November 25th, 2023
by Josh Lowrance
by Josh Lowrance
Fear is something we all deal with. Fear of losing our livelihoods. Fear of something terrible happening to a loved one. Fear of what we can't control. Fear of the unknown. At times, fear grips our heart and it has this way of suffocating us. Fear convinces us that the worst is upon us and we are powerless to resist it. However, things are often not as bad as we fear them to be.
Fear is a powerful weapon wielded by the enemy to keep us from walking in God's perfect will for our lives. This is why the Bible tells us repeatedly to not fear. God knows how fear can hinder our walk with Him, and He wants nothing to prevent us from growing in relationship with Him. When we submit to fear, we come into alignment with Satan's plans. We come into agreement with what Satan proclaims. Yet, Jesus states in John 8:44 that when Satan speaks, he speaks only lies, and in fact, Satan is the father of lies. So, the reality is, when we surrender to fear, we are surrendering to the lies of the devil.
So, how do we combat fear? What weapons are at our disposal to overcome the lies of the enemy? Fortunately for us, God has not left us empty handed in our spiritual warfare. First and foremost, we have the truth of God's Word, and we are commanded to put our faith in God and in what He has revealed to us. Faith is a powerful weapon to combat fear. Faith is the antidote to fear. When news reached Jairus in Mark 5 that his daughter had died, I am certain fear rose up in Jairus's heart. Jairus's daughter had been sick and what Jairus feared most had become reality. However, Jesus offered Jairus words of reassurance; "Do not fear, only believe" (Mark 5:36, ESV). When it seemed that the worst had befallen Jairus, Jesus encouraged Jairus to have faith in Him. Jairus's faith in Jesus saw his daughter raised to life again. Jesus has the power over life and death. Faith in Him can overcome even the worst of our fears.
Jesus's words to Jairus are a challenge to us. We are to not fear. We are to have faith in Christ. We can either come into alignment with Satan's proclamations, or we can come into alignment with what has been revealed to us by God. The choice is ours.
Fear is a powerful weapon wielded by the enemy to keep us from walking in God's perfect will for our lives. This is why the Bible tells us repeatedly to not fear. God knows how fear can hinder our walk with Him, and He wants nothing to prevent us from growing in relationship with Him. When we submit to fear, we come into alignment with Satan's plans. We come into agreement with what Satan proclaims. Yet, Jesus states in John 8:44 that when Satan speaks, he speaks only lies, and in fact, Satan is the father of lies. So, the reality is, when we surrender to fear, we are surrendering to the lies of the devil.
So, how do we combat fear? What weapons are at our disposal to overcome the lies of the enemy? Fortunately for us, God has not left us empty handed in our spiritual warfare. First and foremost, we have the truth of God's Word, and we are commanded to put our faith in God and in what He has revealed to us. Faith is a powerful weapon to combat fear. Faith is the antidote to fear. When news reached Jairus in Mark 5 that his daughter had died, I am certain fear rose up in Jairus's heart. Jairus's daughter had been sick and what Jairus feared most had become reality. However, Jesus offered Jairus words of reassurance; "Do not fear, only believe" (Mark 5:36, ESV). When it seemed that the worst had befallen Jairus, Jesus encouraged Jairus to have faith in Him. Jairus's faith in Jesus saw his daughter raised to life again. Jesus has the power over life and death. Faith in Him can overcome even the worst of our fears.
Jesus's words to Jairus are a challenge to us. We are to not fear. We are to have faith in Christ. We can either come into alignment with Satan's proclamations, or we can come into alignment with what has been revealed to us by God. The choice is ours.
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