Understand and Defeat Fear
I had been aware of symptoms of a deadly disease in my body for a couple of days. This was not hypochondria; this was a textbook case. My mind raced, trying to figure out what I should do. I prayed but felt like an armless man in a boxing ring. I had searched the web for remedies, but found too little information. I did not want to go the hospital since we already faced debt from our children’s medical bills. I figured I would die anyway, leaving my wife my med bills and funeral expense.
I tried to know the unknown. I tried to unscrew the inscrutable. Instead, I invited the inevitable. Fear paralyzed me to do nothing but lay there and worry.
Fear is devil worship
Fear grabs hold of our throats as we focus on problems. However, the issue is not the issue. The disease, bills, threats, tornado, or whatever is not the problem. Fear is the problem. When we fear, we worship the devil.
Think of it this way: we worship God when we focus on Him. We look at how good He is and talk to Him about the great things He has done. When we fear, however, we focus on the bad things; in short, we worship the devil. Worshipping God lifts you upward and lets you soar free from life’s troubles. Living in fear will paralyze you and tie you down to this earth. Terror gives the devil glory.
Getting free from fear
If you only pray about our problems, you will become an expert on your problems. You take the first step to getting free from fear when you stop looking at your problems. Stop looking down and look upward. Instead of telling God how bad things are, start telling Him how great He is. Talk to Him about His promises. Remind Him of all the times He has come through for you in the past. Worship Him for being bigger than any worry.
Worship builds your faith in God. You will overcome fear by trusting God. Faith frees us from fear. Hope grows as we focus on God’s goodness. Rather than telling God your problems, start thanking Him for being the answer. Instead of saying, “Lord, my car is broken,” say, “Jesus, thank you for a good running vehicle.” When we pray the answer, we allow God to deal with the negatives.
The day I noticed the symptoms of the disease taking over my body, I was laying on my bed giving full vent to my worry. I had begged and pleaded with God to intervene. Finally, I got sick of my fear, I decided to stop begging, and I chose to humble myself in worship. I got out of bed, got down on my knees, and lifted my voice to God. I began to tell Him how much I loved Him. I told Him how wonderful He is. I told Him that no matter what happened to me, He is great, He is powerful, He deserves all attention and honor and praise. I went on worshiping the Lord like this for a while, appreciating the break from fear. Looking back now, I realize that fear fled as I began to humbly adore the Lord. Suddenly, my cell phone startled me. It was lying on the bed in front of where I had been praying. I answered it and on the other end was a naturopathic doctor returning my call from two days before, who told me what to do to get over my condition in one week.
Read more on taking fear to the limit when you just let it run.
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