them:] And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou? That thou shalt answer, For the tidings; because it cometh: and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water: behold, it cometh, and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord God.
• Nahum 2: 10 [God described Nineveh, when she fearfully awaited His judgements for her rebelliousness:] She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.
• Habakkuk 3: 16a [The Prophet Habakkuk trembled in awe of God's mighty wrath towards the wicked:] When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble.
• Daniel 5: 6 [Belshazzar, the king of Babylon, trembled in fear when he received God's message of judgement written on the wall:] Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.
• Hebrews 10: 31 [The Apostle Paul exclaimed his terror for those who utterly reject the Lord:] It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
5. To overcome nervousness, we must first recognize the source -- the Devil's lies and fears -- and take a stand against them in the power of the Spirit, with the promises of God's Word.
• Job 34: 29a When He [God] giveth quietness, who then can make trouble?
• 2 Corinthians 10: 4,5 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
• Ephesians 4: 27 Neither give place to the Devil.
• Ephesians 6: 11,13b Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil. ... 13b And having done all, to stand.
• James 4: 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.
6. With the Lord at our side, we have nothing to be nervous or fearful about.
• Deuteronomy 20: 3b,4 Let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; 4 For the Lord your God is He that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.
• Joshua 1: 9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
• 2 Kings 6: 16,17 [When his servant was fearful when viewing the powerful besieging enemy troops, Elisha said:] Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray Thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
• Psalm 25: 12,13 [Walking in the fear of God brings peace and tranquility.] What man is he that feareth the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way that He shall choose. 13 His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.
• Proverbs 14: 26 In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and His children shall have a place of refuge.
• Psalm 119: 165 Great peace have they which love Thy law: and nothing shall offend them.
• Isaiah 12: 2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; He also is become my salvation.
• Isaiah 32: 17,18 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. 18 And My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;
• Zechariah 8: 13b Fear not, but let your hands be strong.
• John 16: 33a These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace.
• Romans 5: 1b We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
• Romans 15: 13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
• Ephesians 2: 14a For He is our peace.
• Colossians 3: 15a And let the peace of God rule in your hearts.
• 2 Thessalonians 3: 16 Now the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.
• 1 John 4: 4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.
7. The sure cure: Keep your heart and mind on the Lord and His Word.
• Job 22: 21a Acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace.
• Psalm 34: 4 I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
• Psalm 112: 7,8a He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. 8a His heart is established, he shall not be afraid.
• Psalm 119: 165 Great peace have they which love Thy law: and nothing shall offend them.
• Proverbs 3: 25a,26a Be not afraid of sudden fear. 26a For the Lord shall be thy confidence.
• Isaiah 26: 3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.
• John 14: 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
8. Pray for a calm, trusting spirit.
• Philippians 4: 6,7 Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
• 2 Thessalonians 2: 2a Be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word.
• 2 Timothy 1: 7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
• Galatians 5: 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace. ...
• Romans 15: 33 Now the God of peace be with you all.