Conquering the Spirit of Fear
by Dawn Streeter
Email: streeter@parkave.net
ANXIETY/PANIC/FEAR - WHEN CONFRONTED WITH GOD'S WORD, IT MUST FLEE
LUKE 21:26 "MEN'S HEARTS FAILING THEM FOR FEAR, AND FOR LOOKING AFTER THOSE THINGS WHICH COMING ON THE EARTH: FOR THE POWERS OF HEAVEN SHALL BE SHAKEN."
KING JAMES VERSION
AMPLIFIED VERSION - "MEN SWOONING AWAY OR EXPIRING WITH FEAR AND DREAD AND APPREHENSION AND EXPECTATION OF THE THINGS THAT ARE COMING ON THE WORLD; FOR THE VERY POWERS OF THE HEAVENS WILL BE SHAKEN AND CAUSED TO TOTTER."
Anxiety/panic disorders is a growing sickness in America and over the world. Look around, there are clinics offering therapy for anxiety, self-help tapes and books, articles in magazines, and even articles on the internet - all offering ways on how to deal with anxiety. For example:
(1) Breathing Techniques
(2) Visualization Techniques
(3) Therapy
(4) Drugs
(5) Stress Management Tips
Now everyone knows what it is like to feel anxious - the butterflies in your stomach before a presentation or the tension you feel when your boss is angry. This is normal and we will all experience it from time to time. What is abnormal is when anxiety overwhelms you and your senses. When out of the blue you experience:
(1) Dizziness
(2) Spots and Blurring of the Eyes
(3) Numbness
(4) Stiff Muscles
(5) Breathlessness
(6) Choking Feeling
(7) Chest Pain
(8) Heart Palipitations
Those who have experienced these symptoms have, at times, avoided certain situations that may bring on these symptoms again. For example; some people have experienced panic attacks when they drove over a bridge or going through a tunnel, so now they will avoid driving where they know that they would have to encounter a bridge or tunnel in order to avoid these symptoms. In some cases, people have been so bound with fear that they refuse to leave their house in fear that they will experience these symptoms again.
So where does this fear come from? There have been several theories how anxiety comes into a person's life:
(1) Hereditary - (I like to refer to it as a generational curse)
(2) Malnutrition - (vitamin and mineral deficiencies)
(3) Abnormal Brain Patterns - (misfiring of nerve impulses)
(4) Abnormal Heart Rythms - (heart arrythmias can mimic panic attacks)
I am sure these have some validity to them, but let me show you what the Lord showed me on the spirit of fear and how it "slithers' into our lives. Notice the word "slithers" as refering to the snake himself, satan. Satan can disguise himself in our every day activies. For example:
(1) Television - the media loves to instill fear in the general public. Do you ever notice that the news achor person's voice gets a little faster, louder, with a little bit of distress in it when he/she talks about drive-by shootings, dangerous weather, disease, etc...? This affects us a little at a time without us realizing it.
(2) Movies, music, shows, and games, - all depicting violence! If you watch the news, I am sure you have noticed how movies and music is affecting our young people, even the mature!
(3) Negative People - I know that it is difficult to stay away from all negative people, but do your best to help them overcome their negativity. If that person refuses your help, then stay away, for their negativity will affect you. If someone makes you nervous in their ways and refuses your correction, then stay away from them. They will influence you before you know it.
(4) Disobedience - not obeying God's Word in all aspects of your life WILL open the door for the devil in your life.
(5) Sin - this needs no explanation.
(6) Unforgiveness - 2 Corinthians 2:10-11; "If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven - if there was anything to forgive - I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not aware of his schemes."
Read Philippians 4:8. Why does God tell you to fix your minds on these things? Because anxiety and fear starts in the mind. You can't watch Jerry Springer and expect to walk in the peace of God! You can't just come to church on Sunday and expect the word to carry you through the week! There are negative influences flowing around us ready to combat what you learned on Sunday. Read 2 Corinthians 4:16. How do we get renewed daily? I will give you a hint, turn off the TV and open your Bible!
