Fearful vs. Free
We are exploring how God desires to change us from the inside out. Each of the seven negative words in this acronym FREEDOM typifies a chain that shackles us, keeps us locked in our prison, and holds us back from experiencing His freedom and love.
Now, let's ask ourselves these questions: “Am I allowing fear rob me of my freedom? Do I feel isolated because of my fears? Do I think that I can never be free? Am I shackled to a chain of my own making?”
My hope is that God will break every chain that binds you and that soon you will be “dancing on your FEAR chain.” As chains are broken and you take hold of His freedom, you will begin to live FREE, full of joy and peace.
Psalms 107:14-15 (ESV) says, “He brought them out of the darkness and the shadow of death, and bursts their bonds apart. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to the children of men!”
As you may know, I am a trained biblical counselor. One of the greatest personal struggles many of my clients have is that they have various fears. The types of fear we will be discussing here are not the good kind - such as wanting to drive as far away from the edge of a treacherous mountain road for fear of going over the precipice ... No, that would be a wise and possibly a life-saving type of fear. Nor is it “The Fear of God,” for God Almighty is awesome and fearful in majesty. No, not that kind of fear either.
What Are You Afraid Of? ...
What causes you to be fearful? Let's consider some differing kinds of fear.
* Fear of feeling insignificant
* Fear of failure
* Fear of the future
* Fear of loss
* Fear of being rejected
* Fear of what is behind
* Fear of abandonment
There are so many other types of fear - too numerous to mention here.
Does fear control you? What do you think about on a daily basis? Are you viewing your life through the lens of the world or through the lens of the Bible? Is your life filled with anxious, fearful thoughts?
Consider This ...
The Greek word for consider means to meditate upon
What do you think on when you rise in the morning? Do you wake up living with crippling fears? What are your eyes focused upon? Your circumstance? Do you consider only the seen world and present circumstances, or do you meditate upon the unseen, upon your Savior?
Are you willing to admit that you need to make a change? We must become willing to say that Jesus and the good news of His Gospel message are our basic and foremost needs. We must make a significant change to move towards His Word and truth.
We can only do this as we allow His Holy Spirit to renew our minds. Then fears, worries, and anxieties will not overpower us. We will be filled with faith and the freedom that comes through Christ.
You Can Find Freedom from Fear! ...
The Lord will help you to forgive others who have wounded you and pierced your heart. You can let go of the past mistakes, failures, and poor lifestyle choices. As you place your faith and trust entirely in the Lord Jesus Christ, a new horizon will dawn upon your life - one of faith and hope as you begin really to experience His everlasting and unconditional love - maybe for the very first time. But you must humbly ask Jesus to change you and give you eyes to see His truth. From then on you can be FREE from FEAR! No longer will you fear what others say or do.
Can you envision that if you choose to focus upon Him that your pattern of living can be and would be better?
Finally, Persevere! ...
Never give up! The changes may not be immediately obvious, but as you run towards HIM and His great love, His open and His outstretched arms, you will be forever changed!
How Can This Be Possible?...
The Bible tells us to “take every thought captive.” The change begins in our thought life. Then it moves to our desires, then our feelings, then actions.
The Apostle Paul writes to the Corinthian church: “We walk by faith, not by sight” ~~ 2 Corinthians 5:7. This means that we must make the choice to believe, trust, and obey what we read in His Holy Word, the Bible. If you don't have a Bible, buy one, and read it. Start reading in the Book of John. Or go online and look up all the verses included in these writings. Read and believe the promises written in the Bible. They are for you!
In order to be free we must become willing. For as it says in John 12:25-26: “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”
In the Book of Galatians Paul continues: “I advise you to obey only the Holy Spirit’s instructions. He will tell you where to go and what to do, and then you won’t always be doing the wrong things your evil nature wants you to”~~ Galatians 5:16 (TLB).
Make the choice today no longer to be fearful when negative circumstances arise, nor listen to the lies of the enemy that come to your mind, but instead use your authority in Jesus' Name to overcome all the devil's works. This includes fear and anxious thoughts. Replace fear with faith - with what we know to be biblical truth. When you begin to think from a biblical perspective versus an emotional perspective, your life will change for the better. You will become the new creation we read about in 2 Corinthians 5:17. Do you believe that your life can bring honor and glory to God in ALL you think, say, and do?
Begin This New Way of Living Starting Right Now! ...
Start by consciously making the choice to put off the old man and put on the new man (which is Jesus Christ).
As we become Christ-focused we are changed. We are no longer controlled by fear, worries, and anxious thoughts from our human experience. Instead our focus is upon our loving Lord and His ability to bring us peace and joy. Instead of focusing so intently upon the things of the world, when we keep our eyes on Jesus, our Savior and Deliverer, we'll experience the fact that He will never fail nor forsake us. He will make us worthy to stand in His holy presence because old things are passed away, and all things are become new!
Yes, from today forward our lives can bring honor and glory to Jesus. As we submit to Him, He envelops us with His unconditional love. As we serve Him joyfully, He brings peace that is beyond understanding. Will you choose Him today? For the Bible says: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, of power and of a sound mind” ~~ 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV).
It's a Humbling Experience ...
A.W. Pink writes: “Man must be humbled into the dust before he will, as a beggar, betake himself to the Redeemer…be emptied of self-righteousness, self esteem.” An Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount, p. 424.
James wrote in the Bible: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor” ~~ James 4:10 (God's Word).
My friend, it is oh, so worth it, to experience His peace and joy instead of fear, worry, and anxiety.
Pray with Me...
Lord God, give me eyes to see, not as the world sees, but rather as You see. Today, I am making the choice to surrender my fears, my very life unto You. Help me to think on things that are positive, to worship only You with my whole heart.
I now repent of my sins; and Lord, I know I may still fail, yet today, I purpose to believe, trust, and obey Your voice and believe the promises in Your eternal, Holy Word.
Lord Jesus, burn the fleshly desires out of me! Lord, I am desperate to see into the eternal realm where You are, because this world is passing away; but Your kingdom is forever!
I deeply desire to put off the old man and put on the new! I now choose to be obedient to Your call and purpose for my life by intentionally studying Your Word and meditating on things that are true and pure. I now choose to serve, honor, and glorify YOU only! As I now have made the choice to let go of lies and the old way of thinking, I now take hold of what is ahead. I purpose to run only after You for the rest of my life. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Encouraging Scriptures ...
“Now the Lord is that Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty”~~ 2 Corinthians 3:17.
“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong”~~ 1 Corinthians 16:13 (NIV).
“So from now on we regard no one from a human point of view [according to worldly standards and values]. Though we have known Christ from a human point of view, now we no longer know Him in this way. Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come” [because spiritual awakening brings a new life] ~~ 2 Corinthians 5:16-17.
“No fear exists where his love is. Rather, perfect love gets rid of fear, because fear involves punishment. The person who lives in fear doesn't have perfect love”~~ 1 John 4:18 (God's Word).
~ Elizabeth Bowman