Fear is a Spirit that can only be defeated by Faith!

I know many of you out there are battling fear right now. In the natural there are many things to fear, this virus, our own government, health, finances, jobs, the future and our loved ones!  Believe me I am not immune to fear. My family has a long history of anxiety, and many of them are on or have taken medication for it. We are a creative, passionate bunch! But intense emotions also leave one vulnerable to fear. 

I'll  keep this short, but I wanted to encourage and bless you today. Fear is a demon, yes, and yes, you can cast it away in the name of Jesus. He will leave for awhile, but the trouble with fear is that it returns the moment we become afraid again. I've come to learn that the only way to combat this particularly nasty spirit is through FAITH.  Fear has no power over someone who is truly trusting the Lord for everything.  

There's nothing that can defeat real faith. No bad news, no threats, no nightmares!  Faith in God says, "God is in control. He loves me. He knows my past, present, and my future, and His plans are all good!" 

Of course that brings me to my favorite verse in the Bible. Romans 8:28.  This verse covers every kind of fear for every situation. Why? Because God promises that ALL things will work out for GOOD in our lives. All things include, money, job, health, loved ones, and anything else we worry about. All things means what it says. ALL things. 

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.   

There are conditions of course. You must love God and be in His kingdom. If you satisfy the conditions and you know God is not a liar, then what's the problem? There are a gazillion other Scriptures that tell us how God protects us, saves us, blesses us, how He never leaves us. Do we believe it or not?  The real question is, do we believe it when things in our life don't appear to be going well, when we face struggles and trials?  The Scripture is still true, regardless of what we see and experience in the natural. Case in point, I have an unsaved son who I have been praying for for 25 years. In that time, he has gone from kinda believing in God to becoming an atheist, and to this day he is more closed off to the Gospel than he's ever been. But God promised me He would save my son. Do I still believe Him? It has taken years, but yes, I do!  I rest in that belief. Why? Because I know my God and He is faithful!

But how do you get that kind of faith? By spending time with the Lord every day. Not just 10 or 15 minutes here and there, but time with Him, in His Word, talking to Him, praying, getting to know Him. So many Christians relay on pastors, sermons, devotions or bible studies to get to know Jesus. I tend to believe that the Lord has taken all that away during this Lockdown so that more people would learn how to simply go to Him. He yearns to spend time with you!

If you can trust the Lord for your salvation, why can't you also trust Him to take care of your needs in this present hour?  Get to know Him! Get to know His Word, and then use it to grow your faith and chase away for good that pesky spirit of fear.