I Am Not Afraid!
By Lisa U Maki
What are you afraid of? How do you feel when you are afraid? I don't know with you but when I am attacked with fear, my heart starts pounding so fast I could almost feel it exploding. It is a feeling that I wish I will never feel but I guess this is part of being in this world. Though I have Christ in me, I am still in this mortal body that feels. God Himself knew that we will be attacked with fear, or why else did He say the words "Fear Not" so many times in the Bible?
Though our fears are directed towards something that is still about to happen, or what we fear may happen, most of these are founded on the past. A person may fear of dying of sickness because of some disease that has plagued a family member in the past. A person may fear of losing her job because of some financial crisis she experienced in the past. A woman may fear of being cheated on by her husband because of some infidelity she has suffered from in the past.
My personal fears can all be traced back to my traumatic relationship with the father of my children, my ex-husband. I didn't even know I had deep issues until God started exposing it in my second marriage. For a while there was that lingering and pestering fear of being betrayed again. It was a constant tug-o-war in my brain, with one voice saying: He is doing something behind your back, and the other voice saying: He will never do that to you. He loves you and He is a man of God. Reality is, my husband is a very faithful man. There is nothing about him that will even make me doubt that he will cheat on me. He loves God and he loves me so much. But then, we have to understand that fears are based on lies... lies that the devil wants us to entertain, and eventually believe in.
If fears are based on lies, then how come it appears so real? I had a revelation on this one just when I was writing this article. Are you ready for it? Here it is...
Romans 4:17 says that faith is calling those things which are not as though they were. Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is the proof of things we do not see and the conviction of their reality.
Now fear is the opposite of faith, and if faith is neither seen or felt, then it follows that fear is felt... which is why it appears real. Fear actually works in the reverse... we feel, and then we start believing it.
The crazier thing is that the enemy is a copycat but he does everything in the reverse. He is the greatest "distorter". He knows the power of faith through the mind and then through the mouth. He knows that when we keep meditating and believing on something, and even confessing it, then it will come to pass. He gives us the fear, which feels and even looks real, and then we start believing it... and when we keep confessing it, then it will eventually happen.
As I've said earlier, fear is based on past experiences. Our past is real. The future is something that hasn't happened yet, and so has not been a reality. This is why the enemy will continue using our past to haunt us because he can never use our future. He will scare us of the future by using our past... so that we can't even reach the future.
Paul knew this so well when he said, "but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.
It is good to know our past for only two reasons: as a testimony of how Jesus saved and changed us; and to understand better where we are coming from, which is a prerequisite to true healing. For these reasons we can't erase our past, otherwise God would have done it a long time ago. Yet, because we have our past etched in our brains, the enemy can always use it... but only if we allow him to. The more we believe in his lies, the more power we give to him.
So how do we deal with these fears when they come?
Here are my answers:
1. Unless you want to be tormented by fear, you have no other option but to give all those fearful thoughts to Christ. Take it captive, which means you have to take authority over it.
2. The enemy will never be able to attack us when we are in the presence of God. He may throw a dose of fear on us here and there but if we remain in the secret place of God, there is no way the enemy can gain victory. God is our fortress. Staying in His presence is like having a force field around us.
3. The only way you can see the fear as a lie is if you compare it to the Truth, which is the Word of God. When the enemy throws his "fear" dart on you, go to the Word and speak the Truth. It is good to have a list of Scriptures addressing the fear that you have. This way you have your weapons ready anytime.
4. Fear can surely make us lose our peace. However, there is no way we can entertain fear if our minds are focused on Jesus. Remember Peter walking on water? He lost His focus on Jesus when he allowed himself to get distracted by the winds and therefore He started sinking.
5. Fear is for the flesh while faith is for the spirit. When we walk "habitually" in the Holy Spirit, we will not give in to the enemy's "fear" attack.
I still go through bouts of fears every now and then but I am getting stronger and stronger in overcoming it. All it takes is seriousness and determination. It is not easy, but each time we choose to obey God (He commanded: FEAR NOT) the fear becomes smaller and smaller until we don't even see or feel it anymore.
Lisa Maki is the founder of God'z Gurlz, a Bible-based online magazine for women whose mission is to is to provide a place where women can learn to manage their emotions, experience healing, receive love and acceptance, be free to be who God made them to be, and be the best they can be in their homes, schools, professions, relationships, and calling, through sharing of insights and experiences, counseling, prayer, and devotionals, thereby learning from and supporting each other.For more of Lisa's articles, visit http://godzgurlz.com/ Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_U_Maki Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6774873