“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 NKJV
“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 NKJV
Fear is overshadowing the news reports every day and gaining inroads into our minds, wills, and emotions. It is actively working to knock us off balance so we, too, can become captives, unable to speak in faith or pray. It is wearing us down physically and emotionally so that we are spiritually fatigued, and spending less time with the Lord in communion. We need His perspective, ministry, guidance, and care. Fear and anxious thoughts cause us to look away from the Lord to our own ability, or inability, to make the mountains in our lives move. We become discouraged and begin to believe the lies that the enemy is spouting, working overtime to dethrone the Lord in our lives so it can set fear up as a false idol demanding our attention and homage.
Fear presents itself in a variety of forms, and several may be familiar to you, such as fear of loss, fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of pain and suffering, fear of victimization, fear of being alone, and even fear of change. If untreated, we fall prey to exhaustion, confusion, desperation, and other fears. These fiery darts should be removed from our spiritual armor (Ephesians 6) and cast down, ineffective. Facing fear without Christ is not profitable, but God has made a way for us through Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us in Romans 8:31 NKJV, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Jesus is ready for us to take Him to our battles. To use a little wrestling jargon, we need to grapple, shoot, take fear to the ground, twist it in a knot, and pin that fear. Repent to Jesus for allowing fear space, renounce its hold on you, speak the Word over it, and command the enemy to face Jesus. The Lord has promised to strengthen and help you overcome that assault you are struggling with. He has given us weapons that are not carnal but are spiritual, eternal, and more powerful than the enemy. We need to stand up and use them.
Be like David, the shepherd boy who collected stones that slew the giant, and keep this thought recently heard shared by CJ on Air1 Radio: “Your fear is afraid of your God.” That’s the truth, so believe it and act on it. We don’t always get to choose our battles, but when we engage, we choose to serve the One who won the war!
As adapted from The Bondage Breaker and Stomping Out The Darkness by Dr. Neil Anderson and Dr. Dave Park.]