Writing about the midnight prayer vigils and seeking the sacred in the every moment had me thinking this week about the a certain scripture on security. This chapter always surfaces in my thoughts when the fear that threatens to steal peace approaches. Recollecting memories of time spent studying His Word provides the arsenal I need in the moment that fear presses close, it prepares my heart for the battle to commence.
His Word is our Tool Box
This is a battle; though the fight is not against flesh and blood and that is why it is harder to check our adversary. We can’t see the danger, but we can sense it. Immediately, 2 Timothy1:7 comes to mind, I remember that we have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.
Ephesians 6:10-18 reveals all the tools available at our disposal to reroute the path meant to take us away from the peace of His presence. We have the sword of the Spirit which cuts in two every evil plan that was not meant to touch our lives, the helmet of salvation, the shoes of peace, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith and the belt of truth. And I realized, we’ve been harnessing the shield of faith a lot here, in our home, as we have been facing giants that our lack of faith has built up. Sometimes though, we’ve let the shield drop and have failed to pick up the sword as we ought.
{Are you here, too?}
{Have you felt yourself giving in when fear presses close?}
We are destined for the security of His Shadow
It’s different for everyone I know, but each of us are wrestling with that ‘something’ that doesn’t allow us to walk in faith easily. There are those little things, or maybe they are the big things, that are tripping us up. They are hedging us in and holding us back from the freedom that Christ came to give.
We were never meant to live in bondage, but instead we were destined
for the freedom that is found in abiding in the shadow of the Almighty.
Those moments when we our hearts beat fast and the bend of our limbs gives way, those are the moments we can fully experience His power, if we choose to cleave to it. If we choose to turn towards that still quiet voice speaking, whispering close.
You see, I am learning, slower than I would actually like to, that as I run into the tower of strength His shelter provides, there is no division between my location and His. As I am IN Christ, situated directly within the shadow of His presence, the cloak of fear doesn’t have the power to control my choices or disrupt my future.
It is so easy to give into the fear when circumstances don’t look like we’d hope.
It is easy to sway with the wind of doubt when change invades our present.
It is easy to give up when we feel like our prayers are not being answered.
And, friends, it is easy to lose faith in the promise we’ve been clinging to when we are brought to the end of ourselves.
Faith in the face of fear always gives wings to hope, seated in the power and fullness of Christ’s sufficiency, that can never be deferred from our future.
It isn’t just our circumstances and our decisions that are hedged in by this crippling emotion. Fear is a perversion of truth. Biblical fear is equated with reverent worship and knowledge that a Holy Righteous God exists. This is healthy holy fear which always leads to wisdom, drawing us up into strength of character and peace of mind to withstand in the evil day.
Fear, as many of us actually see it in our every day exchanges, robs us of precious relationships. The consequences of actions dictated by fear often lead to poor choices. Our reaction places our trust in an outcome that has not been dictated by God.
When I take my eyes off God, for even a fraction of a second, I am overwhelmed by the hurt and the evil that is just outside our doors. News events, loss, death, sickness, sin… they all steal the joy of the Lord and plant fear in its place. It’s no wonder we are confused by the chaos.
Run to His Word and rest in the Truth.
Let His Word be written on your heart. It is your plumb line of reference and the authority over fear’s reaching arms.
When shadows descend I find myself repeating a long ago memorized song of promise from one of my favorite books. Let’s spend time in David’s Psalm of Security.
He that dwells in the sacred place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust.
Surely he shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly pestilence.
He shall cover you with his feathers, and under his wings shall you trust;
His truth shall be my shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid for the terror by night; nor the arrow that flies by day,
Nor for the pestilence that walks in the darkness; nor the destruction that lays waste at noon,
A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you.
Only with your eyes shall you behold and see the reward of the wicked.
Because you have made the LORD, which is your refuge, even the Most High, your habitation;
There shall no evil befall you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.
For he shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.
They will bear you up in their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone.
You shall tread upon the lion and adder, the young lion and serpent you will trample underfoot.
Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.
Psalm 91
These words have filled me with the courage to face so many fearful situations in my life. David’s battle song has been a faith builder, but I am not speaking as though I am ignorant of the reality of our daily struggle to choose faith over fear.
The reality is that scary things will show up in our lives. The beauty is that we don’t have to give in to the fear that threatens to take away the peace that Jesus promised was ours. We know this because that which is in you has overcome the world, including the spirit of fear.(John4:4)
The stronghold of fear is a sieve that allows for loss, but faith’s creed calls us to stand strong, unsifted by the winds that blow.
Living under the control of fear has consequences that we can’t always measure.
- Fear has often robbed me of the blessing living In Christ provides.
- Fear has tainted relationships by actions that are not ruled by love.
- Fear has crippled me from stepping out in faith because I doubted the outcome.
- Fear limited the harvest that I can expect because I don’t take the risk.
However, each circumstance of fear in my past doesn’t have to be a consequence which molds my future. I am choosing the bold grace thing, but I am also longing to choose this bold faith thing, too. You know, the live by faith, not by sight creed that we are called to?
Can I ask:
What is it that causes your heart to beat a little faster?
Where are you finding your knees buckling when fear-thoughts invade your present?
This battle with fear, it is one I need to give to God, but we are getting there.. He and I. He’s still teaching me that He is fully in control and I can trust Him with everything. The stolen moments when fear comes close, if I listen I hear His firm gentle voice calling me to trust, beckoning me to pray, reminding me to speak His promises, urging me to believe He is there.
My prayer for you today is that you would no longer submit to the fear that is holding you back. Fear of others thoughts, the what-if’s, the balance in the bank account, the test results, the job security, your 401K, your health, the children, tomorrow, etc..
My hope is that you will step a little closer to faith today, put on the garment of praise as you confidently stand strong against the habit of fear, and abide deep in the shadow of His righteous refuge. I pray you will even feel the flutter of angels’ wings as the ones who were sent to guard you continue to complete their mission.
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the way that you spread a covering of safety over your own. Praise You for Your mercy extended to us in our moments of fear, and for the promises of hope and redemption we find in your Word. Encircle us with the belt of truth, Your Word that declares the rights and promises of Your children. Strengthen us to lift the shield of faith, quenching every fiery dart that attempts to ruin. Gird our hands to wield the Sword of Truth that we would cut in two every attack of the enemy. Quicken Your Holy Spirit within our hearts so that at the moment we feel tempted to give in to fear, we would be encouraged by your grace and peace. Bring us close to your heart that we would know nothing separates us from your love. Thank you for the angels you set over us to keep us and guard us. We are grateful.
In Jesus Name,
Amen!
Be encouraged and be lifted up and remember that we have been given the means to overcome through Christ.
May all your journeys be blessed by His grace,
Connecting hearts through link ups today:
Thought Provoking Thursdays, Fellowship Fridays, Missonal Women, Missional Call, Equipping Godly Women, Essential Things Devotions, Faith and Fellowship Blog Hop, Counting My Blessings,Saturday Soiree
Psalm 91…what an encouraging and comforting psalm:) thanks for it today. i’m your neighbor at friendship friday.
You are most welcome! I am glad you were here, Martha. It is good to be surrounded by those who are pursuing grace together!
Blessings,
Dawn
What a wonderful reminder of the power of God’s Word over our fears. Thank you for sharing
I have learned,Tania, it is here, resting in His Word, that fear can not gain leverage on us. That is something we can’t hold in, isn’t it? It is a power that seems to burst out and spill over. Thanks for stopping by!
Blessings,
Dawn
Thank you for this truly LOVELY post! The word is so powerful and so incredibly life changing. Thank you for taking the time to write this!
Thanks for the encouragement,Janelle. I am thankful that you were blessed. May His grace consume your every moment so that fear will not find room to get a foothold!
Bless you!
