Even after many years of calling myself a believer, 2018 was a time of learning much. A time of even re learning once again the things that I had already learned years ago. Setting foundations anew, tearing down the things that should not be there and making sure my house was not built on sand. (see Matthew 7:24-27) It is good that we are all constantly learning what the Lord wants to reveal to us, we need to have our ears tuned to the Holy Spirit and listen for His keen insight, in this day it is important if we are to overcome all known fears.

The topic of fear itself has been a constant theme in my testimony as throughout the years the Lord has delivered me from fears in some areas but in others I found myself still affected by it. However lately, the Lord began to bring up the fact that I need to “resist” the spirit of fear whenever it knocks on my door. The old saying goes “dogs and bees can smell fear”, I like to turn that around and say “demons can smell fear and they are attracted by it”. Meaning whenever we let fear into our hearts, that same fear will attract other companion spirits as well and we can easily end up in punishment and torment. (see 1 John 4:18) Several times I’ve experienced this throughout the year, but it’s time to shut the door in the face of fear and continue in faith because…..

……The Lord has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, of love, and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7

Let’s ponder on that for a moment, fear is a spirit, a spirit that the Lord has not given us. So how is it that we are sometimes so affected by it? The answer can be traced back to our early childhoods, even to the time when we were inside our mother’s womb. Fears can be passed on from generation to generation, and fears can be adopted and embedded into our spirits. Fears can also be taught through the experiences we go through in life which can in turn become negative expectations or strongholds that will keep us from our God given purpose, yes, fears can actually play a big part in detaining you from your destiny. I will never forget the first time my pastor asked me to teach a Sunday class, I had already finished bible seminary so it was expected that I begin to give away what I had received. The fear was overwhelming to say the least, but I readied myself and gave it my best. After the class I remember something extraordinary, I felt the feeling of fulfilment and joy, what had just happened? Did I just enjoy what I did? The answer was yes, I had just discovered that I had a teaching gift that was put into action, and you will always feel a sense of accomplishment when you flow in your God-given giftings. However if I had resisted and gave in to fear, that same fear would have grown and it would have detained me from reaching one of my potentials. Teaching that class was necessary and I am thankful to this day that I was able to take the first step. Sometimes your greatest blessing resides across the mountain of fear. As I began to teach more often the sense of fear began to dissipate, this is what it means to confront fear and resist it. However, there are other areas of our lives where fear may be present and we need to work in those areas and resist it without exception. A person may be plagued by many fears, there is fear of the future, fear of being alone, fear of rejection, you name it, all these need to be conquered so that it does not keep you from your destiny. The Lord is longing to give us an encounter with His love that would dissipate all known fears in our hearts, sometimes these encounters may come out of God’s sovereignty but most of the time this love is imparted in the secret place of His presence.

Now the phrase “do not fear” it is said appears 365 times in our bibles. I believe that every day the Lord whispers to our hearts “do not fear”, it is imperative in these times that we hear this and that it ministers to our spirits, we live in times where fears can actually grow exponentially and our only way of escape and relief is the Lord himself. The world is in turmoil and the storms of life threaten to steal our peace, but Jesus said reassuringly:

…..“In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world!”…. John 16:33

Selah! Pause and let that sink in, allow the word of God to minister to you. Here is another for you to chew at:

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

We see here that fear must be confronted, the Lord is directly saying that under no circumstances we should be afraid, for He is with us wherever we go. Joshua had a great task before him, Moses had just died and it was up to him to lead the people of Israel into the promised land. If Joshua would have given in to the potential fears that were present, then the Israelites would have perished in the desert and God would have had to choose another champion to lead them. There is a destiny written for you, do not let fear steal it! All heroes of the faith experienced fear in their lives but they overcame and their life is an example for us today.

It’s time to shut the door in the face of fear, let’s pray:

Father God I come to you in Jesus name. I repent before you for giving in and letting fear steal the many blessings you have for me. Forgive me for allowing fear to come into my heart and believing the lies of the enemy instead of your life giving word. I bring my fears to the foot of the cross right now and I ask you to help me every day to resist it when it comes to knock on the door of my heart. Dear Abba, I receive the perfect love that casts out all fear and I pray that you help me reach my God given destiny, in the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.