Fear chokes out freedom.
On the outside, your life may seem as perfect as it can be; but on the inside, there’s something holding you back from true life and freedom. The struggle within you is seen by God. He knows the anxious thoughts that pass through your mind. It hurts His heart to see you fight fear.
Waking up to a growing feeling of panic and anxiety was a part of my freshman year of high school. The enemy tortured my mind. (Mental health cannot be ignored. Our thoughts affect every other aspect of our lives!) A fear of quietness and stomach noises held me in chains. I was praying for freedom, peace, and a breakthrough every day. The lies and fear of the enemy was affecting every decision I made. It limited the things I felt comfortable doing.
On the outside, others saw me handing out cards and cookies. They saw me with Impact Bible Study praying. My classmates associated me with joyful smiling. My inward battle of fighting fear was not known to many of my peers. We may try to hide our struggles with smiles, but God sees the real issues we are facing within.
Let me tell you why the enemy chooses to fight you so hard and so often, my friend.
1. You are the apple of God’s eye
God’s children are His most prized possessions. My youth pastor, Matt Hart, said the enemy attacks us, God’s children, because that’s the only way he can touch God. The devil knows it breaks God’s heart when humans don’t accept God’s gift of salvation.
2. Your calling does not just affect you
Your calling will impact millions of lives and stir revival among the nations. Pastor Ben Prescott reminded me of this at the Forward Conference.
3. The Power Source within you reminds the enemy of his destiny
God is taking back His people who were once lost. The enemy’s kingdom is temporary and forever shaken. When you lie down in peace and rise with joy, the devil knows God is on the move through you.
Philippians 2:10-11 should bring so much comfort to those of us who belong to God. It exclaims, “so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
At the name of Jesus, the enemy bows and confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord!
God broke each chain that once held me captive. The enemy has no power over my life. God’s peace flows from my mind to my feet.
Brother or sister, you are not alone in this battle. I know it may be hard to believe it, but today is the day for you to find freedom! Fighting fear does not mean your life is not right with God. Most likely, you are fighting fear because God is using your life to shake this World up for His glory. It is not a sin to be tempted to fear. Instead, it is a sin when we choose to live in fear.
It is never God’s desire for you to live in fear or to suffer in any way. We face trials because the World we live in is fallen due to sin.
The process of being healed is not always how or when we think it will be. Rather, it will be in God’s perfect timing.
In 2 Kings 5, a man named Naaman sought to be healed from his leprosy. His journey to being healed was different from what he expected it to be. Instead of being cured by the prayers of Elisha instantly, Naaman was told to wash himself in the Jordan River seven times.
2 Kings 5:9-15 says, “So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage. Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”
Sweet friend,
The trial you’re going through, whether it’s fighting fear or another battle, has already been won by God. You have victory through His blood and Name. I can promise you that God desires to use this part of your testimony to uplift and speak life into others who will be fighting the same battle you’re currently facing.
Genesis 50:20 says, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
What the enemy intends for evil, God uses for good. Good for you and countless other people as well!
Undeniably His 