We hear a lot about fear in the media these days, so much so that fear has almost become normalized. We have fears for our health, fears for our children and fears for the future. But should fear be normal in the life of a believer?
On a recent episode of the Prophetic Spiritual Warfare podcast, host Kathy DeGraw and guest John Ramirez say a collective no. Ramirez, a former Satanist who was, as he says, “a general in the kingdom of darkness,” tells listeners, “Fear is a choice. I can be fearful; who can be courageous? It’s a decision that you make.” His new book, Destroying Fear, unpacks this topic and helps bring believers into the courageous identity God has intended for them all along.
“If I go with the fear situation, then I’m unable to do the ministry God called me to do. I’m paralyzed,” Ramirez says. “I’m not really functioning on the level God called me to function. Fear is unbelief. You don’t believe that God can set you free. You don’t believe that God’s bigger than the devil that’s in front of you. And fear is a choice. … This is the way fear starts. It starts with worry. And then anxiety comes in; step two, anxiety. And then after anxiety comes fear, and after fear comes torment.
“If you keep opening the doors, all the devil is going to do, he’s going to take real estate off your spiritual life,” Ramirez says.
Listen as DeGraw and Ramirez remind believers of the truth of their best friend, Holy Spirit, and the power He provides to break off chains of fear. Click here for the entire podcast. {eoa}