Fear is one of the fundamental tool which the devil uses to torment people. There is hardly anyone that exists, that is not afraid of one thing or the other. To some, it could be the fear of failure – whether in life, or in academics, or in business venture. There are some people who are afraid of height, and hence; they don’t fly often. There are others who are even afraid to venture into new things, give their various ideas expressions simply because they don’t know whether they will succeed in it or not. And so, people go about their daily lives with one form of fear or the other.
Whenever I am afraid,
I will trust in You.Psalm 56:3
But it is important to know that the devil is the author of fear. The bible makes it clear that “God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and love and of a sound mind” (2nd Timothy 1:7). It is clear from that passage that God is not the creator of fear. In the beginning, the bible recorded that everything God created was good. One thing the devil knows how to do best is try to perverse the good works of God on the face of the earth. God has made man “fearfully and wonderfully” to reign on earth, and to do exploit for him (Psalm 139:14, Daniel 11:32). But few people on the face of the earth today are fulfilling this purpose of God simply because the devil has planted fear in their hearts.
I remember in my secondary school days how I used to be afraid of whether I was going to ever proceed to the university to further my education. In those days, I used to see myself as a dull student who could never make it into the university. I used to be afraid of whether I would ever pass WAEC and JAMB. I lived with these thoughts almost all throughout my senior secondary school days. But to the glory of God, I was able to overcome that fear the moment I gave my life to Jesus in my SS1. I began to read the scriptures, studying and meditating on it until this fear dissipated from my life. Today, I have successfully completed my second degree to the glory of God, and to the shame of the devil.
I don’t know who specifically this piece is for, but I am sure your life will not remain the same after reading it. Irrespective of what you are afraid of, you can overcome it. God has given you the power and authority to overcome the devil and his antics (especially fear) which he constantly uses to hold people down. Don’t give the devil a room to oppress you with fear in this new year. This is the best time to break loose from that oppression, so that you can enjoy a smooth ride in this new year. Below are a few steps you can take towards living a victorious life devoid of fear this year.
Step one: Be born again. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 that “come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”. To be born again means to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour, to confess him with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead for your justification. Believe me, this works. That moment I gave my life to Jesus Christ in my SS1, all those fear of whether I was going to make it to the university disappeared. I began to see myself in the light of God’s word that He has not given me the spirit of fear.
In case you are yet to give your life to Christ, this is the first step. To be born again is simple. Simply say the following words from the depth of your heart: “LORD JESUS, I ACCEPT YOU TODAY AS MY LORD AND SAVIOUR, I CONFESS YOU THAT YOU ARE MY LORD, AND I BELIEVE IN MY HEART THAT YOU CAME TO DIE FOR ME, AND GOD RAISED YOU AGAIN FOR MY JUSTIFICATION”. If you have done that from the bottom of your heart, glory to God, you are now saved.
Step Two: start feeding on God’s word. Quit dwelling on your fears and start to dwell on the word of God. As you regularly do this, your spiritual maturity is enhanced. Jesus said for man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). Reading the word of God is not the end, you also must develop a meditative lifestyle. Meditation simply means thinking deeply on the word of God that you have read or heard. It also means allowing the word of God to take roots downward in you through your thought process. When your mind is not being filled with the word of God, the devil is smart; he will fill it with all manners of fears. This is the singular reason why you must constantly be word-filled. Do not give the devil any chance to occupy your mind with thoughts of fear any longer.
Step three: have a consistent and workable quiet time alongside a healthy church life.One of the places God has ordained spiritual maturity and development of his children is in the church. The reason for this is because God has set ministry gifts (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers) that will equip the believer to attaining maturity, in the church (Ephesians 4:11-13). Therefore, you cannot afford to joke with your church life in this New Year. Make a conscious effort to program church activities into your schedule.
As you do this, fear will have no place in your life, and you will see yourself flying on the wings of grace. Once again, have a blissful new year.
1 Comment
Thank you Mr Abiola Obayomi for this very important message at such a time as this. It is indeed a word from God through His servant. More grace!