Addressing
Fear (False Evidence Appearing Real)
PERFECT LOVE CASTS OUT FEAR (I John 4:16)
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After
you have begun seeking more of the love of God, and applying forgiveness
to your life and to the lives of others, there are still other things
that can help with your sanctification process.
We
need to understand fear (our enemy) as we get to know the Love of God.
The Bible is very clear that we discern both good and evil (Hebrews
5:14). I found that when people are in fear, it's because they have
not been loved or unable to receive love. And it's usually because they
don’t' think anyone could love them because of all the things they've
done in their life. We need to understand as believers, that when we
are saved, ALL our sins are forgiven, yesterday's, today's and tomorrows.
This is why Christians have guilt and condemnation, they don't really
"believe" they've been forgiven, it's evidenced if they cannot
forgive themselves. Refer back to the session on forgiveness if needed
before going on. You ask what unforgiveness has to do with fear? It
is the direct opposite of faith (love). Forgiveness is God's love. Jesus
came so that we can receive forgiveness and have it to give! He came
so we could receive God's love and walk in fellowship with him and with
others. Fear will prevent good things from taking place in your life!
(Isaiah 35:4-6)
Whenever
love is absent fear is always present. They cannot dwell at the exact
same time, you will have one or the other at ALL times. We cannot have
light and darkness at the same time. We cannot be up and down at the
same time. Neither can we have fear and love at the same time.
We
may have fear, then love, then fear then love, but that's why we go
up and down so much as believers! When we fear, we are in doubt, when
we love, we are in faith.
Faith vs Fear:
Now
Faith is substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen
(Hebrews 11:1) Fear is the evidence of things not hoped for the evidence
of things not seen. You need to understand that the enemy counterfeits
everything that is of God. You need to understand that fear (the devil's
faith) is the direct opposite of God's love (faith). Pastor Henry Write
quotes: "Fear and Faith are equal in this dimension. Both project
into the future and both demand to be filled." We need to choose
which one we will live under. We will live under one or the other at
ALL times!
I
have found countless times that when a person has fear, they are not
in love. The Bible tells us that "Perfect Love casts out all fear."
(I John 4:16). In my life, when I begin to "feel" fear, I
immediately recognize what is happening, that the spirit is trying to
take me again which means I'm not at that moment receiving God's love.
So I would pray, "God sorry for fearing, and I receive your love
right now." I take responsibility, confess my sin of fear, and
begin to receive God's love. And within minutes the fear is completely
gone! Every time, without failure! I may "feel" it while I'm
saying this, but afterwards, the feeling leaves because God is the one
who frees me… my job is to recognize and confess, his job is to do the
rest.
Fear
comes in all forms, not just fear of heights or closed in areas. It
can be dreading something, worrying, frustrations, confusion, anger,
depression, lying, discontentment, and so on. Fear is the devil's faith
and it is apparent we operate in this faith than God's. Anything that
is not of faith (love and truth) is sin. (Romans 14:23)
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Below lists several things we fear
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Deliverance
or not being delivered |
Loss
- spouse, children, family members |
Being
independent/free |
Tomorrow
or future |
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Dread
- projection of evil, expecting things to go wrong |
Change |
Unknown |
Speculation |
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Dying
process |
Losing
of life (wasted years) |
Loss
of confidence |
Death |
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Children
not being saved |
Dying
prematurely |
Disability |
Disease |
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Pain |
Relationships/friends |
Blood |
Disfiguration |
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Doctors/hospitals |
Suffering |
Judgment |
Vomiting |
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God |
Needles |
Superstitions |
Losing
salvation |
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Evil
spirits |
Punishment |
Man
(Proverbs 25:29) |
Bad
news |
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Distrusting
God or man |
Fear |
Reproof
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Public
speaking/performance |
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Criticism |
Betrayal |
Another's
words/confrontation |
Harassment |
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Facial
expressions |
Inadequacy |
Being
humiliated |
Disapproval |
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Rejection
(verbal, emotional) |
Another's
bitterness |
Loneliness |
Races,
cultures |
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Abandonment |
Being
shamed |
Failure
(starting something new) |
Abandoning
loved ones through death |
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Fear
of lack |
Being
alone |
Antigens
(Cancer causing cells) |
Insanity |
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Dreams
and visions during sleep |
Poverty |
Horror
(scary stuff) |
Food/drink/clothing/household/environment |
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Nothing |
Dark |
Sudden
fear |
Animals |
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Noises |
Success |
Spouse |
Being
controlled |
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Family
members |
Trembling |
Enemy |
Children |
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Natural
disasters |
Father/mother |
Sex
or loss of it |
War/conflict |
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Authority |
Fires |
Suffocation |
Own
sexuality |
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Another's
sexuality |
Menopause |
Commitment |
Drowning |
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Water |
Pregnancy |
Being
a coward |
Dependency |
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Weapons |
Responsibility |
Being
robbed |
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Why do we need to know our enemy?
