Fighting Your Fears
One of the biggest and most effective weapons that the enemy uses against the people of God is fear. Almost everyone has some kind of fear that they try to fight everyday and mostly try avoiding. Fear of the future, fear of sickness, fear of failure, fear of death; the list is endless!
I am sure that you identify with at least a couple of things mentioned above. So what is it that makes ‘fear’ such a potent weapon? Why is it that people struck with fear find it so hard to overcome and what does the Word of God have to say about winning over it?
- Fear makes you forget your God-given identity
God intended Gideon to be a victorious man of warfare and battle. He questioned the promise of God, even when an angel called him a mighty man of valour. - Fear makes you compromise your position in God
Gideon was to be in the battlefield leading an army but he was hiding in a winepress grinding wheat. He was hiding away from his God-given purpose and mission. - Fear replaces Faith
Jesus sleeping on the boat while the disciples lost all hopes and were filled with fear - Fear of failure causes you to manipulate
Jacob stole Esau’s birthright because he feared that he would amount to nothing. - Fear of God owing to sin
Guilt causes us to hide and run away instead of running into the arms of the Father.
The list above is not all that fear can do but now that we have understood how the enemy operates and uses this tool to manipulate God’s children, let us see what the living Word of God has to say about fighting and overcoming fear.
No Condemnation
Roman 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Sin brings fear. The enemy tries to bring condemnation and that further develops the wrong kind of fear of God which will cause you to hide from God. We forget that when we sin, it is between God and us and the enemy has nothing to do with it. The only one who has the right to condemn you has decided not to because He paid the price for all our past, present & future sins (Click to Tweet). We can, with honest repentance, enter His presence with boldness.
Know Your Role
John 1:11-12, “11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” Knowing who we are in Christ Jesus and who God is to us will help us face any adversity without fear. You are well equipped like being in a war and knowing your position geographically, the size of your army, how much ammunition you carry and having faith in the commander of the troops. The bible says we are heirs to His kingdom and co-heirs with Christ. It goes on to say that we are seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus so we have access to the unlimited grace, mercy and strength from God our Father and our Commander is the one who has already won the victory.
Promises
The bible is full of God’s promises towards His children; promises for every situation you may ever face in your life. One of my personal favourite is “Fear not, for I am with you” Isaiah 41:10. Search the bible, your sword of the Spirit; get on to the offensive, confess the Word and I am sure you will receive strength and will tear down every attack and fear the enemy tries to bring into your life.
Born Conquerors
“They overcame by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony” Revelation 12:11. We have two things that can help us fight any fight and any devil from hell, the Blood of Jesus and our own testimony. Jesus shed His blood for us! Blood has life, the bible says and the blood of Jesus is still available to us for protection from any attack over our lives.
Our testimony is another weapon we possess. I recently was ministering in a church and I asked the congregation if God had ever answered at least one prayer in their lifetime. Everybody raised their hands in affirmation. I asked them to hold on to that testimony. If He did it once, He will do it again and again and again!
Prayer
“Call unto me and I will answer”. Jeremiah 33:3a. Prayer always works. Take your fears to God and let them be exposed to the light of God. Every time the people of God have called on Him, He has answered. Trust Him when He says ask and you shall receive. Be still and know that He is God. I love the present tense in this verse. He is God; now and forever. He is able to give you a breakthrough right now. He is watching you and knows your situations. Call on Him.
Rest
You don’t have to fight your own battles. He said, “Come to Me and I will give you rest”. These are assuring, encouraging and life-giving words. No one can defeat you when Jesus fights for you.
Finally, if you still struggle with some fear, share it with a friend, an elder whom you trust to pray and stand with you.
What are the fears you have faced and how have you overcome them? Share with us as it would help someone win their battle they are fighting today. And if you want us to pray and stand with you concerning something, we would be honoured to do so. Leave your request in the comment section below.