Have you ever had a dream that was so real that there was actual truth to it? A dream where you knew even in the dream that God was in it. In the story, in the lesson learned and in the thoughts that lingered once you woke up?
That’s the kind of dream I had recently.
This dream was an attempt by the evil one to convince me that God leaves us in times of fear.
Ya’ll, he didn’t say a word, all he had to do was to look at me. He used fear and intimidation to chase me away from my security, and he had me running scared for a minute. Just for a minute.
This is what I woke up with…these principles…they are truth, they are timeless, and they are transforming if we allow them to be.
- There are two powers that are at work in the unseen. Two. They both have abilities that we cannot even fathom. Abilities that would blow our minds! We have to know who to grab hold of. Who has our best interest in mind. Who can hold us safely from the other.
“…our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
Ephesians 6:12
2. Satan has 2 tools that he loves to use on us. Fear and intimidation. Let’s be aware when we feel these creeping into our thoughts. They are not from God.
It might look something like this:
“If you leave this boyfriend/girlfriend, you’re risking being alone for the rest of your life.”
“If you take that job offer, you may fail and wind up with no income”
“If you leave your abusive husband, he’ll come find you. May as well stay put”
“If you stay in your young marriage, you’ll never experience being wild and free”
“If you post that blog, no one will read it”
“If you start that ministry, people will talk about you. You wanna live in a fish bowl?”
“Adoption? Fostering? Too expensive! You could never afford that!”
“Get that t.v. on credit. You’re expecting a crowd over for the game, right? You’ll look dumb if you don’t have top-notch equipment”
“Gotta watch your back everywhere you go now, people just can’t be trusted anymore”
“Better not let people know you’re a believer, they’ll think you’re all ‘odd for God’ and back away”
“Don’t speak to those people at church, they stink and have no teeth. They’ll think you’re taking pity on them and everyone else will be staring at you”
“Homeschooling? Ha! He’ll never be smart enough for college.”
“Public school? Ha! He’ll lose his sweet innocence and be indoctrinated by the government all on the same day.”
“Private school? Ha! You’ll never be able to afford it AND your family will think that you think you’re better than they are!”
Do you see how this plays out?
Fear. Intimidation.
“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power,love and self-discipline.”
2 Timothy 1:17
3. When we are in the company of those that do NOT have our best interest in mind, we will eventually begin to look more like them and less like ourselves if we stay there. Our outer appearance can change. We can become unrecognizable in a matter or sheer moments. We have to know who we are, whose we are and surround ourselves with those that will encourage us to stay close to the Lord. We have to pay attention and recognize when we are being taken down a path God never planned for us to take.
“Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
I Corinthians 15:33
4. The Word is a literal sword when it comes to the devil. It scares him off. Stay in it. Memorize it. Eat the words. Keep it sharp. Swing it.
“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Ephesians 6:17
5. We who are born again believers of Jesus Christ, we are never alone. Never.
This is where satan would like to have us thinking that we should be afraid. He wants to create an atmosphere that has us convincing ourselves that God has left us to be tested. Like He’s standing over to the side rubbing His chin, shaking His head thinking “let’s see how she’ll do now…bahahahahaha!”
No.
“So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10
When you feel fearful or intimidated, there are some things you can do immediately.
- Pray. Call on the Lord. Talk it out with Him. Tell Him what’s going on, how you’re feeling and what your fears are.
- Trust. It’s a decision. It’s intentional. It’s a verb.
- Move. He will lead you away from those fears. Follow quickly.
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”
Psalm 56:3
What are you afraid of?
What is satan using to intimidate you and keep you paralyzed with fear?
Who is he using to intimidate you and keep you paralyzed with fear?
The evil one is not afraid of you.
But he IS afraid of your heavenly Father and THAT is the good news!
Let’s quickly recognize when we are being bullied and remind the master bully-er who we belong to…and then let’s act like we believe what we say and keep moving even if we are trembling when we do! Let’s lean hard into God’s word-which is unchangeable, immovable and trustworthy. And let’s let others see, especially in the wake of recent events, that even through our own concerns, and yes, sometimes, fear…that we have an anchor that holds us in a place where peace and comfort are found.
For those of us who intimately know the only true source of security and peace, we must swing our sword for those who just can’t.
Prayer.
It’s an obligation and a privilege to do so. Jesus did it. Let’s follow His example.
Praying with and for you,
Simple Faith 
Amen and amen! A friend recently said, “The enemy is a lion who roars, but once we turn to look at him, he has not teeth. He cannot hurt us, yet we run in fear because we won’t turn and face him and see him for what he really is.” #livefreeThursday
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