TACKLING FEAR HEAD ON!

I DON’T NEED TO BE AFRAID EVER AGAIN!

“WHY SHOULD I BE AFRAID?”- Psalm 27:1

“The LORD is my light and my salvation,  so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my Refuge {Defense, Fortress,} protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?” – Psalm 27:1

  The Psalmist tackles fear head on by interposing the LORD between him and the attack! He turns to the LORD. Who He is as LORD. Who He is to the psalmist and he testifies of Him and all these generations later, his words are preserved that he should testifies to us, to…you, to do likewise when you are under attack!

We read that “The fear of man will prove to be a snare.”{Proverbs 29:25}  Like a trap laid for the capture of an animal, so the evil one lays a trap… and choosing to yield to the fear of man will ensnare you! It was for freedom Christ set us free never again to be yoked to a bond of slavery. {Galatians 5:1}. Yielding to Fear enslaves.  THE-LORD HAS LIBERATED YOU!  You no longer need to continue CHOOSING TO YIELD to fear. When tempted to Fear immediately turn to THINK on The LORD. THANK Him you do not have to live enslaved to the thoughts of fear. He destroyed fear as a power over you,on the cross.

  “THE LORD IS MY…” – The Psalmist testified of who the LORD is to him. He testifies from personal experience “MY.” He had not known of Him from another but from his own experience of Him. Three times in the verse he says, “The LORD is MY – Light- MY Salvation- MY Refuge…”  He had known the LORD to be these things to him. He knew him from experience and so when the latest attack came upon him he knew from his experience of the reality of who the LORD is and had been to him! He had a testimony of the LORD in his new Test to his faith! When fear sought to attack he answered by putting the LORD between him and the circumstance! He immediately turned his thought to THE LORD and Who He “IS” to him! He RELATED the situation immediately to the LORD and his relationship to HIM. This is something we can learn from the psalmist. When a situation arises to train our thoughts to go directly to thoughts of the LORD and Who He is and who  He “is” to us personally!  He is LORD. He is “my” LORD.  Think on who He is. His character.

The word “LORD” though used by many of us, can be used flippantly in such a way that no thought is giving to some of its meaning, or the Majesty of the One who is LORD.

1. -It is used in Exodus 3:15 to reveal the LORD as the Independent One, Self-Existent, in need of nothing or no one outside of Himself. The Eternal “I Am.”

2. – In Deut 7 is used of the LORD as the Covenant Keeping One. He who promises and has the power to exercise the fulfillment of each promise He makes.

3. – In Malachi 3:6 it is used of the LORD as the Unchanging One. He is consistently the same. Immutable. No change. Always the same.

4. – In Isaiah 45 the LORD is revealed as the Sovereign One. The last five letters of Sovereign- reign… speaks to the meaning, He REIGNS. He is in control. There is no cosmic battle, of a sea -saw struggle between Him and satan or the powers that be. He is God – He reigns over all!

5. – In Gen 24:14 – we see the LORD is Revealed as Jehovah Jireh. The LORD the Provider- He has pre vision and makes Provision. -”So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.” The mountain of praise – worship –thanksgiving

6. – EXALTED ONE – who is High and Lifted up- Worshipped and Adored- Isaiah 6:1-6…. And it was Jesus whom Isaiah saw and in Phil 2- it is the LORD Jesus TO WHOM EVERY KNEE shall bow and tongue confess that He is LORD to the glory of God.

7. -In Gen 2:4 the LORD is revealed as GOD!

It is to this One- The Self-Existent, Covenant Keeping, Unchanging Sovereign LORD, the Provider, who is Exalted, who is GOD, that  the Psalmist has CONFIDENCE in. He “is my…”He  knew Whom he believed in.

As LORD- He is Sovereign. The LORD is God. The Scriptures teach He is Self Existent, Covenant Keeping, Unchanging, Sovereign. He is un-defeatable. He is King. Your King and He loves you, is for you and wants you to know you can trust Him. He is your great Liberator from the tyranny and intimidation of fear! The LORD “IS.” He is present, never a moment when He is not . He is with you, He is over all. Present tense LORD.