There are many things that people are afraid of:
(1) Fear of Failure
(2) Fear of the Future
(3) Fear of Harm
(4) Fear of Death
(5) Fear of Sickness and Disease
(6) Other
You name it, satan will try to attach fear to it. Satan would make you afraid of trees if you let him. You see, fear activates the devil like faith activates God. Fear is faith in the devil's ability to do you harm. Faith is expecting God to do good in your life. BOTH ARE FORMS OF BELIEVING! So who do you have faith in? Read Job 3:25; You see, what Job feared had come upon him. This rule works for everyone.
But God's Word says, "FEAR NOT"! Read Numbers 23:19. Now God would not tell us to not fear if he did not mean it! He is incapable of lying!
Focus on the following scriptures:
(1) John 14:1,27
(2) Matthew 10:29-30
(3) 2 Timothy 1:7
(4) Mark 11:24
(5) 1 Peter 5:7 - Here God is saying to be responsible, but don't take on the care of it. We need to be responsible when it comes to our lives and those around us, but we are not to worry about it.
When we are attacked by fear, don't wait to see how bad it will get, pray immediately! Get it out immediately! Remember, if you give the devil and inch, he will take a foot. If you give him a foot, he will take your life. Satan wants to keep you bound by fear, even to the point where you refuse to leave your house, (you don't think it can happen to you? think again!), therefore rendering you ineffective for Christ. Don't let him do this to you!
Focus on the following scriptures:
(1) 1 John 4:18
(2) Psalm 56:10-11
(3) Hebrews 13:5-6
(4) Romans 8:15
(5) James 4:7
The Lord said to me recently; "For each day, wait on me." See the point? Our culture teaches us to prepare for the future, which is good, but we are to wait on Him daily. Do you remember when the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, during the storm, and they were frightened? Do you remember when Peter stepped out of the boat to meet Jesus? He was fine until he started looking at the winds and the waves, then he started to sink. We can compare the waves and the winds to the circumstances going on around us. We are not to look at the circumstances or the future, but to Jesus. If we do, we will not sink.
Read 2 Chronicles 20:3-6,12.
How did Jehoshaphat change his focus from the surrounding armies to God?
Please read the following:
(1) Do not look to the past, nor look to the future, but live only THIS DAY.
(2) Praise the Lord every day, in the morning, to start your day off right. Praise Him for all He has done for THIS DAY. Thank Him for meeting your needs for THIS DAY. Praise pushes back the darkness! Read Psalm 145 and 148.
(3) There is nothing you can do about the past. Things that happened in the past was for that day. Do not bring the past to THIS DAY.
(4) What do you have to give thanks for THIS DAY?
(5) In other words, prepare for the future, but live for THIS DAY.
My lack of trust in God is what allows me to look at the world's circumstances, the flow of negativity around me, and all I can see is my inability to control it. We can be deceived to believe that God does not have effectiveness in the lives of His children. When we believe this, we allow fear to come in.
Focus on the following scriptures:
(1) Psalm 23:4
(2) Psalm 27:1,3
(3) Psalm 34:7
(4) Psalm 91:5
(5) Psalm 112:7-8
(6) Isaiah 11:2-3
(7) Isaiah 41:10,13
(8) Isaiah 43:1
(9) Isaiah 51:7
(10) Luke 12:5
(11) 1 John 4:18
(12) Romans 8:15
(13) 2 Timothy 1:7
(14) Matthew 10:29-30
Now these scriptures will not help you if you do not know who you are in Christ! Many Christians are defeated because they do not realize that they are a king's kid!
Now let's take a look at what a mighty God were serve!
Read Jeremiah 32:17. Is anything too hard for our God? He created everything around us! And besides He saves, delivers, provides for, and heals His people! Even demons tremble just at the mention of His name! Who are we to question God's ability to help us?! Do not doubt the Lord, doubt your doubts! Read James 1:6-8.