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So that we are not taken captive by him at his will. II Timothy 2:24-26
(v 26 “…God will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
that they may recover themselves from the snare of the devil who are
taken captive by him at his will.)
You need to "know" what is of God and what is not of God. You
are learning to discern for yourself.
This is where you need to start, by recognizing fear. Then God begins
to show you that His Love is greater than all these fears.
I John 4:18 "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth
out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect
in love."
This helps you see your relationship with God more clearly. If you are
filled with love, you will have no fear.
"Knowing" about God's love and being "filled" with
God's love are two entirely different things. See the scripture below:
In
John 6:26 Jesus said, "Verily I say unto you, ye seek me, not because
ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves and
were filled."
The devils even know, but the difference is they cannot be filled!
What are the Wiles of the Devil?
We are to "know" his wiles to keep ourselves from his snare! (Ephesians
6:11) Below is a short list of the wiles of the Devil. There are certainly
more, but you'll get the idea.
Below
lists the devil's characteristics. Circle any that you see in yourself.
Depression Obsessive Guilt and Condemnation Insult Dishonest Opinionated Rebellion Jealousy Envious Strife Rude Sharp Impatient Judgmental Wasteful Fearful Merciless Worrier Angry Hateful Gossip Sorcerer Fortuneteller Distrusting Inconsiderate Blame others Revengeful Self-righteous Pride Self-centered Insubordinate Denial Discontent Offended
easily Murderer Defiant Lustful Greedy Coldhearted Liar Complainer Childish Disobedient Man pleaser Bitter Self-pity Confusion Sluggard/Lazy Distrusting Unbelieving Controlling Insecure Evil Communication Negative Talk Idolatry Stubbornness Covetousness Suspicious Lazy Driven
to please - Performance Behavior
Look
at the list above and circle any that you see in yourself. This is NOT
to bring condemnation but pinpoint where you are. To be transparent
before God. Not to fear that we are sinners, but to rejoice that we
see ourselves truly so we can apply the forgiveness Jesus came to give
us. Remember: It's the TRUTH that sets us free. If we hide from what
we see inside us, we will never be free!
Knowing
what is inside us, and then getting a revelation on God's love for us
personally, no matter what we see, causes us to finally walk in truth,
which sets us free and victory!
Let's pin-point where we are in the area of fear. If you are any of the following, you are in fear.
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anxious
and worrisome |
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never
experienced love from another person |
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easily
offended |
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phobias |
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worry
about what people think |
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don't
think God loves you like He loves others |
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have
doubt or unbelief about God |
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are
afraid to die |
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don't
think your needs are important enough to pray to God |
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feel
rejected |
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feel
victimized or unjustified |
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can't
speak honestly with your spouse |
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control
and manipulate |
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are
being controlled and manipulated |
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feel
shame |
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have
addictions |
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have
heart problems |
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have
digestive problems |
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feel
hopeless |
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are
jealous and/or envious |
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are
prideful |
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are
suspicious |
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need
approval from others |
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don't
see all the promises of God working in your life |
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feel
empty |
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compare
yourself with others |
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are
disinterested in the things of God |
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Remember,
anything, ANYTHING that is not of faith (God's Faith) is sin. (Romans
14:23)
Now what do you do?
First
of all what you Don't do is fall under guilt and condemnation by seeing
all this stuff in you. Believe me, it's a good thing to see this junk.
In a later session we'll talk about why this is a good thing and why
we should rejoice we see it. It's because we see what God is purging
out of us so we can participate in sanctification process without confusion
or struggle.
If
you identified with what was discussed above, you probably have the
spirit of fear. God has not given us the spirit of fear, but power love
and a sound mind (II Tim. 1:7). Before dealing with that spirit and
getting rid of him, you must desire to be ever filled with God. The
enemy will have to leave when we tell him, but will want to return (Matthew
12:44). If you are empty, he will come back, but if you are receiving
God's love (which casts out all fear) then he can't come back. Studying
the word, praying and asking for God's love is a daily routine for any
victorious believer. By following the principals set forth in the first
two ministry sessions will be sure to help you stay free.
Once
the spirit is cast out, you now have to "walk-out" what it
left behind. What this means is the memory of that fearful thing is
still there, even some of the feelings, and we have to face each and
every one of them for complete deliverance.