Dawn
My friend, your words were EXACTLY what I needed to hear today! Thank you for reminding me to lay my fear before the feet of Jesus and that He is faithful to carry my burdens and fears. I don’t have to experience the bondage that anxiety brings! I love your vulnerability in sharing that you are still working on this aspect of your life! It’s so refreshing! I’m sharing this on FB today!
Amen! You are not meant to live under the weight of anxiety that fear shoves toward us, because you have been liberated from the power that it tries to reign over you. and I am thrilled that you found hope and refreshment in that truth. I have lived far too long under it shadow and I don’t want to hang around that dark place any longer. We have nothing to fear because we HAVE God… that has to be enough. It is! 🙂
Bless you dear friend!
I have been thrown off, tripped up by, I know a small thing, this week. I think I was further thrown off by the fact I immediately fell apart…I know all of those things you just said, but still that fear was right there and it just came right in. Only God knew how much I needed to read those words today…Thank you.
Praying for you and praising God that in some way the words that poured from my own shaking heart were a blessing to meet you where you were. Even in the small things, we need to remember, (speaking to my own heart here, too) that God doesn’t fault us in our tripping and falling… it is His strength in our rising that meets us and lifts us. For moments that I overreact, trip and fall, I remember Micah 7:8 – “Rejoice not against me, O my enemy! When I fall, I shall arise: when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light to me.”
This post is just SO full of His Wisdom and Word, and it speaks to my heart in a profound way…
Thank you for offering such beautiful insight- and encouragement for all of us who struggle with fear.
This faith thing, it is profound and it is pure and it is the light that shines in the dark moments, right. And it is the walking together, reading stories of hope that we all can share, these are the times when we can push the fear under the footstool of the Lord, where it rightfully belongs. So thankful you were here to be encouraged, Chris!!
Bless you!
Dawn
I lived far too long in fear. I’m so thankful to finally be resting in His truth and running to Him each time fear raises its ugly head. Thanks so much for joining the link party at CMB. Blessings and hugs!
Run friend.. that is the glory of this race we have laid before us! And in the running we are getting stronger and stronger. We are getting to recognized the lies in comparison to truth and fear loses its power in our lives because of that.
Running with you is a privilege!
Blessings,
Dawn
Your words definitely resonated with me. Fear no longer has the hold on me that it once did. Our family has walked out several journeys that I felt I’d never be able to walk (an unexplained debilitating illness in one of our children, cancer for me, and betrayal from people we trusted) and found that God is faithful and His promises are always true…a strong anchor in the storms of life. With God on my side I can say with confidence that I have nothing to fear. Thanks for sharing your heart!
Stopping in from Faith Along the Way!
~Candy
Candy,
Thank you for sharing your story here, for spending time reading words that were meant to encourage you. I will be praying for you. I am learning that those hard places, the ones that rip our hearts bare, they are the moments where His grace is the deepest because He knows that the bleeding couldn’t be stopped w/o the cauterization of His love upon the wound.
Bless you!!
Dawn
This is one of my favorite passages Dawn. It brings comfort to my heart in so many different situations where I feel anything ranging from FEAR to INSECURITY. How wonderful to know that God understands our fears and is always surrounding us with His presence.
His presence which surrounds us, truly is the one thing that draws us up out of the pit that fear can dig in our lives. It is one of my favorite passages, too, Betsy. I am thrilled that it spoke to your heart, it is beautiful the way God does that, isn’t it?
Bless you!
Dawn
p.s. The photograph/graphic is LOVELY. Speaks to my heart.
I loved what you said about God’s word being our tool box. What a wonderful post so filled with scripture that will encourage.
It really is one of those things we sometimes miss, but these tools that He give us they make life so much easier when we recognize the power they wield.
Thanks for spending time with me here.
Blessings!
Dawn
Thank you so much for linking up to Fellowship Fridays! What a beautifully written post and a great call to all of us here – to run back to the safety of God’s Word. Blessings on you!
Julie
Fear is an ugly place to live in. Trusting is hard, but it is always worth it! Thanks for sharing on Equipping Godly Women Fellowship Fridays!