Part 7 (2/2)
Many of G.o.d's people are living exactly where I was then. They're reasonable people. That is, they have the ability to figure out causes and reasons. They sincerely try to understand all the implications of a situation and find the most sensible or logical solution by putting their reasoning ability to work. This is often the opportunity Satan takes to sneak in and steal the will of G.o.d from them. G.o.d may speak to them about doing a certain thing, and it may not always seem to be the most sensible course of action. This presents an opportunity for the devil to cause them to question-to become double-minded. The Amplified Bible says the mind of the flesh is ”sense and reason without the Holy Spirit” (Romans 8:6). I am not suggesting that you pay no attention to common sense and reason, but if we are not also listening to the Holy Spirit we will become unbalanced and our reasoning becomes unreasonable.
For example, sometimes I sense G.o.d wants me to bless people by giving to them-often an item of jewelry or clothing. On one occasion I remember, G.o.d wanted me to give away a new and fairly expensive dress I had never worn. It didn't make sense when I went through the natural reasoning process, but when I checked my heart to see what I felt G.o.d was saying, I had the a.s.surance it was indeed the right thing to do. G.o.d is not always reasonable!
Ask of the One Who gives wisdom liberally, and He will free you from being indecisive and double minded.
G.o.d's Spirit is always available to free you from natural reasoning that leaves you confused. Ask of the One Who gives wisdom liberally, and He will free you from being indecisive and double-minded.
CHAPTER 30.
Holy Fear At the time Jehoshaphat became king, Judah was a small nation, and the surrounding nations could easily defeat them. We learn that, after seeking the advice of a prophet, the king reformed his kingdom to be in alignment with G.o.d (see 2 Chronicles 18:19). Following Jehoshaphat's actions, ”the Moabites, the Ammonites, and with them the Meunites came against Jehoshaphat to battle” (2 Chronicles 20:1).
The most ”sensible” thing would have been for the king to surrender and forge some kind of treaty. There was no human way such a small nation could defeat such large armies. In that context, we read that the king was afraid-and why wouldn't he be? But he didn't stop with fear.
I want to make this point clear. To feel fear isn't sin or failure or disobedience. In fact, some fear is a warning to us. It's a shout of danger. But then we must decide what to do with the fear. We can act; we can cringe; we can ignore it. King Jehoshaphat did the right thing: He ”set himself [determinedly, as his vital need] to seek the Lord” (v. 3). He didn't have answers, and he certainly wasn't stupid enough to think that his tiny army could defeat his enemies. And that's an important lesson for us to learn in our battles against Satan. Our enemy is powerful, and if we think we can defeat him by ourselves, we're foolish and badly mistaken.
The king not only prayed, but he also proclaimed a fast throughout the entire land. The Bible goes on to say he stood in the midst of the people and prayed for deliverance: ”For we have no might to stand against this great company that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You” (v. 12).
That is exactly the prayer G.o.d wanted to hear. The people admitted they didn't know what to do, that they couldn't win, and their only hope was in G.o.d's deliverance. Just then, the Holy Spirit came upon a man named Jahaziel. ”He said, hearken, all Judah, you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you King Jehoshaphat. The Lord says this to you: Be not afraid or dismayed at this great mult.i.tude; for the battle is not yours, but G.o.d's” (v. 15). He went on to say, ”You shall not need to fight in this battle; take your positions, stand still, and see the deliverance of the Lord [Who is] with you. . . . Fear not nor be dismayed” (v. 17). The account goes on to say the people began to sing praises to G.o.d. When they did that, G.o.d had warriors from Mount Seir sneak in and kill Judah's enemies so that none escaped.
A good fear is to be afraid to try to handle your problems on your own and to immediately cry out to G.o.d.
That's the biggest secret of winning the battles against your enemy. Acknowledge your fear-then let it push you to seek G.o.d. A good fear is to be afraid to try to handle your problems on your own and to immediately cry out to G.o.d.
When you cry out in holy fear, G.o.d hears and races to your rescue. That's His promise, and He never breaks His promises.
CHAPTER 31.
Fear Not!
Wouldn't everything in life be better if we didn't have to deal with fear? Of course, there are healthy fears that alert us to danger-and these are good because they protect us. There is also the fear of G.o.d, which means to have a holy, reverential awe and respect for Him. But there is a debilitating fear Satan tries to put on us every day intended to keep us from having the power, love, and sound mind G.o.d wants us to have.
If you have ever struggled as I once did with anxiety, you are familiar with the worry, stress, and feeling of heaviness that comes with it. Many people struggle with fear that has no obvious cause or source. They wonder why they are always afraid and can't change, no matter how hard they try. Others spend every minute worrying about what might happen. ”What if . . .” is their favorite phrase. ”What if I can't pay the bills?” ”What if my child gets hurt?” ”What if my husband loses his job?” The endless list of possible tragedies keeps these unfortunate people bound up and miserable every day of their lives.
There are many serious things going on in the world, and we need to be aware of them and prepare for them. But we also need to learn to resist fear when it arises against us. The Word tells us, ”G.o.d did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7).
Sometimes we think of fear as an emotion, but we need to realize that fear is actually a spirit. In fact, I believe fear is one of Satan's favorite tools, and he particularly loves to torment Christians with it. At every possible opportunity, he will whisper in your ear, telling you G.o.d has forgotten you and there is no hope. It makes sense that Satan would try to intimidate us with fear.
But Jesus said, ”All things can be (are possible) to him who believes!” (Mark 9:23). We have to believe there is nothing worse for the enemy than an on-fire, Bible-believing, fearless Christian! G.o.d didn't promise us life would be easy. We will all face problems and challenges. But the outcome depends on whether we trust G.o.d-or give in to fear.
Psalm 23:4 says, ”Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me.” The psalmist David said he walked through the valley.
When we become afraid, we can be sure it is not G.o.d at work, but one of the sly tricks of our spiritual enemy. If he can make us think G.o.d won't come through for us, or is angry at us, or wants to punish us, we allow those thoughts to fill our minds, and we start losing the battle.
G.o.d is love.
There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! (1 John 4:18).
But G.o.d shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed one) died for us (Romans 5:8).
We can never say those words enough. The only thing we can add is: G.o.d is love, and G.o.d loves me! Fear is a spirit that must be confronted head-on-it will not leave on its own. We can take positive action even in the presence of the feeling of fear. Actually a courageous person is not one who never feels fear, but someone who feels fear and takes proper action anyway. We must proclaim the Word of G.o.d and let fear know that it is not going to rule us. So the next time fear knocks on your door, send faith to answer!
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