A spirit of fear has covered our nation and also the world.  We witness this each time we tune in to the national news.  Fear of Covid, fear of the possible confrontations with Antifa, fear of an economic collapse, fear of the direction of our nation after the rampant fraud that transpired in our elections, fear of being accused of “hate speech” in the work place, fear of witnessing the “Change America” that would result in the loss of our beloved nation.

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We have been blessed in the United States, having lived a life of freedom to worship, to move freely from place to place, to pursue our passions unabated.   Having never faced danger on a wide scale basis, we were not properly trained for spiritual battle.  There was no need for “boot camp” and even if we did study spiritual warfare, there was no real platform to exercise those skills for most believers especially on the scale we experience today.

Keep in mind that for the past few decades after prayer and Bible reading was forbidden in the public schools, we have raised a generation of god-less people. The emphasis moved to the exercise of the physical body and the development of the mind while (remember we are three-part creations), the spirit was ignored and atrophy set in.  When the void occurred it was quickly filled by the enemy.  Longing to have the spiritual dimension fed, we witnessed a growing popularity and acceptance of the occult through Harry Potter, Zombies, and music whose lyrics are not repeatable.  Our people are in need of deliverance, yet it is not a word that you often hear discussed or practiced.

Unfortunately, even in the church there is a fear to speak Truth.  Issues are skirted and left unchallenged and the gospel is no longer the “Full Gospel.”  We use the Bible like a menu in a restaurant, picking and choosing what we would like to enjoy while ignoring those items that are necessary for the building up of the Body.

Now, suddenly we find ourselves living in a war zone with battles on so many fronts it is dizzying.

If you have felt the heaviness of the current age in which we are living, I want to speak FAITH and HOPE into your life.  I will share my method with you and pray that God will give you your own rendition, custom built for you.  After all…He knows your name.

First, I remind myself that F-E-A-R is nothing but False Evidence Appearing Real.  The father of lies drops his false evidence into our minds and tries to convince us that it is real.  How many hours do we spend in the “what if’s,” only to find that none of the scenarios come to pass.  So, I am reminded to put on the full armor of God and especially the helmet of Salvation that covers my mind and my thoughts.

Second, I recount all the times that God has revealed Himself to me in my life.  How many prayers He has answered, how many miracles He has performed and not just for me but for my family, my work place, my city, and my country.  I suggest that you tell the stories to others, especially your children and your grandchildren.  Each time you share a story, your faith will be uplifted and it will bring new life to your family as well.

Third, I review all the promises that come to mind from the Word of God and speak them out loud so that darkness will know it has to flee.  Two that I have used are 2 Timothy 1:7, For God has not given us a spirit of FEAR… and Psalm 23,  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will FEAR no evil for Thou art with me.  As you proclaim them aloud you will find more of them bubbling up. You can also download these prayer guides from IFA that are full of powerful verses to pray and speak aloud: Piercing the Darkness: Combatting Fear by Praying God’s Word and God Will Provide. (Editor’s note: One trick my mother taught me to learn anything is to write it. The more senses involved in learning, the more likely we are to remember. So write these verses on note cards, a journal, anything. Find and highlight them in your Bible. Pray through them. Don’t just gloss over them in a prayer guide–invest the time to make them your own. If you read, speak aloud, and write, you are using 4 of the 5 senses! You will learn them and the darkness will flee.)

Fourth, I remind myself that “I am immortal, until God says I am mortal.  My life as a mortal ended when I was born again and God knows when my service on earth is finished, so FEAR NOT!  This is the point when I am inspired by the movie, War Room.  Get up, move around, and declare, command!  I find that is a powerful way to get out from under a blanket of heaviness.  (I encourage you to watch the War Room movie if you have never seen it.)

Fifth, soak in the Presence of God.  My personal favorite CD is Michael W. Smith’s “Awaken.”  I especially love these lyrics: “…This is how I fight my battles…it may look like I’m surrounded but I’m surrounded by You.” As I listen to this music and memorize the words I find that even in the night time when I am partially awake the words flow as a prayer.

Always remember that this battle is not against flesh and blood but principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness in high places.  You are bought by the blood of the Lamb and He has equipped you to be steadfast and do great exploits.

There is no shame in growing weary.  Even soldiers grow weary in times of battle.  This is not a sprint–it is a marathon.  This war will be won, one battle at a time.  Dust yourself off and take a little R & R and when you are called back into action you will stand ready.

Now go and be dangerous for the Kingdom of God.

Betsy West has been praying with IFA since the 1980s. Betsy and her husband Bill are real estate agents and have also been involved in marketplace ministry. Most recently, Betsy and Bill are prayer leaders every Thursday on the IFA Thursday Pray with Others Live webcast (ifapray.org/live) and prayer call (712-775-7431, code 2452#). Photo Credit: Unsplash.

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