There are many in the Body of Christ who are feeling overwhelmed and overrun by situations beyond their control causing panic attacks and anxiety disorders. The Lord is exposing these roots in order to break free from this yoke of the enemy.
This past week I was reading a report by a nationally recognized prophetic intercessor and the picture was very bleak. As she unfolded all the things taking place across the world and this nation, my spirit bore witness to many of the signs and indicators that she reported concerning these days. It was very disturbing. The more I read, the more I labored in my breathing. Soon, I found myself getting short of breath and had to stop reading altogether. Something was going on.
This was not the first time I had experienced this. Several weeks ago I began to have similar experiences and the Lord revealed to me that I was very anxious. There was a pressure I was feeling but I didn’t know where it was coming from…until I was reading this report. I realized that the pressure I was feeling was FEAR. It was a subconscious doubt that God was really in control and able to DO SOMETHING about all this mess! I also realized that I was taking on a responsibility and burden that was never intended.
Though we need to be aware of the enemy’s schemes and there is an alarm to be sounded, we cannot allow ourselves to be yoked by FEAR or oppression. We can’t afford to react out of desperation – in any situation – but must learn to respond in faith and trust in God.
As I wrote in my last post, I believe the Lord is trying to prepare the Church for some heavy things to come. Our response should not be to run in fear, hide in denial or make light of the realities we face. Unlike some believe, God is not going to rapture the Church out before things get “bad”. We are headed into our finest hour, but we have to face the music and grow up in order to be the change agents He has destined us to be. We must learn how to face our fears, head-on, with a supernatural grace and faith in His unswerving commitment and ability to save, heal, deliver and totally overcome every tactic of the enemy.
As I wrestled with my own condition, the Lord showed me my lack of perspective. I was so focused on all the things that were going wrong and headed down the tubes that I forgot to look at HIM. This has implications at every level. In our own lives and homes, we get so fixated on everything that’s not working we forget to stop and get centered on Him. Negative experiences seem to confirm one another and before long we are convinced that all is lost and we head for the hills. We need a reality check – a supernatural one.
The Lord showed me HIS perspective on the matter in Psalm 37:12-13. “The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the LORD LAUGHS at the wicked, for He knows their day is coming.” Also, in Psalm 2:1-6 – “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, ‘Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.’ THE ONE ENTHRONED IN HEAVEN LAUGHS! The Lord scoffs at them! He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath saying, ‘I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.’”
God is looking at the same scenarios we are, and yet HE LAUGHS! Not in mockery or carelessness, but out of absolute confidence of His plans and purposes being fulfilled. The Lord is calling us to look at things like He does. We are to be seated with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). He needs believers who are fully aware of the dangers ahead, but still laughs. In an effort to thwart the plans of the enemy, we often work feverishly to fix things, maintain some kind of control, get things done, etc. Though this may be a part of our response, there is a much greater need – a FIRST RESPONSE: That is to get in His presence.
We as believers need to learn how to get into that quiet place with Him and get filled with His manifest presence. It is only there that we can find deep-seated peace and assurance. It is there we get revelation and deep understanding in the things of the Spirit that cannot be understood with the natural mind. It is in His presence that fears leave and a calm assurance takes over.
In the days to come, the power of the Kingdom will not come through creative church programs, acts of compassion or community projects, alone. Just knowing things and having the right information does not change things. Only God can bring deliverance to a dying world and it’s only a people who have been filled with His Spirit, empowered by His joy and rested in His presence that can usher His Kingdom in.
As we confront the growing evil around us, we can be like David with the 5 stones and Daniel’s friends in the fiery furnace. They were not trusting in their natural abilities or skills to save them. They weren’t looking for any strategic interference to stop the crisis. They simply headed straight for the battle with their eyes fixed on their God and His ability to deliver them. They knew this because they had been WITH HIM. Their faith rested in The One they had come to know in the intimate place and it was in that faith their deliverance came.
This downloadable study and prayer guide provides scriptural principles, illustrations, insights, and practical understanding behind the spirit of fear and how to get free of it:
Wanda has been in ministry for over 35 years as a worship leader, teacher, author, deliverance counselor, and speaker.
