THE DECEPTION OF FEAR
By Carolyn Dale Newell
You must not fear them, for the Lord your God Himself fights for you.
Deuteronomy 3:22 NKJV
Our enemy, the devil, uses fear to hold us hostage in various ways. We are familiar with what fear feels like, but today, God clued me in on one of Satan’s schemes. He is a clever trickster.
As our church took prayer requests this morning, I said, “We are headed to the mountains. Pray for our protection from the bears.” Good thing to pray about, right? Sure, but why did I fail to mention the reason for our trip? A writing retreat.
Church had barely started when God enlightened me. My fear of the bears had distracted me from what I needed to pray about most: God’s anointing on me as I write.
Last year, Iva and I spent three days alone in the Smoky Mountains. My first vacation on my own. While encouraging Iva to potty one morning, a hotel guests kindly informed me that a bear had joined us. My immediate response was the wrong one. I screamed. The bear growled before retreating into the woods.
I felt shook up most of the day, a natural response to a dangerous situation. Our brains go into freeze, fight, or flight mode. Inside the safety of the hotel, a Bible verse popped up on my phone:
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4 NKJV)
All summer, social media has been abuzz with stories and videos about bears in Gatlinburg, and in particular, near our hotel. As my trip drew near, the bears have been at the forefront of my mind.
Today, I realized fear had distracted me from the purpose of my trip. Writing a book.
Faith frees, but fear freezes.
I trust God to keep us safe. Not only had fear occupied too many of my thoughts, but it pre-occupied my prayer life.
Is there something in your life that frightens you? Something you must face? Do you trust God for your protection? Have you allowed the agitation to distract you? Has it taken prominence over the weightier things of God, especially in your prayer time?
Join me today as we declare victory over the enemy of our souls. We see him for the sly deadly opponent he really is. Our prayers might have been manipulated for some time, but not any longer.
We have been set free from the deception of fear. The Lord fights our battles, and we praise Him for the victories.
Lord, we fight fear often in this life. We have no reason to fear. You fight our battles. We trust You completely. Remove all fear from our minds and the hinderances it creates. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
DIG DEEPER
Read Is. 41:10, John 14:27, and 2 Tim. 1:7.
HIKING THE TRAIL
What fears create anxiety for you? Take them to God in prayer and leave them with Him. Trust in the Lord and do not fear.
Copyright 2018 Carolyn Dale Newell.
Originally posted on August 7, 2020 @ 3:20 am