God Is For You

"Combatting fear is spiritual, but combatting fear is physical. Find an activity to release the steam ... Then when your pulse slows down and common sense returns, get out your Bible and read what God says about peace."

TIMOTHY FEARED motion. He feared acting, and Paul, his spiritual father in the church, wrote to encourage him. He reminded him of his background, how his mother and grandmother had believed in Christ. Then he reminded him he had been appointed to his position and had personally hands laid on him. “Stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands,” he said (1 Timothy 1:6). These were the reasons he spoke so strongly about fear in the next verse.

“I remember the strength of your grandmother’s faith and your mother’s faith. I remember laying hands on you. God has not given you a spirit of fear. But His spirit is love and power and a sound mind. Be not ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me, His prisoner.”

Fear steals clear thinking. It paints in front of you sure disaster as the only possible future, and suddenly every other option vanishes from view. It’s a lie. And the worst kind of lie because the results of it are sickness, illness, shame, condemnation, and death. “You’re better off dead,” it says.

But hear me in this. No, you aren’t. The devil lies to you, your body lies to you, your mind lies to you. I have had my stomach upset, my palms sweating, nausea fighting me, and every bad scenario playing through my head, yet walked out the door and gone to do what I needed to do. I knew my body lied to me. I knew what the devil in my ear said wasn’t true. And I combatted it. With the Word of God, of course. I quoted the truth of the Word. But I’d also reach for the nearest physical object and say, “This table is real. This chair is real.” When nothing else made sense, I knew I was alive and these objects around me weren’t figments.

The stress having built up inside, the pressure in my head about to explode, I’d get in the car and go for a drive. A mile down the road, I’d let it out. Scream until my throat hurt. It didn’t solve anything, and yet it did. Because here’s the spiritual truth. God loved me through it. He stood with me in the valley. The Spirit of God took my side. Where I expected Him to chastise me, instead He screamed too.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (Psalms 23:4)

God is FOR YOU. And He wants you to live. He knows our physical nature. He created it. Jesus knows human pressure, human thinking. He is human.

“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32)

Combatting fear is spiritual, but combatting fear is physical. Find an activity to release the steam. I’ve walked until I can’t take another step. I’ve cleaned every door in my house twice. When I was too weak and tired, I’d quote psalms on repeat. Sing whatever came to mind. Some of it fast-paced and LOUD. Don’t let the devil convince you that you are weak because you physically react to fear. Watch something funny. Read something which interests you. Or go way out of the box.

I remember, one time, I looked up polka songs on YouTube and played an hour’s worth. By the end, I felt immensely better. Not that the songs did anything spiritually, but mentally, they lightened the mood. And confused the devil. “What IS she doing?”

It IS a spiritual battle. But it is a mental one as well, and there are things you can do to alleviate the pressure. Eat an entire bag of chocolate chips. Go to the ice cream store. Take your dog for a long walk. Redecorate the spare room like you’ve said you would. In short, GET YOUR MIND OFF THE PROBLEM. Then, when your pulse slows down and common sense returns, get out your Bible and read. Find what God says about peace.

Here's what my mom always teaches: The God of Peace sent the Prince of Peace with the gospel of peace to send the Spirit of peace and bring peace on earth, goodwill toward men.

Peace is God’s will for you, but getting there from a place of anger takes some physical and mental adjustments, and being honest, I don’t usually feel like sitting around peacefully. But I know, greater than anything coming against me, God is at my side, and He will never leave me or forsake me. I don’t fear sin. That’s the devil talking. “You do this and you’ll disappoint God. You can’t handle the pressure.” No, I’m human, and one day, Jesus walked in the temple and saw them buying and selling goods instead of praying, and He turned the whole place upside-down. His Father supported Him with the next words out of His mouth. “It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves (Matthew 21:13).”

Your heavenly Father supports you. He loves you. He does not condone sin. That’s not what I’m talking about. Going against what you know is wrong in the Word of God isn’t freedom. But when that curse word falls out. He’s forgiveness. When you lose control and throw something at the wall. He’s tenderness. When you take that drive and let off steam, He’s self-control. I eventually hit the point where the heat didn’t bother me, where the devil couldn’t stir up fear and panic, or anger and frustration. I no longer cared to blow up. But what I’m telling you is, for a good while, I did.

And God loved me anyway.

“And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.” (Matthew 9:11-12)

“God is our shelter and our strength. When troubles seem near, God is nearer, and He’s ready to help. So why run and hide? No fear, no pacing, no biting fingernails. When the earth spins out of control, we are sure and fearless. When mountains crumble and the waters run wild, we are sure and fearless. Even in heavy winds and huge waves, or as mountains shake, we are sure and fearless.” (Psalm 46:1-3, VOICE)

Image by Duckleap Free Resources from Pixabay


----------
Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com