That’s right. Fear and stress are more than just emotions, your personality, “just the way you are” or an unavoidable and even expected part of life in this culture. They are tools or weapons the enemy uses against you to take you down. The enemy always comes to steal, kill and destroy (see John 10). He desires to take away life, to stop progress, and to cause you to go backward. That’s exactly what happens when you take in the fear that the enemy shoots your way with his fiery darts! Fear leads to paralysis, hopelessness; it brings death and disease to your bodies, emotions, relationships, and your ability to fulfill the purposes and blessings that God has for your life.
To break free from fear, it’s critical to understand that fear is from the enemy, not from God! “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7). Satan gets a handle in your life through fear—I like to use the illustration of a rope keeping me tied in bondage to the enemy—regardless of whether or not the fear is justified. He doesn’t say, “Oh the fear is justified. I won’t get a handle here. I won’t get involved.” He’ll take any opening you give him.
Satan desperately wants influence in your life any way he can so that he can block God’s purposes for you and bring death to your body, emotions and relationships with others and with God. He wants you to become so fearful and stressed about what is going on in the world that you feel paralyzed, you look and act just as fearful and stressed out as anyone who doesn’t believe in Jesus, and all you want to do is pull the covers over your head and hide out until Jesus returns. The enemy loves it when we respond this way to the end times. He has no authority in your life unless you give it to him, and you give him openings or handles when you fear or stress. Remember when I said that behind the fear is always a lie that you believe about yourself and about God? Well, who is the father of lies? Where do lies come from? Lies are always from Satan; he is the father of lies. “When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44). When you’re believing lies about yourself and God, you’re aligning yourself with Satan—with his thoughts and his emotions—and you are increasing his reign over your heart.
Do you want to align yourself with Satan’s strategies for you in these end times or with God’s? The choice is yours.
Whenever you find yourself in fear or stress, it won’t help to try to block it out of your mind or beat yourself up for it! Rather, you must remember, “God has not given me this spirit of fear or stress—it’s not from Him. Therefore I need to use spiritual weapons of warfare to break free from this fiery dart of the enemy.”
Excerpt from Unshaken by Jeanne Nigro. Jeanne is a seasoned teacher, speaking at conferences, retreats, churches, congregations and professional organizations around the world, and through her television and radio programs, Facets of the Stone. Her messages are relevant, practical and life-transforming, whether she is bringing Old Testament truths to life, healing strongholds of the heart or preparing believers for Jesus’ return. She is passionate about leading her audiences to experience greater intimacy with God, mobilizing them out of fear, stress, apathy and frustration and into action and purpose in these uncertain times. Her blogs are regularly featured with the Messianic Times, Messianic Jewish Alliance of America, Charisma News and Christian Leadership Alliance. Prior to her teaching ministry, Jeanne worked as an organizational change consultant for 17 years. She and her family reside in Plano, Texas. Visit her web site for more information about her ministry.
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.