Focus on the following scriptures:
(1) Mark 10:27
(2) Isaiah 25:4
(3) Isaiah 44:8
(4) Psalm 118:6-7
Think for a moment. If you knew beyond any doubt that God would do anything you asked Him in any situation, then would you ever be afraid? Would your heart be troubled? Of course not! (of course, you cannot ask Him to go against His Word or His will. If you want to know what God's will is for your life, it is all over the Bible!)
Just think! God is awesome!, and He lives in us! Do you now realize who you are? The devil will not mess with God, so he will try to get to His children, but, remember! He lives in us! So the devil does not want you to know who you are and what power you possess. If you really knew, you would not be fearful!!!!!
Read and meditate on the following scriptures:
(1) 1 John 4:4
(2) John 16:33
(3) 1 John 5:4-5
(4) Luke 10:19
Now let's turn our focus to why so many believers are plagued by fear. Read John 15:7.
What does the Lord mean by 'dwelling in Him'? Turn to Psalm 91. Read it then come back and break it down verse by verse.
Psalm 91 (I am reading from the Amplified Version of the Bible, it is important to read from this version when refering to the following notes)
(1) Verse 1 - the key word here is "dwells". The definition of the word "dwells" is to reside, to have as one's habitation. NOTICE! It says to reside there, not to visit every Sunday and Wednesday, or to drop in when you want something or when things get rough.
(2) Verse 3 - the key word here is "then". I like that in this version of the Bible because it shows that you must do the preceding, (dwelling), before the latter.
(3) Verse 5 - The arrows will fly!, but don't be afraid. Do not look to your left nor your right. Look straight ahead to Jesus!
(4) Verse 8 - Why are you "inaccessible"? Because you reside there, you do not come and go as when someone just visits.
(6) Verse 11 - Do not bind your angel with your big mouth! Do you remember when your mother used to say, "If you don't have anything nice to say, do not say anything at all."? Well, the same should be applied now. Do not let anything negative, anything that contradicts the Word of God, come out of your mouth. Only let God's Word come out. The Bible says, "Out of the heart, the mouth speaks." So in order to fill your heart with God's Word, you must turn off the TV and spend time with the Lord. YOU MUST KEEP DOING THIS DAILY! KEEP THE WORD IN YOUR EARS, IN YOUR MOUTH, AND IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES! After all, the world's negativity is there constantly, we have to combat it, remember? Read Psalm 19:14.
(7) Verse 14 - Notice the words, "He knows", "understands", "personal". You don't have a deep, personal relationship with someone you just visit with once and a while.
(8) Verse 15 - We will have trouble, but we will be delivered. Read Psalms 34:19.
You will never defeat the spirit of fear until you know who God is and who you are. Focus, meditate, and speak these scriptures out of your mouth every day until you know, for sure, who you are and who dwells in you.
(1) Psalm 145 and 148, Remember to start off your day with praise and prayer!
(2) Hebrews 1:1-13
(3) Revelation 12:11
(4) Luke 10:19
(5) 1 John 4:4-18
(6) 1 John 5:4-5
(7) 2 Timothy 1:7
(8) Isaiah 54:14-17
(9) 2 Corinthians 9:8
(10) Ephesians 2:12-21
(11) Colossians 1:9-22
(12) Colossians 2:15
(13) Philippians 1:6
(14) 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
(15) Luke 10:19
(16) 2 Samuel 22:5-20
These next two are directed at satan, he needs to be reminded who he is too!
(17) Isaiah 14:9-15
(18) Ezekiel 28:1-17
And last but not least....
(19) Numbers 23:19-20
Be diligent in repeating these scriptures. HOW DETERMINED ARE YOU TO BE SET FREE?
Now remember, keep God's Word in your ears, in your mouth, and in front of your eyes consistantly. Shut out negative influences as much as you can.
Remember that we will experience fear from time to time, but get control of it before it gets control of you. Be diligent and you will be set free.
Article written by Dawn Streeter