The Power of Fear

Here’s an interesting tidbit for all you Trivia Buffs.   Statistics show that over 5 million people worldwide suffer from all types of anxiety disorders.

Imagine being so afraid, you collapse due to cardiac arrest and eventually die.  That’s exactly what happened several years ago to a young woman in Staten Island.  She was riding her building’s elevator up to her sixth floor apartment, when suddenly there was a power outage in her neighborhood.  By the time the rescue workers freed her thirty minutes later, she was unconscious.  Sadly, she died in the hospital shortly thereafter.

According to the doctors, her fear triggered an extreme panic attack that sent her sympathetic nervous system into overdrive.  Her heart beat so fast that her body couldn’t handle the exertion, causing it to completely shut down. 

If I may be transparent for a moment, I, too, have suffered from a particular type of anxiety.  It is none other than claustrophobia.  I have spent over forty years of my life battling with this disorder.  The very thought of riding in an elevator, on a subway train or through a traffic tunnel ignites a blaze of fear within me.  Most people who suffer from claustrophobia can’t tell you what initially triggered this phobia in their mind. Rest assure, I certainly can!  I know exactly when, where and why mine started.

Fortunately, I’m now ready to take my life back.  Anxiety Disorders are from the very pit of hell.  They are earthly tools created and used by satan to disrupt and destroy our lives.  The good news is that we have a choice.  We do not have to allow the evil one to win.  The Lord did not give us a spirit of fear.  2 Timothy 1:7 KJV assures us that, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” In fact, the only fear that the Lord has authorized us to experience is fear of the Almighty Himself.  Psalm 145:19 NIV says, “He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them.”  You may be asking yourself, “Okay, so what’s the difference between this fear and the ones mentioned at the beginning of this post?”  For the record, fears formed by the world are intended to keep us in bondage.  Whereas, fear of our Eternal Father draws us closer to Him, which pleases Him tremendously.   As a result, Godly fear lifts us to a higher level of spiritual awareness and worship.  The Lord then, in turn, blesses us with a life of favor and abundance.

My friend, are you allowing anxiety to dominate your life today?  Is there something or someone at work who intimidates you?  Does your peace instantly evaporate into thin air at the very thought of that person?  Well today, let’s you and I both declare that enough is enough!   We are no longer going to allow fear, which was strategically sent by the devourer, to control our life. 

You may have heard me say this before. We have the DNA of the Creator and Commander of the Universe inside of us. Romans 8:37 NIV tells us, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”   So, no matter what situation we may face today, Beloved.  Remember that worldly fear is the enemy’s trick to manipulate us into believing that we can not overcome.  Thank goodness, this is only a lie.  We are royal heirs to the highest of all manmade thrones.  Therefore, we never have to be afraid again because we are protected by a Father who can never be defeated!