Although everyone experiences fear, combating it takes knowledge, reason, and genuine Godly faith. God desires that we be utterly free of all harmful, destructive fear and tells us how to achieve this in His Word. The best way we can face and defeat our fears is with God’s steadfast guidance, strength, and encouragement.
We all face a very real adversary, Satan the devil, who uses doubt as a tool to sabotage our relationship with God. Satan wants us to be uncertain. He wants us to disbelieve God—to lose confidence in Him. Satan wants us to hold on to our doubts and live in a paralyzing state of fear. But God has something else in mind for us: setting aside our doubts and challenging our giants. God desires that we turn to Him in faith when life and its stresses become too much to bear. Our relationship with God the Father enables us to give Him any of the difficulties that we cannot handle and to rest assured that He will take care of them in His time and according to His will. Because of that, we have nothing to fear or be anxious about! In Matthew 6:25-27 Jesus Christ tells those gathered for His sermon on the mount that God cares for us. Will worrying add even one cubit to our stature—an hour to our life? It doesn’t make sense to worry or be anxious; instead, we must trust God and seek His Kingdom and His righteousness.
So what can we do during times of fear and uncertainty? The first thing we should do is turn to the Bible, it is how God speaks to us. In Isaiah 41:10, God tells us through the prophet Isaiah: “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.” 2 Timothy 1:7 informs us that a Spirit of fear does not come from God; He gives us a Spirit of power, love, and self-control (a sound mind). We are admonished in numerous places in His Word to “be not afraid,” and to “be strong and of good courage.” There is nothing that we can face in this life that God cannot work out. He is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). In Romans 8:28 Paul is inspired of God to let us know that ...”all things work together for good to them that love God, and are called according to His purpose." It may not work out as we have planned, but it will ultimately work out for good when we love Him and are living as He asks us to live.
With God on our side, we have nothing to fear, so if our fear continues to control us, we have to be willing to see continuing fear for what it is; failure to trust God. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 11:3 “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled (deceived) Eve through his subtilty (cunning tricks), so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ”(KJV). Satan takes advantage of our weakness and vulnerability to temptation. He is a master at maneuvering the human mind and influencing the way we think by arousing our emotions, feelings, and desires; making us self-willed, just like he did Eve. Peter strongly warns us to “be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” (1 Peter 5:8-9).
So, how do we resist Satan? Paul clearly instructs how to effectively resist Satan in Ephesians 6:11. “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles (trickery) of the devil. And in Romans 8:31 he writes that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities (the prince of Darkness and his followers). It doesn't matter what fears or threats we face, we can stand fast and overcome them through the strength that comes from faith in God. So, while it is a simple concept that God has our back, it is through our choice to be diligent in our relationship with Him and equip ourselves with what we must have to be able to stand against evil.
Just like any soldier trains in order to survive combat, we must train to survive spiritual war! In Ephesians 6:14-18 Paul explains how to prepare and protect yourself from head to toe, using the imagery of the Roman soldier. "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit... Pay attention every day that you are prepared and protected!
If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). We can stand fast and overcome all things through obedience in training and the strength that comes from faith in God. Are you aware that there is a type of fear He actually wants us to have that allows us to live without terror as explained in Proverbs 1:7? “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: ...” The word translated “fear” in this verse does not mean terror. The Hebrew root word means “a profound respect and awe.” God does not want us to be terrified of Him. Instead, He wants us to honor Him as our loving Father. The rest of the verse states “...but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Which one are you?
Our Creator desires our worship and our obedience to His commandments so we can be blessed with genuine peace of mind and happiness (Deuteronomy 5:29).
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