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Fear Not
by Chantelle Cudger Apart from temptation, fear is likely one of the most common tactics that the enemy uses to discourage us as believers. Fear paralyzes our faith, distracts us, fogs our view of situations instead of allowing us to see them from God's perspective, and it causes confusion regarding principles and promises that God has made undoubtedly clear in His Word. Being a survivor of sexual abuse, fear was perhaps one of the most crippling attributes in so many areas of my life. Having lived with the fears of guilt, rejection, and exposure bottled up inside for so long, I found it nearly impossible to break free from the hold I'd allowed the enemy to have on me. However, God's precious reminder to me is that His perfect love not only casts out but annihilates fear (I John 4:18 NIV). Does that mean that I am now this fearless warrior who never has moments where I get scared? No, absolutely not. I do still have moments where I experience that scared little girl trying to overshadow the Lord's purpose for me. But I rejoice in knowing that the devil is a liar and that I can combat fear with God's truth! The Word of God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8), its living, its powerful, and sharper than any double-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12 NIV). What God says will be-will be and who He says we are-we are (I Corinthians 15:10 NIV). Therefore, He has not declared us cowards, but strong in Him and in His mighty power (Ephesians 6:10). Fear not! Take a moment and meditate on those two words alone. Do you realize how awesome a command that is coming from the Creator of the universe? That is exciting news! As one of my friends would say, "Lord, I'm ready for my cloud now!" Do you know what that means? It means that God, the Creator of the universe and everything in it knows that of all that He has created, great or small, there is absolutely nothing in this world for us to be afraid of. That means that the One who has ordered your steps, and directs your path has already gone ahead of you to check things out and He knows that there is no circumstance that you will encounter on the road ahead that you should be afraid of. God is absolutely amazing! As the Lover of our souls, the Father also reminds us of what He has deposited within us, and that the spirit of fear is not from Him "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline" (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV). Rather, He encourages us to be faithful in knowing that He is with us, He is our God, He will strengthen us and uphold us (Isaiah 41:10 NIV). Now you can live each day with enthusiastic expectation of new opportunities and doors that the Lord is opening in our lives. His very best awaits you so go ahead and grasp it after all, there is nothing to be afraid of. Copyright 2011 Chantelle Cudger, All Rights Reserved Chantelle Cudger was born and raised in Atlanta, GA the sixth of eleven siblings; she holds her family close to her heart. She attends First Baptist Atlanta where she has also served in the Pre-School Ministry for 9 yrs. She is also actively involved in both short-term missions and local outreach Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |