Satan challenges God's faith-giving promises with fear. He challenges God's Word with fear. The promises of God have been given to cover everything in existence to mankind. Chapter one in Second Peter says that everything pertaining to life and godliness is covered by the great and precious promises of the Word.

If Satan can get you into an area of fear, he can keep you from operating on those promises.

FEAR USED TO CONTROL

The main thing I want you to realize is the part fear plays in Satan's tactics. He uses fear to control and dominate. He cannot affect you without the force of fear just as God cannot affect you without the force of faith.

Fear is so much a part of daily life that we don't even realize it most of the time. I am not referring so much to the extreme fears that occur as a result of sudden shock; but to the fears that people act on unknowingly every day. Satan uses these little fears every way possible to keep people under his control.

The force of fear works in the human body even without our awareness. It is a spiritual force so it can operate in the flesh without being detected. People of God act on the force of fear so proficiently that it goes unchecked.

Fear and faith cannot operate at the same time. They are both spiritual forces. When one is acted on, it takes ascendancy and negates the other one.

Fear will produce sickness and disease in your body the same way faith produces healing. People who are desperately sick are also desperately afraid. Job said, "That which I have so greatly feared has come upon me." Fear will bring bondage. Romans 8:15 says, "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba Father."

Hebrews 2:13-14 says, "Forasmuch then as children are partakers of flesh and blood, He (Jesus) also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had power of death, that is the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."

The phrase "fear of death" does not just mean a fear of dying. There is more to it than that. It is referring to the law of sin and death, which covers everything that destroys and steals from you. When you operate under that law, fear is manifested in all its forms to bring sickness and disease, financial failure, worry and death. The law of Sin and Death produces all failure.

REDEEMED FROM FEAR

FREEDOM FROM FEAR IS PART OF OUR REDEMPTION. Isaiah 53:7 in referring to Jesus on the cross says, "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted." Isaiah 54:14 says, "In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear; and from terror; for it shall not come near thee."

God has established us in righteousness through the shed blood of Jesus. He who knew no sin was made to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. That righteousness, or right standing with the Father, opens the door to our complete freedom.

OPPRESSION COMES FROM FEAR. Acts 10:38 says that "Jesus went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him." Jesus healed ALL THAT WERE OPPRESSED OF THE DEVIL.

Satan's number one weapon is fear, and he uses that weapon to bring oppression and affliction to the Body of Christ. Fear is enforced by an active realm of evil spirits. When you give them an avenue to operate in your life, they will move in and bring their bondage with them.

DON'T YIELD TO FEAR

Fear will work against you at every opportunity. By giving thought, speech, and action to it, the force of fear will work proficiently. It will work in you as long as you allow it to; but you can also put a stop to it and its effect to your spirit, soul and body.

First John 4:18 says, "…perfect love casteth out fear." According to 2 Timothy 1:7, "…we have not been given a spirit of fear; but of power, of love and a sound mind."

Quit practicing fear! Quit giving place to it. The worst thing you can do is act on fear. If you see it rising up within you in any way, take authority over it. CAST DOWN that imagination that would exalt itself against the knowledge (the Word) of God.

Fear is NOT a natural force to the born again believer. First John 4:16-18 tells us "…we are of God. God is in us and we are in him." God is Love. THERE IS NO FEAR IN LOVE. Love casts out fear. Faith is natural to us. Not fear. Fear has to be received through the mind. As we act on the Word (1 John 2:5, 4:18) fear is kicked out. It is dominated by faith.

LET'S PRAY

Make the decision to live free of fear. Ask God to reveal the areas in your life where you are acting in fear. It is the little foxes that spoil the vine, so be watching for those little fears and get rid of them by the authority of God's Word. Join me now in this prayer: