Fear is simply defined as a feeling you have when you think danger or pain is near. We have all felt fear and know the effect it can have in our lives when we let it control us. Sometimes we experience so many disappointing and hurtful situations in our lives that fear becomes our first response. The intimidating student at school, the unkind a sibling or stepsibling at home can cause feelings of fear to become stirred up within you. Hoping you do well on a final exam you didn’t study for or possibly not turning in a project worth half your history grade is a reason to feel fear. Well, we know what the dictionary says fear is but what does God say fear is? I believe that God tells us many times in his word that fear is from the enemy. Fear is a commanding force that the enemy uses to control and keep us from fulfilling God’s will in our lives. In Mark 3:27 it says,
“No one can enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man.”
The Lord is simply saying the enemy cannot steal your peace without binding you up first. The “house” he is referring to is you and in order to steal your peace he must bind you up, and the way he binds us up with good old trusty fear. Fear is nothing more than a lie used to trick us into being useless to God. In this I mean if the enemy can whisper in your ear “ Your never going to finish that” or “ What if I mess up and every one laugh’s at me?” he has formed both fear and doubt within you. He has taken your eyes off of God, his will and blessing for your life and in turn refocused you on the “ giant” standing before you. Now you’re to busy trembling and hiding from the “giant” that you haven even noticed the paradise just beyond your massive problem. That’s the way he wants you, frozen with fear and useless to God and missing out on the astonishing plans he has for your life. The great news is that you can overcome fear and defeat the many “Giants” that dare come against you. You can find peace even in the midst of great difficulty and challenges. You can overcome and defeat fear just as David did with Goliath.
What aided David so greatly in his victory was he did not see the giant standing before him. No what he saw was God
“ The Lord does no save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and he will give you into our hand’s” 1 Sam. 17:47
David did not trust in his physical sight but only in his spiritual sight. He knew what God had promised and he trusted in that more than he feared the giant. That is how we overcome our fear, to not see our circumstances that we our facing in life, but to trust in the Lord to be bigger than anything we could ever face.
He tells us in Romans 8:28 “ that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love him”
translation: No matter how bad a situation is or looks to you, if you focus on me I will work it out for your good.
The Lord even comforts and reassures us in Isaiah 42:1-2 “ Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name. When you pass through the waters I will be with you”
He is letting us know he aware that we are going to have fear come into our lives but to remember he personally chose you to be one of his children. And with that comes a promise from him to protect you and lovingly walk beside you in the worst moments. What an awesome promise from a tremendous loving God. The same hands that created this earth and all that you see around you is devotedly guiding you through each and every day if you just learn to look beyond the fear and trust him. I believe learning to not be afraid of fear and knowing that God wants his children to be free and fulfill the plans he has for them. I am encouraging you as a believer and precious child of the living God to not tell yourself “ I’m scared… I’m terrified… I’m afraid “ But instead to say “ I trust and know that God has an exciting plan for my life and that God is watching over and protecting me every step I take and that I am more that a conqueror” I consider words to be a very powerful force in our lives and so I encourage you today to rethink your words and thinking. And to begin trusting in the God who is bigger than anything you will ever face today or tomorrow. Instead choose peace over fear, Gods truth over the enemy’s lies and be free.
Just as fear is the force that carries out the will of the enemy, faith is the force that draws out the will of God in our lives. In order for fear to be broken in our lives; we must decide to think differently and choose to take God at his word. Next time you feel fear creeping up on you remember that 12 year old, skinny Shepard boy, who’s own family didn’t even think enough of to notice him and what he accomplished and where God took him.
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