Overcoming Your Fears: You are More Than a Conqueror
In exploring how we grow in Christ, it's important to remember that God is Our Father and He has equipped us with EVERYTHING we need. We have all the tools inside of us. The problem is we haven't grown into them.
Another concern is because we haven't exercised our gifts or potential, we can become afraid or intimidated by someone yelling or acting aggressively.
Remember, God made us in His Image and He's the Lion of Judah. He wants us to see ourselves as the head, lender and above (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). But, this isn't something that we might inherently believe. We might have discouraging family members. Or, there might be someone on the job or at school who constantly puts us down. These bullies are people who are influenced by demons and the demons are sent to discourage us. But why? They might see our future and KNOW that we'll be great leaders one day. Hence, they start early to bring discouragement and steal our voices.
To overcome your fears, find your voice and gain confidence, you actually have to STEP into the thing you're afraid of. Meaning, if you're faced with a threatening menace, you might not initially stand firm and say, "I rebuke YOU in name of Jesus Christ." You might run for the nearest exit. It's like a dog that runs from the vacuum cleaner or like Saul and his army afraid of Goliath. However, it's as we grow that we realize WE have total authority over the enemy/devil. That means WE can command demons to flee. WE can rebuke them and cast them into eternal darkness.
By now you might be saying, "What's with the cats and dogs?" We wanted to use illustrations that would significantly show fear so you can understand how easy it is to overcome some fears and stand in your authority. Jesus used parables and all kinds of stories because they resonate with people.
In the video above, this is an EXCELLENT illustration of how a dog is afraid of water. But how is that possible when dogs are natural swimmers? Listen as Cesar explains that not EVERY dog starts out swimming and some are terrified. He says it only takes about 10-minutes to overcome this fear of water but this is the same fear that a dog might have for 10-years if it's NOT conquered. Given this dog's size he shouldn't be afraid of anything right? That's how it is with demons.
David slayed Goliath and David RAN on the field to him. David didn't even have armor on. How is this possible? You see, David Demons try to plant seeds of doubt to make us afraid. However, the Bible teaches us that "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind," 2 Timothy 1:7.
Take a moment and explore the areas where you are afraid, feel anxious or hit a wall that you THINK you can't conquer. We've ALL have them. Pray and invite God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost there. Say, "Lord, this is where I need the most help."
Sometimes people are afraid to say what it is because they THINK the devil will then attack in that area. That's not true. Saying it to God is a way to shine a light on it and say, "Jesus, this is where my faith fails me. Please help me heal this area." God is here for us and His strength is made perfect in areas where we feel weak.
In this next video, listen as the dog cries because he's afraid to step into something NEW and unfamiliar. How many times have you avoided something out of fear? Or, how many times did you stop doing something because you thought it MIGHT look hard?
Like Cesar standing in the water with the dog, he stayed calm when the dog panicked. He didn't throw the dog in. He pulled him in slowly and let the dog feel the steps FIRST.
This next video is SLIGHTLY different. When this little dog hears a loud noise, it "redirects" its energy and starts eating its food. How many times do we "redirect" when God is calling us to face something difficult? The problem is demons want us afraid so they can get in? Why? the devil cannot work unless fear is present.
If we don't face the fear with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost, we can start feeling anxious and will back down from something we really have authority over. This is why God made me stand up to my downstairs neighbor. He likely saw Christians as weak, kind and frail. However, with God, we are MORE than a conqueror. When I stood up to my neighbor he backed down. In the same way the Body of Christ is standing up to the devil and STANDING FIRM on God's Word.
When you pray, ask for God's mercy and trust God to help you overcome EVERY fear so you can walk confidently in Him. And, keep reading your Bible. God's got us and GREAT is His faithfulness!