THE LORD IS MY “LIGHT,” to shine in the darkness and expose stumbling blocks and those things which would harm you and “fear” is a tool of the evil one who seeks to  inject thoughts to you often through the words or actions of others. “Fear” is a tool the evil one tried to use against Joshua,{Joshua 1:9}; Nehemiah.{Nehemiah 6:9} and in Luke 12 “fear” is one of the tools to occupy your mind and divert it from seeking first the Kingdom of God. “Fear” seeks to tempt you to believe the lie, which may come in the form of a thought which says, “the Lord has left you. You are on your own. He will not defend you, deliver nor give light for your steps.” Fear seeks to enslave, and is bondage. It often begins with a “thought” which is embraced and meditated upon will like a trickle turn into an onslaught that  will spiritually paralyze as it grows bigger and bigger in your mind. The LORD has liberated you! “if you continue in My Word, you will know the Truth and the TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE.” {John 8:31-32}. “Remain  in My Word… Remain in My Love.” {John 15:4, 10}. Settle down,be at Home continually in the LORD Jesus. “Rest in My Word, REST in My Love.”

Don’t yield to fear or panic. Relate all to Him, Rest in who He is and His provision of Himself for you! Trust Him! Thank Him for His presence, power, promises for you! He is “Light!” He is  you can confidently say,”my Light!”

THE TWELVE FOOT SHUFFLE.

Many years ago I heard the story of a bear that was caged in 12 by 1 as the young bear walked 12 feet forward and twelve feet back, people would throw things at him. Eventually a kind and wealthy man bought him and had him transferred to another place with lavish acres for him to roam. They opened the cage and the bear who had been at the back walked twelve feet forward and instead of stepping out of the cage walked twelve feet back. He continued doing this as was his habit. They broke the walls of the cage down and now there were no walls only acres and acres of land for him to roam and enjoy. The bear began to walk forward…six steps, seven, eight, nine ten eleven twelve and TURNED around and paced back twelve steps. There were no bars caging him in. But he was a prisoner in his MIND. He was doing the “twelve foot shuffle” Jesus Christ has set you free. {Galatians 5:1}… and yet how easy it is to break old habit patterns in our thinking. The evil one injects a thought of fear and we embrace it, cuddle it, succumb to it and live petrified. HEAR THESE WORDS FROM YOUR LORD – “When He died He died once to BREAK THE POWER OF SIN…” {Romans 6:10}. You do not need to do the twelve foot shuffle anymore. You are free. Renew your mind, and see what God says about you, “In Christ” {Read Ephesians chapter 1 and look up the phrases “In Whom”; “In Christ”; “In Him.”- notice who you are before Him and In Him. You have a new standing with God. You have favored position and you have power. Know your identity in Christ!}

 Thoughts of fear are to seek to turn your mind off the LORD and to divert you from devotion to the Lord and seeking first as the priority of the Kingdom of God. Remember the purpose of your mind is “You shall love the LORD your God with all your….MIND….” You must renew your mind. {Romans 12:2-Phil 4:8-9}. Say what God says about you, “In Christ.”

  Memorize Galatians 5:1… think on Him and the ramifications of your freedom and that you need not CHOOSE to succumb to slavish fear again.

 WILL I EVER HAVE FEARFUL THOUGHTS AGAIN?

Does that mean you will never have a thought of fear come to you? No, for the evil ones seeks to devour you and if you are fishing and catching fish you do not change the bait, neither will the evil one if  you react in fear and yield to the temptation of it. STOP IT. YOU HAVE THE POWER TO DO SO {See 2 Peter 1:3-4}. IMMEDIATELY cut bait, KNOW YOU ARE NO LONGER UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE EVIL ONE. YOU ARE FREE,”IN CHRIST.” THINK ON THE TRUTH. THANK HIM HE IS LORD , you can confide in Him, find comfort from Him,{John 14:1; 2 Cor 1:3-4}

IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO SAY STOP IT. For to tell someone “don’t be afraid. Stop being afraid.”What are they going to think on? Fear! Fear! Fear! Think about you are thinking about -“fears.” It is not enough to tell someone “don’t be afraid.”It can be cruel even, though that not be the intention, but it can be. Thy have to replace the tyranny of the fears. How can they? What would you tell them?  They have to REPLACE the lie and fill their thinking with the TRUTH of God’s Word and this verse,Psalm 27:1 is one they can meditate upon and the Holy Spirit will transform their thinking with His truth!

