Historians will probably call our era “the age of fear.” Fear is the natural result when our hopes are centered in anything short of God and His will for us. -Billy Graham

There is no doubt that we live in times that are filled with fear. Many Americans are dealing with different types of fear when it comes to the issues we face as a nation. Fear is an enemy that torments the soul, and seeks to steal peace out of our life. Conquering it is not something that occurs in one day, or even in 1,000. It is something that we conquer one day at a time with God’s help.

Fear can show up unexpectedly. One of our goals should be to recognize it so we can deal with it right away. Throughout the last week of the election I was waking up around 3 in the morning, and then having difficulty going back to sleep. After two nights of that, I found myself going to bed with a fear of what aftermath may take place after the election. This happened to me for three nights then God reminded me that I could pray, trust Him, and put my fears in His hands. According to God’s Word, the sleep of the righteous should be sweet (see Proverbs 3:24). I prayed immediately and went back to sleep putting my problems in God’s hands. Since then I have enjoyed every night of sleep in perfect peace.

Understand, losing our fear doesn’t mean that we will never experience it or be confronted by it. It means that we are committed to not allowing it to rule our lives. Each time you feel fear and decide to lose it by giving it to God you will enjoy a new freedom that is beyond explanation. You will become determined to end your days of slavery to fear. That does not mean that you won’t still need to confront your fears, but it does mean that you will be more and more willing to keep confronting them.

The Bible says in Galatians 5:1, “In [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off].” This scripture is very clear that even though we have been completely liberated from spiritual bondage, we will need at times to “stand fast,” and not allow ourselves to be entrapped by it again. Satan is very persistent, and he doesn’t give up easily. I guess we can say that he never completely gives up the hope of drawing us back into fear. We must live watchfully, and be ready to confront the things that steal our liberty in Christ.

The Bible says that the righteous man falls seven times and gets up again (see Proverbs 24:16). Even the most righteous person fails to do everything he or she knows to do all the time, but is committed to not giving up. Even if you have a weak moment, that doesn’t mean you have lost your victory. If we give up, even God can’t help us because we receive His help through faith, not through hopelessness. We need to stay positive, hopeful and filled with faith, and when we do, we can overcome anything with God’s help.

I’ve heard it said that anyone can succeed if they refuse to give up! The Word of God says that we are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us (Romans 8:37). God has given us all that we could ever need to overcome our fears through Christ. He has blessed us with every blessing in the spiritual realm (Ephesians 1:3). He has given us power and authority over all the power the devil can offer us (Luke 10:19). We have what it takes, but we must be active and never give up. Don’t be impatient! Possessing the full freedom that is yours in Christ is a life long journey. It is something we gain and then need to maintain.

Learn to enjoy your progress instead of merely looking at how far you have to go. Today is a new day, and every day you can be one step closer to conquering your fears! This Sunday at South Side we will discuss how to lose our fear, and take a special moment to honor our veterans who faced their fears to preserve our freedom. We would love to have you come worship with us at 10:45 as we lift High the wonderful name of Jesus

In Christ,

Barry Pettit

Sr. Minister

South Side Church of Christ

www.southsidewch.com