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In America, we talk much about our freedoms, especially this time of year as we approach the Fourth of July weekend. Our freedoms are important to us. High prices have been paid so we can have them, and we don’t want those taken from us.
Yet there is a way that we may be permitting freedom to be taken from us every day. By fear. Until we are free of fear, we will not be free in every area of our life. That is one of the most destructive emotions we can have going on inside us. When we’re facing difficulties we can have a tendency to default to fear. It’s as if it is our “go to” emotion. Our default. We need to change our default to faith.
As soon as you find yourself in the midst of difficulty, go to faith. Make that your driving force. That’s what will keep you going until you finish the fight. Fear will cause you to stop short so you give up your freedom.
I think of a woman who decided to forget fear and just go for it and be free to enjoy what could happen in her life. When she first wrote to us, she said she had been hearing our teachings for years. During all this time, she felt we were a spiritual covering over her. So she decided to step out in faith and go to college. She felt called into full-time ministry and knew God had called her to get her degree.
Then she began to give to this ministry believing that God would bless her obedience. Now years after she stepped out to do what God put in her heart, she has graduated from the university and believes for God’s anointing on her life.
What happened to her? She wouldn’t stop until she got the results of having no fear. She moved ahead and became a part of this ministry and felt a covering over her so she could step into what God had for her by going to college and doing what He’s called her to do.
Fear may not be preventing you from getting an education or training. But it may be trying to stop you so you don’t see God’s Word come to pass in your family or finances or your job. Enjoyment is being taken from you because fear is interfering with your business or ministry or home life or in a relationship. Maybe you’re afraid of stepping out and giving to God because you’re just not sure if He will multiply that gift as He promised. Is fear stripping you of how you can enjoy the results of seeing what you can do with your gifts and talents?
So many things are taken away from our hands that we could enjoy when we give into fear. We don’t get to see the results that God has planned. And, oh, He DOES have great results planned for you. He wants you to enjoy them and experience them. But it’s going to take some guts. You have to face the fear that tries to stop you and shut you up.
Instead of tolerating it and allowing it to steal from you the good results God has, force fear to shut up. Take it by the neck and throw it out of your heart and mind. You know, you can’t be nice to fear. Don’t treat it as if it’s a friend. Fear is no friend to you! The purpose of it is to stop you and destroy you. So you must not stop until fear is destroyed.
I think of what Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf said about this when he was commanding the coalition that drove the forces of Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait in 1991. He was having a news conference before the war was finished but much of the Iraqi Army had been suppressed. So a couple of the reporters questioned why he continued on fighting. Since the enemy had been suppressed, why did he continue pursuing them?
I was impressed with the response Schwarzkopf gave. He said that he had been charged with making sure the enemy could not conduct the kinds of heinous acts they had been doing and he was going to make sure they could not continue. The forces must be rendered incapable. Put out of business. So even though the enemy was withdrawing, they were still continuing to fire at our troops and as long as they were fighting, we were going to fight them. To do otherwise is no way to fight a war, he said.
We must have the same spiritual mindset. Don’t just go part of the way. Finish the fight until we are free. Then the enemy cannot rise up again. We put him out of business.
What area of your life is under the attack of fear? Fight the good fight of faith until the problem is eradicated and you are liberated. (Ref. I Timothy 6:12.) God doesn’t want to see us walk away before His complete work is done for us and we take possession of everything He has for us.
Spiritual Powerline to say out loud:
“I HAVE FAITH TO BE FREE!”
Here is a powerful prayer to say out loud:
Father, I refuse to walk away because of fear. I’m going to have and enjoy what You have destined for my life. I refuse to allow fear to take over. I’m fighting in faith. So, I will see Your plans and blessings for me fulfilled. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
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