We have to choose to REPLACE the thoughts with the LORD’S TRUTH which aided by the Power of the Holy Spirit, illuminates it to us, strengthens us with us and guards our thoughts with his PEACE. {See Phil 4:5-9}.

 The LORD knows we are frail creatures, He is the tender Shepherd and He knows, He cares, He has provided us with Power to lay hold of His Word and choose to believe and be inwardly strengthened and “Precious and Magnificent Promises” to strengthen and encourage us with “everything we need for life and Godliness.” { 2 Peter 1:3-4}

Thank God you are His child and you can walk in freedom from yielding to fear ever again. You can INSTEAD Focus on the LORD, His character, promises, power to live. The thoughts of fear will come but you now RECOGNIZE the author and it is not the LORD and you do not have to yield and be taking up or over by them, because of THE FREEDOM IN CHRIST- which is yours!-

  • RECOGNIZE THE FEAR-
  • REJECT IT-REFUSE TO ENTERTAIN THE THOUGHTS.
  • REPLACE THE THOUGHTS WITH THE TRUTH. PUT YOUR FOCUS ONTO THE LORD. HIS CHARACTER. HIS PROMISES!

 

RENEWING YOUR THOUGHT LIFE WITH TRUTH.

Choose to turn your attention on the LORD and His Scriptures and the Character of God and He says you need never ever again live in fear. Renewing your thinking so to think as A CHRISTIAN- you fill your mind with His Word and the Holy Spirit will empower you to live by faith in who you are “In Christ.” You can walk on and an on all the way to eternity with your LORD. Amidst the battle for your faith, you can fight the good fight of faith applying His Word. FAITH FOCUS’S- On the Character of the LORD and on your relationship to Him and He to you!

The LORD IS MY “SALVATION.” He is my soul’s security, deliverer, and strength. THE LORD “IS”…PRESENTLY, ETERNALLY THE SAME, YOUR Light and Salvation.

The LORD IS MY “REFUGE, the defense of my life… “ – How wonderful to have a place to run to for safety when trouble comes. In the Old Testament God set up six “cities of refuge” where a man who had accidentally killed someone could run for safety and security and could not be touched.  “The Mosaic Law stated that anyone who committed a murder was to be put to death (Exodus 21:14). But for unintentional deaths, God set aside these cities to which the murderer could flee for refuge (Exodus 21:13). He would be safe from the avenger—the family member charged with avenging the victim’s death (Numbers 35:19)—until the case could go to trial. The congregation would judge to find if the attacker acted unintentionally. If he did, he would return to the city of refuge and live there safely until the death of the high priest who was in office at the time of the trial, at which point he could return to his property. If the attacker left the city of refuge before the death of the high priest, however, the avenger would have the right to kill him (Numbers 35:24-28).”– {gotquestions.org.}

God does not have a place today but a PERSON- His Beloved Son and “In Christ” there is safety and security for our soul He is our Refuge, Stronghold, Defense of our life. He is our place of safety. Abide in Him by faith to shelter in His loving and powerful grace. The LORD is …my…Refuge, the defense of my life.”

He is My soul’s security, safety, In Him you can say “I am safe and secure! He is my refuge. He is in control.He is my protector when danger seeks to devour.”

“The LORD IS MY LIGHT and SALVATION whom shall I fear?” No one! Fear no one because it is not the LORD’S WILL. THE LORD is God, not the evil men which sought to harm David or the fears that sought to inject into his thought life. He asks twice, why should I be afraid? Why should I tremble?” in light of who His God was, the LORD He concludes-I don’t need to be afraid!