I
began facing my fears one at a time, and the first one was flying. Just
planning the trip caused my hands to sweat and my lips to go numb, but
I would stop and receive God's love, casting out all fear. Within seconds
my body would be restored and I had the "faith" I needed to
continue my trip. Each step I took toward that plane trip, I would start
to "feel" anxious. And each time the old thoughts or feelings
would try to take root, AGAIN I would stop and receive more of God's
love and cast the fear out, and AGAIN I would be restored to perfect
peace. I "knew" I was delivered from the spirit, I have power
over it. So, when I would begin feeling symptoms of fear, I would say,
"I will not fear, and I'll be anxious for nothing, fear Go."
These three little phrases have been what have helped me walk out of
every fearful thing.
A
truth: When you are set free from the spirit of fear, it doesn't mean
you won't be tempted to fear. He is a tempter and will continue to tempt.
The difference is he's not inside you making you respond to the fear.
When you begin to "feel" symptoms of anxiety, you have to
tell it to GO in Jesus name. It's the spirit of fear trying to take
root again.
I
remember telling the fear to go through grit shaking teeth! But once
I got the words out of my mouth, the fear left and my body was restored
to perfect peace.
Our
job as believers is to believe the word (John 6:28) As I would say the
"word" out of my mouth the Lord begins working on that situation.
He is the one who delivers, sets free, fixes, restores and heals. My
job is to recognize and confess. III John 11 says to follow NOT that
which is evil (fear), but that which is good (love and faith), because
whoever does evil has not seen God.
Results of fear:
If
long-term fear is within a person, many diseases and problems can result.
For example, depression, overeating, irritable bowel syndrome, auto-immune
disease; back ache, candita, muscle problems, blood vessel problems,
heart problems, allergies, to name a few. It is proven medically that
fear (stress) causes most of the diseases on this planet. But once we
begin to apply the Word to it, our body is able to reverse the affects,
along with prayer, and the body heals. The body was designed to heal
itself!
Prayer:
This
first prayer is a prayer you should pray to God. This is only an example,
so if you want to make your own prayer, that is great.
"Father,
I recognize my state of anxiety and fear. I see that the enemy has a
hold on my life and I do not want him in control any more. I confess
my sin of fear, confusion, doubt, unbelief (and name off any others).
I receive forgiveness now in Jesus name. Thank you for cleansing me
and purging me. I open my heart to your love and your truth. Help me
to see clearly to discern both good and evil and not be afraid of either.
I take responsibility for my life from this day forward. I will no longer
blame my past for the way things are. I will break any curse or sole-ties
to individuals in my life or in my generations all the way back to Adam
and Eve on both parent's side. I ask you to restore my life, restore
our relationship Father, and restore my relationship to others. Fear
has no place in me any longer and I want it to go. In Jesus name."
Now I'll pray for you:
Father,
you have given us the authority to cast out devils in Jesus name. And
I believe this. Right now, spirit of fear leave this dear saint in Jesus
name. Go and never occupy this person again. Father I ask you to fill
my friend up with your peace, joy, righteousness, goodness, love, patience,
endurance, and faith. Let your love fill them from the top of their
heads to the tip of their toes. Casting out all fear and torment. Help
them to receive your love and be ever filled with your love. And if
by chance they begin to feel fear, let them remember to simply tell
it to Go! I ask you to equip my friend now, in Jesus name."
As
you noticed, there were a lot of things we fear, and if we look at faith,
we are told to think on the following: Things that are found in Philippians
4:8: Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, hones, just, pure,
lovely, good report, any virtue or any praise, think on these things."
It appears that most of us are thinking on the "other things"
mentioned in this email. Isn't it interesting that the list of things
to think on of God is so short? Look at the list of things that we think
on that is of the enemy? I think God's way is easier to accomplish,
don't you think?
Homework:
I
talked earlier about "walk out" which is to on purpose
do those things that caused you fear once you have been set free
from the spirit to become completely free. This is something you will
need to do for a long time, especially if you had many fears. But it
is just as important to obtain more truth in this area by studying more
about Love. So many people who are filled with fear and wanting to be
free have bought every book they could on "fear." I told them
to stop focusing on fear so much and begin to focus on God's love. Get
books on His love, open the Bible and run references on the word Love.
You can also run references on the word "fear" in the Bible.
But also understand that fear has 30 different meanings! In order to
understand what fear means in the context you are reading, you need
to look it up in the original Greek/Hebrew. (You would do this by using
a Strong's concordance, and looking up the reference numbers in the
back of the book.) As it is, we don't get a clear picture of "fear"
as it is written in the bible because of this, and because of this many
have the wrong impression of God and what fear really is. We need to
truly understand Love and Fear in God's standpoint.
If
you have any questions or need further instruction on dealing with fear,
please email truthfrees@mindsync.com or continue with Session
6 or return Back.
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