courage

9 Ways to Defeat Fear

Fear Not, Be Courageous
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And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”            —Judges 6:12

Fear is such a debilitating emotion. It can overwhelm you emotionally and paralyze you physically. It can cause you to make irrational decisions. Have you ever experienced moments before you about to do something your heart starts beating heavily or the palm of your hands sweating and your mind starts racing with all kinds of negative thoughts that you are about to fail?

Recently I experienced that and it was such an awful feeling that I laid my hand on my chest and started to pray. I didn’t even have the strength in me to pray out loud but as I whispered a prayer God assured me that He was with me. I was able to stand up and speak without fear but instead with great boldness.

It’s interesting that the feeling of fear often comes when you are about to step out and do good, follow your dreams, do the work of the Lord or do something purposeful or meaningful that would bless others. Fear often comes when you need to step outside your comfort zone.

The account of Gideon shows us how God dealt with the problem of fear before He could bring victory to Israel over Midian. We can learn from this, how we and God can together defeat the spirit of fear that tries to derail our lives.

 

Remember That God Is With You (Judges 6:12)

God tells Gideon even before giving him his assignment that he is a mighty man of (fearless) courage and that He is with him. Even in the midst of your fears or troubles, God calls you fearless or mighty. You are commanded to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power (Ephesians 6:10). God was speaking into Gideon life and now into yours. He is saying you are even though you are not yet.

 

God Thinks Highly You, So Should You (Judges 6:14-16)

God does not address Gideon’s complaint that the Lord has given up on Israel but proceeds to give Gideon his assignment. Gideon’s fear is heard in his response. Fear make you feel small and disqualified and lacking in the ability to do what you need to do. Gideon’s excuse clearly shows this but God address this. God assures you and I that He will be with us in our doing (Judges 6:16) and that we will do great things.

 

Tell God Your Concerns (Judges 6: 17-24)

Even when God speaks, fear will cause you to question whether God did speak to you or not. Like Gideon you may ask for a sign. Gracious, loving and patient is our God to give us peace that He’s the One who directed us. God calms your fear when you tell him about it and gives you peace (Philippians 4:6-7).

 

Take Baby Steps of Faith (Judges 6:25-27)

With a little assurance, confirmation and direction from the Lord, you may begin to take little leaps of faith. Gideon destroys the gods but in the night and with the help of others. His faith wasn’t yet strong enough to do it openly but he did it anyway. Sometimes you have to take baby steps towards what God has called you to do. But step toward the right direction nonetheless. Move forward, no matter how small a move it may seem to be.

 

Rely On the Holy Spirit (Judges 6:34-40)

The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you and that’s where boldness comes from. God will also propel you forward. When the time of war was approaching Gideon moved forward when the Spirit of the Lord came upon him. But even with that step, Gideon still had his reservations and asked God for a sign twice. Where fear linger, self-doubt exist. Like Gideon, there are times you will question and seek confirmation God that you are the one to do what He has asked you to.

 

Work to Eliminate Fear (Judges 7:2-3)

On the battle field fear also had to be banished. Out of 32,000 men, 22,000 were afraid and God release them. It is difficult to fight the enemy when you are afraid. The odds are against you because you have stacked them up against yourself. Defeat is predictable when you fight in fear. As children of God, we face a daily battle against the enemy; we have to defeat fear or the enemy will devour us.

 

Accept God’s Ways, Though Different (Judges 7:4-8)

God further reduced the number of warriors to a meager 300 men. God wanted Gideon to experience the power of diminishing numbers (Judges 6:11, Judges 7:2). In Christ, less means more.

 

Seek the Support of A Prayer Partner (Judges 7:9-11)

However, Gideon still had thoughts of fear. But God in his great love and understanding; graciously tells Gideon that if he was afraid he could take Purah with him to spy out the enemy’s camp. At times you will need support of a friend or a prayer partner – two are better than. You need help to go through the battle until you receive what is rightfully yours.

 

Receive the Word to Build Your Faith (Judges 7:13-25)

When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation; he received the extra gumption he needed to go forward and boldly fight the Midianites. There is a word you need and I hope that it’s from this blog post today that will give you that push forward towards your goals and into your destiny.

 

Just as God understood Gideon’s concerns and daunting fear, He understands yours. God worked with him until he overcame it.  God assured him, moved him forward every step before and into the battle and at the right time fear was fully defeated and victory won.

You may fear doing God’s will or something new or different but God is with you. If you fear and yet move forward, step by step, God will be with you. He will anoint you. He will give you peace. He will put His Spirit upon you. He will give you words of comfort and the promise of success. He will make you bolder than a lion and you will move forward and do something great. Fear not, for the Lord is with you.