“Whom shall I fear?” A question which is its own answer. The powers of darkness are not to be feared, for the Lord, our light, destroys them; and the damnation of hell is not to be dreaded by us, for the Lord is our salvation. This is a very different challenge from that of boastful Goliath, for it is based upon a very different foundation; it rests not upon the conceited rigour of an arm of flesh, but upon the real power of the omnipotent I am. “The Lord is the strength of my life.” – Gill

He takes the evil of men and the fears that sought to spiritually paralyze, intimidate him emotionally, into the light of the LORD’S presence and he concludes -I have no reason to be afraid, because of THE LORD, my LIGHT, my SALVATION, REFUGE,DEFENDER!

  He took the situation before the LORD and he considered the LORD and he had confidence in Him, to such an extent he TESTIFIES in his writing to THE LORD! The evil men nor fears hold no power over him because he is the LORD’S and the LORD is his!

The LORD has shone His LIGHT of who He is to David and the realization of David in light of such knowledge and intimacy is to conclude he need not be afraid because of THE LORD!

  • Hope is found in Him.
  • Confidence is found in Him.
  • Faith burst boast in TESTIMONY of Him to others.
  • Such is the Confidence the LORD produced in his life!

THE LORD OF HOPE.

The LORD JESUS, has died to liberate you from such fears that would seek to master you. He arose from the dead that you might live in the power of newness of Life. And He has given you magnificent promises to encourage and strengthen you on the path of life. {2 Peter 1:3-4}. The LORD is with you and for you. The LORD is to you… your LORD who rules and reigns and makes Himself known to you in love and power. He is the One who sheds Light on your path to notice things that would seek to cause you to stumble- like the fear of man- and your LORD, who is your Salvation, to deliver, protect and strengthen and safety is found in Him! He is the Focus. His Word your trust. Confidence in Him in the light of difficulties because you know Him and He owns you!

“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, But WHOEVER trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” {Proverbs 29:25}. In this verse there is a warning and a consequence if not heeded. There is God’s Alternative which is whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe!

Speak the LIBERATING truth to yourself;

    • I don’t need to be afraid- Why not? – Because of the LORD.
    • I don’t need to be afraid- Why not? – Because the LORD is my LIGHT.
    • I don’t need to be afraid- Why not? – Because the LORD is my SALVATION. 
    • I don’t need to be afraid- Why not? – Because the LORD is my REFUGE.
    • I don’t need to be afraid- Why not?- Because the LORD is my DEFENDER.
    • LIFE, LOVE, LIBERTY IS FOUND IN THE LORD- “MY LORD” YOU CAN CONFIDENTLY SAY!

TACKLING FEAR HEAD ON BY FAITH IN “THE LORD!”

He is “My Light. My salvation. My Fortress!”

APPLICATION

1. – THINK ON HIM Who He is LORD,LIGHT,SALVATION.- Write proverbs 27:1 on a 3 by 5 card and Galatians 5:1 on the other side. Take two weeks of reading and mediating on word for word, phrase by phrase on Proverbs 27:1 for one week… read before you go to bed. The following week read, think, memorize and apply Galatians 5:1.

2. – TALK TO YOURSELF – The good news of the truth of Psalm 27:1 to yourself. Then follow the pattern of David who TESTIFIED to OTHERS through a letter of The LORD. When David wrote these words he had no idea that centuries of people all over the world would read them. God was using him to help people he never would live to meet.

3. – THANK HIM He is intimately acquainted and in relationship with you. Twice the psalmist says “my light, my salvation.” THANK HIM he is your LORD, LIGHT, SALVATION and you are free from the bondage to live in the tyranny of fear to live confidently in the LORD.

 4. – TESTIFY TODAY -Look to TESTIFY to others and share this verse. You have twitter, Facebook, social media, email, text, phone, letter or word of mouth. Look to be a Godly influence into the lives of others and follow David’s pattern and TESTIFY to the LORD!

Focus on fears or focus by faith on the LORD who is your light, salvation, Refuge? The choice is yours!

God has given you the Light of His Word to show you need never yield to fear. You are free to apply His Word and focus o Him and His business. You need never again do the twelve foot shuffle, you are free in Christ! Think on the Good News. Share the Good News. Praise God for His good news to you today!

 

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE AFRAID ANYMORE BECAUSE OF THE LORD, GOD WHOM YOU CAN CONFIDENTLY SAY,

  “THE LORD IS MY LIGHT, SALVATION, REFUGE, DEFENDER!”