There is a song I like by Zach Williams called Fear is a liar. The chorus says;
Fear, he is a liar
He will take your breath
Stop you in your steps
Fear he is a liar
He will rob your rest
Steal your happiness
Cast your fear in the fire
‘Cause fear he is a liar’
The writer of this song describes how fear affects your physical and emotional well being. He shows the progression, starting at making it hard to breathe and paralyzing you, to robbing you from your peace of mind, and feelings of happiness.
Fear is an emotional response to a known, unknown, or definite threat which then produces anxiety.
Anxiety is a diffuse, unpleasant, vague sense of apprehension. It’s often a response to an imprecise or unknown threat.
What starts in the mind as fear and anxiety, eventually affects us physically. Some of the manifestations of anxiety could be headaches, muscle pain and tension, sleep disturbances, tightness felt throughout the body, ringing or pulsing in ears, sweating, trembling, cold chills or hot flushes, upset stomach, shortness of breath, dizziness or feeling faint.
In the day we are living in there is a lot of focus on fear. So many people are experiencing great fear because of the Covid-19 virus. When the virus first arrived there was a fear from the uncertainty that came along with it. There were so many conflicting stories as to how it was actually transmitted from person to person and who was considered to be at a higher risk than the other.
Although many of those questions have been answered, there are still many today who worry themselves by wondering if they contracted the virus, if it would be a life threatening sickness, and how can they protect their family from it. The task of taking the proper precautions, wearing a mask, gloves, sanitizing ourselves and any items that we purchased, is enough in itself to raise our level of stress.
This virus has also created apprehension of financial ruin, a collapse of the economy and there is good reason for the concern. Many people have been laid off or are unable to work due to restrictions and shut downs set in place by the government. They are left wondering what the future holds in regards to their financial stability.
Some people are confused and frustrated by what they are hearing from the media and our government officials. Now, we are questioning what is true and what is a lie.
Some Christians are fearing that the government is trying to take our constitutional rights away by not allowing us to open our churches to worship God.
Also, there have been new headlines and videos circulating about the chip implant, leaving some wondering if there is a conspiracy and connection between the chip and the virus.
Let’s face it, the list can go on and on with things in life that fill us with fear and anxiety, even before the virus took place. However, that’s not what God wants for us. In the bible God tells us numerous times not to fear. Why? Because He loves us, and He knows the adverse affects fear and anxiety will have on our body, mind, and spirit.
I recently started to become a victim to fear, but as I turned my attention towards God, I felt His Spirit comforting me in many ways. In my previous blog titled “Faithfulness,” I already mentioned how God used a bird to show me He was my provider.
Since then, He has continued to comfort me through His word and through reading plans from the Bible App, written by other believers. Two plans I recently read were Victory Over Anxiety by Charles Stanley and Anxious For Nothing, provided by Life Church.
I concentrated on these scriptures:
Psalm 34:4
I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and
delivered me from all my fears.
Psalm 23:4
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you
are with me; Your rod and Your staff,
they comfort me.
Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed,
for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes,
I will help you, I will uphold you with
My righteous right hand.
Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength
of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
I began to give my concerns about contracting the virus to God. I know He is in control and nothing could affect me if God hasn’t allowed it.
As I trusted and placed my care and my families care in God’s hands, the only one who could protect and heal us anyway, I began to feel a release. I felt a heavy burden leave my body. It was such a freeing experience knowing and believing that God was in control of my future.
I continued to give every care and concern to The Lord, even when I heard, read, or talked with someone about things that I found disturbing, like the government fringing on my constitutional rights. Instead of worry, I fought back my anxious thoughts with the truth “no one will or can keep me from worshiping my God!”
Even if the government shuts down every church building, they will never stop the church body from praising and worshiping the Lord! If I have to, I will stand in the middle of the street by myself and shout praises to my King, the one who deserves all my praise.
In Acts 16 Paul and Silas were put in prison for casting out a spirit from a fortune teller, who then stopped making money for her employer. It was because of that, Paul and Silas were charged with unlawful customs against the Romans.
After they were arrested they were severely flogged, thrown into an inner prison, and their feet were fastened in the stocks. In verses 25 & 26 it continues to say: “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.”
Just as God did for Paul and Silas, He will give us strength and courage to still praise Him when the world is trying to shut us up and imprison us. Even in the worst circumstances, God’s Power and Glory will shine through our lives and cause people to stop, listen and see Him in a miraculous way.
Brothers and sisters, I believe we are living in the end times but that isn’t something we have to fear. God has given us His word which equips us with the knowledge of things to come. His Word prepares us for the future events of the world.
For me, it is exciting to see prophesy from many years ago coming to pass in our world today. This is a perfect opportunity to use God’s word to educate people to which prophesies have been and are close to, being fulfilled in our culture today.
I pray you will give your fear to the Lord and find comfort in His presence.
