standing in the face of fear...again

We are living in crazy times.  We are isolated and fear is running rampant.  I am well acquainted with fear.  I spent much of my life being paralyzed and driven by it.  I know how the grip of fear feels when I am believing a barrage of lies carefully shot at the targets of my heart and mind by the enemy.  BUT, I want to tell you the end of the story before you hear about the struggle.  I've been set free from fear!  And so have you!  Jesus broke the power of fear when He became the final sacrifice for us.

It was only 5 years ago when I discovered the truth.  I was living like a prisoner to fear when I had already been set free.  Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of abandonment were my ever present companions.  There was no trauma or abuse in life that caused it.  The devil knew God's calling on my life...to love people with God's perfect love...so he came at me with the opposite, fear.  And it worked for a long time.  Blinded by lies and paralyzed by fear, I was not making much of an impact for God on this world.

I started filling my mind and my heart with the truth, God's truth, knowing that my survival depended on it.  Knowing that Jesus promised, "And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free!"  (John 8:32)  Here are some of my favorite truths...

Be strong and courageous!  Do not be afraid or discouraged.  For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.  Joshua 1:9

Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you, I have called you by name; you are mine.  When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.  When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.  When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.  For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.  (Isaiah 43:1-3)

I prayed to the Lord, and He answered me.  He freed me from all my fears.  Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.  (Psalm 34:4-5)

All of Psalm 91 is so good, but I won't write it all here for you.  Check it out for yourself.  There are so many verses in the Bible telling us why we should not fear.  It is truth to hang on to, and fight with, and stand on.

I've been walking free of fear for a handful of years now.  But, the first time I went to the store after COVID-19 hit, I felt it rising up in me.  I remember walking thru the store whispering, "Jesus, I trust you."  And He has provided for us, and He isn't going to stop now!

Shortly after the stay at home order was in place, we had a fatal shooting across the street.  Our neighbor lost his life, and a bullet lodged in our garage wall.  That was a gripping fear like I had never experienced in my life.  Each night for the next week, I would struggle to sleep as my mind raced through the "what ifs" of that situation and others that might yet happen.  Finally, one night, I had enough.  I got out my Bible, read those truths about fear, and I stood (literally) and said "Fear, you don't belong in my house.  I'm not living this way anymore!"  And then I asked God to overwhelm me with His love and peace.  And He did.

Today, the fear hit me in a new way...the fear of being replaced.  It took me a while to catch on to the lie, but once I did, I renewed my mind with the truth.  It might look a little different, but fear is always the same thief in a different disguise.

A friend told me once that there are many forms of love.  I agree.  And there are many forms of fear.  But ALL of it is lies from the devil, and none of it is from God.  God is the God of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  (Galatians 5:22)  So I'm standing on what I know to be true, God's truth.  And I'm standing in the face of fear for as long as I must to win the battle.