Sspiritual Warfare #37

Through the Valley by Charles Stanley
Fear can come as a result of the way we were raised.
There came a point when I grew tired of cowering in fear. Whenever I felt fearful, I would pray. If it was dark and I had to deliver newspapers, I prayed for God's safety and protection. Soon fear began to vanish. Over a period of time, I grew to trust God in a greater way. I did not even think about whether it was dark or light. I was focused on the Lord.

This one habit helped to set a pattern for my life, which is to get up and pray every morning before I begin my activities. I could never thank God enough for my struggle with fear because it was the catalyst that led me into a closer relationship with Him. Consider this possibility: God may have allowed you to feel fearful to reveal more of Himself to you.

We struggle with fear because we allow our imaginations to go to places that God never intended us to visit. Most of the events that we fear never come true. Our fears are unfounded. While we worry about impending failure, death, and destruction, Satan is smiling because he knows he has our full attention. Whatever has your attention has you.

Ignorance of the promises in God's Word leads to fear.

Finally, fear is often the result of a poor self-image. When a person feels inadequate or unprepared, or does not measure up to others, a sense of fear will surround his life. Fear vanishes when we begin to understand several things about God.
He is not looking for us to perform a certain way.
We are adequate through Jesus Christ.
We need to ask God to give us the right perspective.

Tomorrow we'll look at the consequences of fear. I heard Joyce Meyer say once that F.E.A.R. was False Evidence Appearing Real. I tend to agree with that and I try to remember it whenever fear gets my attention. Blessings!