Hi MJ,
I struggled with fear all of my life, I just hid it very well. It lasted long years after my salvation. Here is a portion of a piece I wrote many years ago as I pondered my own battles against fear.............
Therein lies the key, the secret which is no secret. Relationship with Jesus, walking in His presence, talking to God, genuine communication is the key to an overcoming attitude. Not one of us will overcome the slightest trial in our lives outside of the presence of God. If fear is the opposite of faith, if we live in fear, how can we walk in the presence of God?
Are you tired of living in fear? Lets call fear what it is, it is a lack of trust in God. Trust is the foundation of any relationship, trust and commitment. How can we be committed to a God in whom we do not trust? When we do not trust Him, then we are calling Him a liar. If we step outside of trusting Him, then we begin to run our own lives, making our own decisions. When a Christian makes a decision, based on fear, disaster inevitably follows.
Is your trust based on circumstances? Do you sleep well at night because you have a lot of money in the bank? It’s not particularly hard for a man of means to say that He trusts God in the area of finance, that’s not to say he does not, yet only circumstances of trial truly expose the man of trust. Only when the storm comes, and the man of God is still standing after it do we truly know that his foundation is Christ.
When we humble ourselves, when we acknowledge our fears, not deny them like the, "name it and claimers,” when we draw close to Jesus and make a conscious decision to turn it over to Him, only then can we overcome it. Yes Lord, I have a disease, one that may even kill me, but I am turning it over to you, you will be my peace because I trust you, my life is in your hands.Compare that attitude with the so called "faith,” movement who would deny that they even have a disease, and make no mistake about it, they do that out of fear, not faith. This is true irony.
The truth is that we walk in victory despite our circumstances. No matter what happens to us in this life, no matter what we lose, be it our health, our wealth, people close to us, loved ones, we can lose all these things but we cannot lose God. This is where our peace and our joy comes from, not from circumstances, but from trust, commitment, the very foundations of our relationship with Jesus. Staying close to Him. For when we walk in His presence, when we refuse to let circumstances cause fear and rob us of our peace, then we hear God speak.
That small still voice will guide us through everything in life. As long as you operate in fear, you will quench this voice, the very voice that may say,” today I will heal you, today I will restore you on this earth, today I will prosper you, today I will use you, or, today I am taking you home.” He is the author and finisher of our faith, not circumstances.
I urge you brothers and sisters, the next challenge that comes your way, and believe me, it is coming, determine in your heart to expel fear and anxiety from your heart. Determine in your heart that you will believe the report of the Lord, you will rest upon His promises. This is not a feeling that will come over you, it starts with a conscious decision to trust God. Lets begin to be different from the world.
If you get a bad report from the doctor, rejoice in the fact that your life is in God’s hand and that it will be Him that determines the outcome of your life or the life of your loved one. Not one single Christian is leaving this planet one single second before it is ordained by God. The steps or a righteous man and woman are ordered of God, not the enemy.There is not a power in the universe that can wrestle you out of the hand of the Lord. We are bought by a price, we are servants of the most High God, it is Him that determines how long we stay on this planet.
I am 43, perhaps the Lord has a 44 year plan for me? Then so be it Lord. For what He wills He brings to pass. Yet, He may have an 80 year plan for me, and nothing can change that. A report from the Doctor cannot change that, hell and high water cannot change that. I am not in danger from the enemy, I am safe in the arms of my Savior. You must believe that today. This is where your trust comes from, in beliveing the Word of God and knowing that He bought you with a price and that you are His and His alone.
No Doctors report can change that. No loss of Job can change that, no loss of loved one can change that. No threat from the lying enemy can change that. Rest in that, not that you have a predetermined view of healing, but simply rest in trust, not fear. Trust, or faith is the substance of things not seen. It is when we do not know the outcome, but trust anyway that we exemplify what true faith is. To trust in Him is a concious act of the will. We must acknowledge that to live in fear or to be constanlty anxious is a sin. Repent of it and exercise your will in obedience to the Word of God. Let your emmotions follow your will.
Let your emmotions be subject to you, bring them into captivity, your thoughts and emmotions. God would not have called us to anxious for nothing if it were not possible. When we do this, then the peace of God indeed guards our hearts and minds from the assualts of the thoughts and emmotions that would lead to fear and anxiousness, a state which is pandemic in the world today.
Psalm 3…….Lord, how they have increased who trouble me. Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me "There is no help for him in God,” selah. But you oh Lord are a shield for me. My glory and the One who lifts my head. I cried to the Lord with my voice and He heard me from His holy hill. I lay down and slept, I awoke for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. Arise O Lord , save me O my God, for you have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone, you have broken the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing is upon your people.
