"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
Greetings Brothers and Sister in Christ. I felt compelled to speak on combating the spirit of fear as it's a tactic Satan uses to gain leverage over us. It's an action and strategy carefully planned to achieve a specific end. Ultimately, his goal is to attempt to take control over our mind, will and emotions but we shall overcome through the power of Jesus Christ.
Fear can show up in our lives in many ways. It can cause us to be hesitant, insecure and full of doubts. It can take the form of worry and anxiety, affecting our physical bodies in some extreme ways. Fear can take on the form of past hurts and painful circumstances. It can often linger for years, affecting our relationships and springing forth when we least expect it.
Many times we are so embroiled by our problems that we cannot see the forest for the trees. It's Satan's way of turning our focus and attention away from God. We are to cast our burdens to the Lord and rest assuredly, that he will take care of it. We have to walk it out by faith and believe our footsteps are ordered by the Lord. And though a host should camp round about us we know greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. God is faithful to his word, and he will perform it to which he has spoken, that it should be accomplished. We are to trust in the Lord with all our heart, and lean not on our own understanding but acknowledge Him to direct our paths.
Isaiah 55:7-11
"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."
The word of God gives wholesome instruction for us to follow as we put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Praying in the Holy Ghost will bring understanding, breaking every band and yoke that is put upon us. Through Praise, Worship and Thanksgiving it releases the power of God to battle against the powers of darkness upon our behalf. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Psalm 68:1-3
"Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice."
A yoke is a kind of harness that is used for oxen to get them to pull a cart or farming equipment. Typically, one yoke for two oxen. However, we are to take his yoke upon us and learn of him and as we do our souls will find rest.
Matthew 11:28-30
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
Isaiah 61:3
"To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified."
We are called to stand boldly for him as we are ambassadors for the Lord. We do not
compromise our position. God will go before you in all things as long as we put him first and keep him in the center of our lives. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of Gods elect? It is God that justifieth."
Matthew 16:19
"And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
So, where does fear come from? It’s important to know that fear does not originate from God. The Bible says, For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Fear is a weapon of our enemy, Satan, who uses it to keep us from moving forward and enjoying the future God has for us.
Especially when something negative happens, the enemy wants us to focus on all of the “what-ifs” and fill our lives with uncertainty. He desires to pull our focus away from God’s love and faithfulness. You see, Satan wants us to shrink back in fear and live tiny, useless lives. However, God desires for us to live free from the effects of fear and live big, fulfilling lives. He wants us to enjoy freedom and creativity, unhampered by fear.
Job 14:1
"Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble."
Trouble is enviable that we can all be certain of but do not fret as God is our hope and through him we can overcome."
John 16:33
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
Recognizing fear in our daily lives will prepare us for the battlefield. We would be amazed if we took the time to notice how often our circumstances and reactions to people are rooted in fear. We would also learn a great deal about ourselves. People sometimes spend their entire lives reacting to situations in ways that prevent them from being the people they truly want to be. They never realize that their lives feel empty because they have allowed fear to dictate their emotions. In which is the key factor to altering their decisions. For instance, maybe you want to have a baby but are afraid you won’t be a good parent, so you keep procrastinating and making excuses towards putting it off. Maybe you have a vision to write a book, but the fear of someone rejecting your work has kept you from trying. Yet, you’re afraid of being criticized. So you allow your fearful thoughts to stop, cripple and rule you from stepping out into the unknown and experiencing all God has for you.
Many times we settle due to the lack of experience, confidence or possibly vulnerability because we fear being attacked by others emotionally. We all want to be liked and not rejected and a strong truth is people are not going to like you for the simple fact that they hated Christ without a cause. The Bible is offensive to those who do not live right. People cannot stomach the truth because of their evil deeds but it is the living word of God that produces light. It will cause you to want and desire to change. It brings forth growth and development. We are the salt of the earth and as salt we irritate darkness. We are to stand against evil and not participate when we see wrong. Salt is there to purify, draw out infection and get to the root. They're the hidden things, which lieth in the chambers of our inner core.
Genesis 4:7
"If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him."
We need the mindset that I am more than a conqueror. I am a child of God. I have been made righteous. I am chosen, called, selected and therefore I know who I am in and through Christ. We avoid rocking the boat simply because we fear opposition.
Child of God, what if things did work out. What if you received that book deal and touched many lives in the process through your act of obedience. Satan isn't going to give you those thoughts but rather his purpose runs contrary to that of the things of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit. We give up too quickly and as Christian believers we throw the towel in too soon. Thomas Edison's teacher said he was "Too stupid to learn anything!" He was fired from his first two jobs for being non-productive.
