Crushing Fear

Last night I had an amazing Lifegroup -- a group of married couples, we get together once a week to go over the sermon from Sunday and see how it applies directly to our lives. It's a time of fellowship, renewal, friendship and digging deep into the Word of God.

And yesterday, it was incredible.

The topic of Sunday's sermon was fear -- specifically, the spirit of fear and how it can grip our lives, controlling us and making us afraid to go about our daily lives. We were asked to share with the group what has been a fear for us and how God has delivered us from that fear.

We all started to share and then the Holy Spirit moved in a major way and a few of us started to share something that seems to be happening in our lives right now: a fear that the enemy is attacking the sanctity of our marriages. One couple is struggling and was in tears. I was in tears relaying to the group how I am being attacked by the enemy, bringing horrific pictures into my head about my life and marriage and trying to sow seeds of destruction and disunity.

Prior to coming to the group, I had spoken with my Mom -- named Deborah, by God, like the strong prophetess in Judges 4 and 5 who led the nation of Israel when others were too afraid to do so -- and I relayed to her my shame of what had been coming into my mind lately. And she provided me not only with comfort, prayer and unconditional love, but a verse that I had not even known about and that I shared later that night with the other couple who was struggling as well in their marriage (Ephesians 5:13-14):

But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:

"Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

Isn't that the truth -- shine the light of Christ on your fear, on the shame that the enemy is attacking you with, and bring it TO LIGHT. As my Mom said: you saying something to me is the first step of deliverance. You see, the enemy makes us feel that by dumping these lies into our head that WE are the ones who are wrong, that we must hide behind a cloak of shame and hide ourselves from others -- to isolate it, lest we reap the judgment of other people. But God, in His wisdom, says the opposite -- he says that we must come out into the open, confess ourselves before others and allow the goodness, the love and the cleansing power of Christ to descend on us.

Let me tell you, I can appreciate fear. I fear every day during this time. But I also know the truth that 2 Timothy 1:7 tells me: that God did NOT give me a spirit of fear, but one of power and love and a sound mind. Moreover, HE gave me an entire, trusted, body of believers that I can go to with crap the enemy is trying to dump on me, without fear of judgment, and confess it before them. Proverbs 27:17 says: "As iron sharpens iron, so do two people improve each other".

It's to the enemy's benefit to get us so scared to say anything, so coiled up in fear that we avoid contact with the body -- but we need to get strong in God, to pursue the Lord and His strength, and open our mouths and hearts to others so that they know through God how to intervene on our behalf.

So it was last night an evening of doing just that -- an evening of tears, of sharing our fear, of realizing that when you are surrounded by the body and love of Christ, there is no fear, only light.

One of my friends -- he happens to be my prayer and accountability partner -- laid on us a pile of excellent verses to use during this spiritual battle that my wife and I are in, and that this other couple in our life group is in -- these verses are powerful, and are testament to the might and power of God:

Luke 10:19-20: "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

2 Corinthians 10:3-5: "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ"

Romans 12:2: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will"

Matthew 16:19: "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
Philippians 4:8: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things".

1 John 4:4: " My dear children, you belong to God and have defeated them; because God's Spirit, who is in you, is greater than the devil, who is in the world"

Ephesians 6:10-18 (The Armour of God): "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his great power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can fight against the devil's evil tricks. Our fight is not against people on earth but against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world's darkness, against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly world. That is why you need to put on God's full armor. Then on the day of evil you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing. So stand strong, with the belt of truth tied around your waist and the protection of right living on your chest. On your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong. And also use the shield of faith with which you can stop all the burning arrows of the Evil One. Accept God's salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers, asking for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready and never give up. Always pray for all God's people"

Isaiah 41:10: "So don't worry, because I am with you. Don't be afraid, because I am your God. I will make you strong and will help you; I will support you with my right hand that saves you".

Friends, if you take nothing else from this post, take this: do not allow yourselves to be cowed by the enemy. You are HEIRS TO THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS -- and as a wiser man than I once said, as heirs to the King, we do NOT need to take the garbage the enemy flings our way. Do not rot away in fear. Do not isolate yourself from the body of Christ. There is no shame in opening up and sharing with trusted believers. There is absolutely no shame in getting down on your knees and crying out to your God. Read those verses, make those a prayer, and pray. Hard. Pray long. Pray short. Just pray. Pray for the strength of God. Pray for the protection of His hand and the guarding of His angels. Pray that He will renew you and redeem you. Pray that He will crush the spirit of fear and the attacks of the enemy. And you know what? He will. It may not be in our time frame -- it may not be right that moment, but He will grant you the strength to persevere in His name.

This is a battle and our reliance is on God -- and when we keep our eyes fixed on Him, then our path becomes clear. It doesn't mean it isn't hard. It doesn't mean it isn't painful. But we know that He will protect us under the shadow of His wings and deliver us during this time.

That's what Father's do -- they love us, in spite of our fears, and they help us go on.

Walk in confidence today -- God and His angels are walking with us.