How do you deal with fear? Do you give your fears over to God and believe that He is with you at all times?

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5 Qualities of a Different Spirit

But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.

Numbers 14:24 (NKJV)

What kind of spirit do you have? Would God say that you have a different spirit to other people? Would your family say that you have a good spirit?

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God described Caleb as one who had a different spirit. He was compared his character to the ten men who went with Joshua and Caleb to spy out the Promised Land. Other translations interpret the words “different spirit” as different attitude (NLT, GW) or another spirit (KJV). Whichever way you look at it, Caleb and Joshua because of this spirit or attitude they had were able to receive the promise of God.

In Numbers 13 and 14, we can learn from Joshua’s and Caleb’s actions what it means to have a different spirit. Some of the qualities they expressed were:

A Conquering Attitude – These two were courageous warriors. They were willing and ready to fight.

“Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”    Numbers 13:30

A Positive Outlook – Caleb and Joshua saw the possibilities or the opportunities that were ahead of them instead of focusing on the negative.

But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.”  —Numbers 14:6-7

Faith in God – They had complete trust in God to help them succeed. They believed God would do as He had promised.

“If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’”        —Numbers 14:8

An Awareness of God’s Presence – Joshua and Caleb knew that the Lord was with them and therefore consider their enemies as already defeated. They recognized that with the presence of God any battle was already won.

“Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”              —Numbers 14:9

Wholeheartedly Serve the Lord – An attitude or a spirit such as theirs comes with this very important quality (Numbers 14:24). No measure of success can be gained without this attribute. It is on account of their different spirit and their full service to God that both Joshua and Caleb not only survived 40 years of wandering in the wilderness but received their inheritance in the Promised Land (Joshua 14:6-15).

The spirit of Joshua and Caleb wasn’t negative in any way. They weren’t fearful of their enemies. They didn’t speak negatively and transfer the spirit of fear to the people of Israel. Instead they spoke with confidence and tried to encourage others not to fear but to believe they could make it with God’s help. What an attitude!

Their attitude is one to imitate if we want to receive the promises that God has for us. If we want to succeed in our Christian walk and experience God’s best then we must work on our attitude.

We must ask God to impart such a spirit in us. This type of spirit has staying power to make it through the tough times. When we carry what God called a different spirit in us, we are likely to overcome all and live victoriously.

Aim for a different spirit.

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Courage in the Face of Fear

Courage“Be strong, be courageous!” It’s a phrase that you often hear but when you are going through a challenging situation, finding that courage is tough at times. But really, what is courage? Courage is fighting through fear. It’s the grace to keep going forward when all else is against you. It’s the ability to keep moving forward when you feel pressed and you’d rather retreat or to stay where you are.

At times I have wondered how people like Moses fought for the freedom of the Israelites. Or how the New Testament church stood strong when persecuted and some were even killed for the sake of the gospel? What about those who fought for their freedom and rights during the civil rights movement? I could keep asking about others but I am not here to raise issues about anyone rights. I am here to ask this: How do you make it through life’s battles when fear seems so strong and overwhelming?

Recently, while watching a movie (a rare occasion for me) I thought about this and realized that people fought through fear and stood their ground for what their believed in dangerous and threatening times. One thing they all had in common was courage. But how did that courage come? That common thread of courage wasn’t based on self confidence. The recounts of history through books, movies and other types of media show where this courage originated from. These people who stood for righteousness and fought for justice knew the word of God. They put their trust in God.

When Joshua took over the leadership of Israel – God commanded him to be strong and to be courageous. Why? The responsibility before him was not short of daunting. He was about to lead Israel into many battles before they could receive their inheritance. God knew he needed the Word to get him through the battles ahead.

I don’t know what battles you are facing today or what fears the enemy use to intimidate you but you know that you need to forge ahead to win the battle. When you face battles in life – whether personal or on behalf of others – fear can rise up in your heart. But God says to those who are His – be strong and be courageous.

Throughout scripture God commands us not to be afraid. In Joshua 1, God gives us the success key for any battle. He points us to His word – to mediate on the word of God, to speak what God’s word says over our lives and over our battles and to “live out loud” a life pleasing to God. God has promised us that through total reliance His word, we have the ability to be prosperous in life and to be successful in all we do. When we rely on the Word it gives us the ability to move from fear to courage because we are not focusing on ourselves but on the ability and availability of our God to fight for us.

In the midst of your battles, rest in this Word and obey God’s command to be strong and be courageous. Use the Word, use the power that God has given you and you will win every battle.

Be strong and be courageous.

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