As we look at where fear comes from we learn that it’s a part of our human nature and it’s normal. We all experience fear at different times in our lives depending on what we are experiencing at the moment. But when fear takes us captive and it takes hold of us we have opened ourselves up to the enemy’s camp. If the fear goes past the normal stage, it can take a turn into the demonic and we have this fear ruling in us. It becomes a strongman in our lives, and we can’t seem to shake it no matter what we do.
We know a spirit of fear is at work when our spiritual vitality is affected. Negative fear chokes out our faith, joy peace, and love. It binds, paralyzes, and weakens the Christians and softens them up for the arrival of other spirits such as infirmity, depression, oppression, and bondage. Medical science tells us that fear can cause many kinds of sickness. When a spirit from the enemy takes up residence within one spirit does not come alone. When fear comes as the chief spirit it brings phobias, torment, horror, nightmares, heart attacks, anxiety, stress, untrusting, doubt, terrors, and much more.
In reality, negative fear is the negative “faith” of the devil. We believe what the devil says, more than God’s Word, when we allow fear to reign in our lives. Fear is directly opposed to God’s Laws. When we fear we believe the devil instead of God.
Let’s take a look at four areas in our lives where fear will get a foothold if we let it.
- Our Past
If we have confessed Jesus and He is Lord and Savior over our lives our past has no power over us. We all have a past and according to the Word, there is none righteous. We all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Whatever we have done has been thrown into the sea of forgetfulness and we need to let it go. We are to forgive ourselves, and anyone who has hurt us and move on. There are times that we don’t forget it and we remain stuck in something that God isn’t even thinking about. We walk around condemning ourselves and God has already forgiven us. God chose us to be His children before the world was formed, while we were in our mother’s womb. He already knew every sin that we would think, say, or do and He still chose us. We just need to get over ourselves and become fearless. Admit I did it, I am not proud that I did it but it’s over and it’s under the blood. When God sees us, He sees the blood. Our past shouldn’t have a hold on us to where we are gripped with fear. God is not in fear.
As long as we learn from our mistakes or bad choices it’s a good thing. It was good for me to have been afflicted for I have learned your statutes. It’s still going to work out for your good.
“Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness”, Psalm 37:3.
Our past sin, past life or what we did yesterday or this morning is done, it’s over and we can’t go back and change it.
“Whoever is a partner with a thief hates his own life; He swears to tell the truth, but reveals nothing”, Proverbs 29:24. Have you partnered with the devil? There are times we make his job so easy to vex us by believing his lies. John 10:10, The enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy everything connected to us.
“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”, Joshua 1:9. Whatever battle is before you God is with you. You are never alone.
I am saved and I belong to God. Then there are times when we allow others to pull us back to that place that God has delivered us from. For God’s sake, don’t let the devil use your tongue to throw someone’s past in their face. We all have a past. It doesn’t matter what sin we were in because all sin separates us from God, but we have been reconciled unto God.
Job 3:25-26) “For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, And what I dreaded has happened to me. I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, for trouble comes.” The very thing that we fear will happen to us because that is what we speak and think. As a man thinketh so is he. We know that our words have power. The past is behind you now let’s move forward.
- Our Present
Whatever we may be experiencing or struggling with today. Don’t walk in fear, fear of man, shame, guilt of past mistakes, or false condemnation. Don’t give anyone control over you in that you fear them. Fear of man is a snare to your soul. If I am living in sin or can’t seem to shake past the sin you may need to seek wise counsel. God has told us to flee youthful lusts and to confess our sins so that He can forgive. There is always a way out. Then there is another step to take. “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much”. James 5:16. There are times when we need restoration to the fellowship. It’s okay! We all have messed up. We all have fallen short of the glory of God. We all have made some wrong decisions or not said the right thing. We knew it was wrong before we did it and did it anyway. But God! Thank you Jesus for your love and grace.
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”, Philippians 4:6-7.
Luke 18:1 (NKJV), “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart. Don’t give up, don’t lose heart and don’t faint.”
Psalm 91:1-7), “I must dwell in this secret place, I must live in this secret place, I must take refuge in the Lord, He is my fortress, I must be built up in Him, God will cover me, His truth, His Word will be my shield and buckler. I will not be afraid of the terror that is all around me, I will not be afraid of the arrows, the darts that the enemy throws at me, I will not be afraid of the pestilence that is in the land, I will not be afraid of the destruction that I see, many may fall but it shall not come near me”. Our minds are programmed to automatically think the worst about our situations. Oh no! The panic begins. We have to change the way we think. God is up to something! God is doing something in me! God is strengthening me! God is increasing my faith!
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer”, Psalm 19:14. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Have you injured yourself with self-inflicted wounds, self-inflicted word curses, or self-inflicted lies that you have believed about yourself as truth?
“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. Fear kills our faith; tell the devil to leave you alone and tell yourself to shut up, tell yourself to stop it, and don’t sit there and meditate on lies. You cast it down and take authority over the spirit, your circumstance and yourself.
- Our Gifts
I can remember when my church was in the old building and my pastor asked me to start a newsletter. He said, “It only had to be 2-3 pages” and I said, “Okay”. I never typed up or published a newsletter before in my life but I accepted the task and I did it. I published the newsletter for several years. Then my pastor came back and asked me to do something else and he kept coming back. Each time I completed the task, started a ministry, and followed through. As I look at how far God has brought me I had no idea all of the talents and gifts that were in me. I had to do something to discover what God had placed in me.
If you don’t know what your gift is it’s okay, but you have to get busy in the Kingdom to find out what it is. I didn’t know when I started getting active in ministry and I was in several ministries before I found out where I fit in the Body. Down through the years, I have learned a lot about different ministries and I know what God has called me to do. (I have a teaching series on my YouTube channel about the Gifts of the Spirit. If you are interested in learning more you can go to Stepping Into ANEW You channel and subscribe.)
If you know what your gift is and you have been holding back it’s time to come out of agreement with the spirit of fear! God has already given you the gift, He has given you what you need and all you have to do is step out in faith. We go to our leaders to let them know, we read as many books as we can and we look for opportunities to use our gifts. We don’t sit on them. God has not called one pew member and every believer has at least one gift. What do we have to give an account of? Not our sin! We have to give an account of our gifts.
John 15:16 (NKJV), “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” Our fruit and our gifts shouldn’t be dwindling up! They should be flourishing and growing. Our fruit shouldn’t be dropping off of the tree because we haven’t given them any water. We haven’t given them any nourishment and we aren’t flourishing. We should be growing and bearing much fruit.
God has given each and every one a purpose in His church. Although bad things may happen; God only desires good for us. We all have somewhere to fit in the body. Where do you fit in?
Are you disjointed? Are you out of place? Are you out of position? Are you out of alignment?
Are you not in the right place? When trouble comes your way will you ask God why me? Will you murmur and complain? Will you say use me, Lord? Will you say like Job? “Though he slay me, yet will I trust Him.”
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved”, Ephesians 1:3-6.
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord”, I Corinthians 15:58. We should always be abounding in the work of the Lord. Are you abounding, growing, and flourishing in your gifts?
Has God given you something new to do with your gift? Don’t neglect the talents and gifts God has given to you. You will never know how God wants to use you or what is on the inside of you. Take a leap of faith and go for it!
To be continued…