As an inventor, Edison made a 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. It doesn't matter what they say about you but what you answer to. You cannot let the enemy use people to speak negative words over your life. You do have what it takes. Almighty God has fashioned each one of us in his likeness. Therefore you are a descendant of royal blood and need to start realizing you were bought with a price and you belong to Him.
I’ve always said that one of the gifts of physical adventure is that it can be so clarifying. Faced with an imminent or dangerous challenge, what’s most important to address
first tends to become very clear, in very short order. A global pandemic like the Coronavirus isn’t the kind of adventure anyone wants to encounter, of course. But sometimes, the uncertainty of an unwanted adventure gets thrown at us, and we’re left to react as best as we can.
Isaiah 43:2
"When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee."
Fear not for God has redeemed you. He has called you by name and you belong to him. The phrase “Fear Not” is used at least 80 times in the Bible because He knows the enemy uses fear to decrease our hope and limit our victories. And left unchecked, fear can paralyze us, impeding our capacity for clear thinking and creative problem-solving at the very times we need those abilities the most. It can also loom so large that the fear itself becomes a bigger threat than whatever actual challenge or danger is confronting us. We do not make our best decisions, or take the wisest courses of action, when we’re in the grip of fear. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had to take a deep breath and consciously decide to face, overcome and conquer these tormenting spirits through the power of the Holy Spirit.
So, regardless of whether the fear at hand is a fear of loneliness, fear of an engine failure in flight, or fear of a global pandemic, it’s important to learn how to manage our fears. The first step in combating fear is to recognize two of its essential characteristics. The first is, fear is not some uncontrollable force of nature. Fear is a tangible and dangerous enemy that can and must be contained and dealt with, for our own health and survival. The second characteristic, the reason it’s possible to fight it, is that fear is a creature of the future. Our fears are almost always about something we’re afraid will come to pass, not something that’s happening right now. What we will find, if we look too hard. What will happen to us, if we walk down that dark alleyway. What’s going to take place, or how we will feel, or what’s going to occur in some imagined future, three seconds or three years down the line. And because fear is so focused in the future, one of the most effective initial strategies to counter it is to ask ourselves, “Am I okay right now?” That shifts our focus away from all those scary imagined futures and into the present moment, which does two things for us. First, it offers critical reassurance. To keep from being swallowed by our fears, we need that reality check to say, I’m okay right now. And second, that reassurance gives us some clear breathing room in which to assess and combat our fears more rationally. I believe many times we wait for the feelings of fear to go away before stepping out to take action. However, when the Lord tells us in His Word to “Fear Not,” He’s not saying we will never feel fear. We will all feel afraid at various times in our lives. He is telling us to not allow fear to control us and prevent us from moving forward.
When we feel fear, we have a choice to have the courage to do it afraid by overcoming that mindset. The more we learn to step out by faith the easier it will become by practicing. True courage is moving forward in the face of fear. You still feel fear, but you are determined, with God’s help, to confront it and move forward anyway.
Galatians 5:1
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."
Galatians 5:5
"For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith."
Satan is very shrewd and he doesn’t give up easily. I guess we can say that he never
completely gives up the hope of drawing us back into bondage. That is why we must live
watchfully, ready to recognize and immediately confront the things that steal our freedom in Christ. Moving forward one day at a time and not letting fear push you around another day. Open your heart to God, and He will show you truth and shed His light into the areas of your life that you don’t understand. If you can recognize fear and learn how it operates, you can gain freedom from it.
Psalm 34:4-10
"I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing."
I encourage you to spend time with God and study what His Word says about the subject. Ask Him to uncover the areas of your life that are being impacted by fear in some way. As you do, He will not only strengthen your faith, but He will give you the courage to face your fears and walk step by step into a life of freedom.
I say this in closing, "And now may the Lord bless you. And may the Lord keep you and may the Lord make his face shine upon you. And may the Lord be gracious unto you, and give you his peace. May you walk in absolute Victory, in every area of your life. May your personal enemies be destroyed before you and be driven by the hand of God like the chaff of the summer threshing floor. May the walls of opposition be shattered and may you rejoice with joy that is unspeakable and full of glory because the Lord God of Heaven is with you and the Victory is yours, in Jesus name." Amen!
In His Grip,
Pastor Wendy Schenkel
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