You probably don’t spend much time thinking about it, nevertheless you likely spend a significant amount of time dealing with it. It effects your thoughts, feelings, desires, and even your physical body. What am I talking about? FEAR. It’s the birthplace of stress and anxiety, and it lies beneath most of our emotional pain.
Fear is a strange thing. Something every person has to deal with. It’s really the one thing that most often motivates us to take action—unfortunately—in a counter-productive way.
There’s almost an endless list of things to be fearful of: Not having enough money, losing your job, failure or rejection, disease, and ultimately… the fear of death.
We all have desire for meaning, purpose, love, respect, connection, joy, security, freedom, and success. It’s often our needs, and our attempts to fulfill and maintain our needs, that are the cause of our fear, stress, and anxiety. It’s no wonder we’re all so stressed out. These days, as we face a very uncertain future, we all struggle with fear on some level… and often. It’s probably the one negative that we all have in common. Our battle with fear.
If we really analyze the fear we’re dealing with… it’s usually based on a threat, or a lie—which we may or not recognize as a lie. And if we believe the outcome that is threatened, we are moved by fear to react.
Fear usually causes us to react. But as Christians
we are called to respond in agreement with God’s ways.
As born again believers, we are taught Godly principles in God’s Word, that give us guidance in how to respond to fear and overcome it with faith. It is not a natural, but a supernatural, overcoming approach.
First, it’s important to understand that fear is of our soulish real—which is made up of our mind, will and emotions. Fear does not come from our spirit. It is an emotion that is stirred up due to something we learn through one of our senses—sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste.
Possibly we hear something on TV or radio (hearing). Maybe we read something that scares us (sight). You may feel something on your body that frightens you (touch).
Okay, you get the picture? One of your senses is used as a doorway to bring in a message of fear. If fear is given room to grow—if you come into agreement with it—believing it over trusting in God, it becomes empowered spiritually by Satan.
Because it is originally a temptation he uses against us, when we bite his bait, he shows up in force to grow fear and add more temptation—like self-pity, blaming God, depression, etc. All of these emotions, if left unchecked become spiritually empowered by demons to torment us.
God’s word teaches us that when we are born again and receive a regenerated spirit, fear is not part of our new spirit. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
God’s Word tells us we have received power, love and a sound mind, when we are born-again. These are attributes of Jesus Christ that are bestowed on us when we are born-again. Fear is not part of our Godly inheritance.
In fact, fear belongs to, and comes from, this fallen world and the god of this world—Satan. The doorway into our lives is… our flesh. These channels through which Satan attacks us, are areas we have been given supernatural authority over through Jesus Christ.
God has made a provision for us when we are attacked with fear. Consider Isaiah 41:10. “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.” What a wonderful promise provided to those who place their trust in God.
We are commanded not to be fearful. Why? Because we can rely on God to strengthen us and to help us get through any attack victoriously. That’s what He just said. Our challenge is believing what God has said.
We can learn much from the disciples and how they reacted while on the Sea of Galilee, in the midst of a storm. “And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He (Jesus) was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Mark 4:37-38.
Jesus had already said “Let us cross over to the other side” (verse 35). He did not say those words and not intend to make it to the other side. The disciples had just seen Jesus miraculously heal a man before they got on the boat. And yet when their senses felt and saw the waves, heard and felt the wind, saw the boat begin to take on water… what happened? They began to fear.
Instead of remembering and believing what Jesus had said, “Let us cross over to the other side,” they believed what their fleshly senses told them—and became filled with fear.
If you give place to fear, it only grows. Willpower will not get rid of it. Logic will not defeat it. So, what is strong enough to overpower something so intense? Faith is the only antidote for fear. It is the only force strong enough to defeat it. You might say, well faith is a spiritual force. How can that defeat fear, which is emotional?
Because your spirit is the real you… not your soul. When you put your spirit in charge, your soul must move into second place and your body will eventually follow what your spirit and soul allow.
If faith is put in charge, that reveals your spirit is leading, and fear must submit. What happened when the scared disciples woke Jesus up in a panic? “And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
Isn’t that just like human nature? When we become fearful, we blame God for allowing negative circumstances in our lives. In verses 39-40 we read, “Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”
Jesus recognized that if they were in fear, there could be no faith. Fear and faith cannot co-exist. Fear is belief in a negative outcome—rooted in Satan’s will. And faith is belief in God’s Word coming to pass for our good—rooted in God’s will.
Consider Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
This is another powerful story about faith versus fear. God was saying, don’t be afraid. Then He said not to be dismayed. Dismay means: to unnerve or deter by arousing fear, apprehension, or aversion. Dismay implies that one is disconcerted and at a loss as to how to deal with something. God was saying not to be caught off guard and allow unexpected circumstances to put you into fear.
That’s exactly what happened when seven spies were sent to scope out the land that had been promised to the Israelites. They were surprised by the giants in the land and the high walled cities. In the natural, it appeared that it would be very dangerous and difficult—if not impossible—to take the land God had brought them to.
But two of the seven, came back speaking in agreement with God’s promise and believing in faith that victory was theirs for the taking. The other five were filled with fear, doubt and unbelief based on what they had seen. They all heard God’s promise, but only a remnant choose to respond to the circumstances in faith.
Fear is contagious. It also has negative consequences. All the Israelites were filled with the fear when they heard the bad report from five of the spies. And that entire generation (with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, the two spies with faith), died before God would take a new generation who had faith into the promised land.
Faith has it rewards—victory. And fear has its consequences—loss. As God’s children, living in a fallen kingdom, we are presented with the opportunity to either: fall for fear, or believe and move in faith. There are always choices—some small and other are huge.
A verse I quote often and relied on greatly when I fought my battle with cancer, is Deuteronomy 30:19. “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;”
Throughout the Bible we see the testimonies of fallible men and women making choices. Their choices were either honored by God or despised by Him, depending on whether or not they trusted God and His Word.
Consider reading Hebrews 11 to be reminded of those who trusted God and are now witnesses to our choices. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Gideon, Samson, David, Samuel, and the prophets. Also Joseph and Mary, and the disciples, to name a few. There were so many. Too many to count, who trusted God, some even unto death.
I encourage you to start today, to find something to believe in faith about, rather than to allow fear to take root. When you are presented with your next temptation to fear, instead, choose to stand in faith and pray something like this:
Dear heavenly Father, thank you for saving me through Jesus Christ and giving me Your Spirit. Thank you that I have inherited Your precious promises. I resist and rebuke the spirit of fear regarding ______________________(specify your challenge). And I choose to trust in You with all my heart, and not to lean on my own understanding. Father, I will acknowledge You in all my ways and trust You to direct my paths, according to Your Word in Proverbs 3:5-6.
Thank you, Father, for your love and faithfulness. Thank you for strengthening me to overcome. Thank you dear Lord, for empowering me with Your Spirit to have faith unto victory. I pray these things in Jesus precious name. Amen.
Then, stay your course, confessing faith with your mouth, taking action in agreement with your faith—until victory comes. Because it will, if you face your challenge God’s way.
With God nothing is impossible!
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View More Messages From Heaven Blogs:
* Living Through the End Times Without Fear (Video) – Dale Black
* 4 Steps to Get Close To God (Video) – Dale Black
* As In The Days of Noah – Paula Black
* World Food Crisis is Here – Dale Black
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