In the past few weeks we have learned that Jesus came to set you free from sin and to give you freedom to be thankful in all circumstances. Today we are going to talk about another aspect of freedom Jesus has given you. He came to set you free from fear and give you the freedom to be bold. 

‭‭Luke‬ ‭4:18‬ ‭(ESV‬‬) tells us, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me (Jesus), because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,” (words in parenthesis mine). Jesus came to set the captives free. 

Fear Is A Stronghold

Fear is definitely something that holds God’s people captive. When I was a little girl, I was terrified of dogs. That fear of dogs prevented me from going out and playing with my friends and cousins if a dog happened to be out with them. I remember many times looking out the window at the other kids playing, wishing I was brave enough to go out there too. As much as I wanted to go out there and play, I couldn’t because I was paralyzed by fear. I was unable to actually face my fear and do what I really wanted. By using the Word of God, I was able to conquer my fear.

While this is a seemingly small example of how fear puts us in bondange, I can tell you I have seen many women who are ruled by fear over the years. They all have the same thing in common: they all are unable to do something they really want to do because fear tells them they can’t. 

Fear Is An Evil Spirit

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” ‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭1:7‬ ‭(NKJV‬).‬ This verse shows us that fear is in fact a spirit. Furthermore, it is a spirit not given by God because the Spirit of God gives us power, love, and a sound mind. So anytime we are overcome with fear, we are being led by an evil spirit. However, when we stand up to fear and prevent it from controlling us, we are overcome with power from Holy Spirit to be bold and courageous. 

We see this play out in Acts 4:31 (ESV)  “And when they (the disciples) had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” (words in parenthesis mine). The Holy Spirit gives us boldness to do, say, and think like him. Holy Spirit isn’t afraid of heights, dogs (or any animals), not having enough or being enough, and he certainly isn’t afraid of any virus or potential evil government takeover. 

It’s Your Choice

When we give our lives to Jesus, he gives us himself, the Father, and the Holy Spirit in return. This means we are living a fake life when we allow the spirit of fear to control us. Just as Holy Spirit desires you to live a life of boldness and courage, the demon spirits desire for you to live in bondage to fear and anxiety. You must choose to live in freedom or bondange. It’s 100% your choice. 

How do we break free from the bondage of fear? By standing firm on the Word of God. We remember who God says we are, and we proclaim that truth until we believe it with our whole hearts. Then we continue to proclaim that truth so we won’t forget it. 

How To Fight

I’ve said this over and over, but I will continue to say this until I die; it is imperative to have the truth in places you can see it throughout the day. I have a ton of sticky notes on my bathroom mirror. Some have Bible verses on them, some have quotes from pastors that remind me who I am on them, and some have declarations God has given me written on them. Each time I walk into my bathroom I see those notes. I don’t even have to read them to recall what they say. I do tend to read one or two each time I stand there getting ready for the day or for bed. It is my belief that every Christian should do this too. 

Perhaps your bathroom mirror isn’t an effective place for you to place reminders. However, I am sure you have someplace to stick reminders such as a planner, your computer, and I know you have a phone you can place reminders on. The point is to put God’s word in front of your face as often as possible. This makes the job of demons much more difficult. They have a lot harder time convincing you to believe lies when the truth is in front of you all day long. 

The Result

What happens when you are living your life and fear suddenly grips a hold of you? This is where your voice comes to play. You start proclaiming the truth out loud. Yes, you may look like a crazy person, but who cares. You are voicing the truth and demons can’t fight against the truth. God’s word is more powerful than any of us realize. Remember what Hebrews 4:12 (ESV) says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

Demons don’t have any weapon that can even come close to defeating the Word of God. So start giving truth a voice, shout it at the top of your lungs if you need to. Just don’t allow Satan to get a foothold on you and put you back into bondage of being afraid. I have an example of when I did just this in Welcome to 2021: The Year of the Harvest.

Remember you can always trust God. He is trustworthy all the time. He will never leave you or forsake you. Remember you are free to live a life of boldness because, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” ‭‭. 2 Corinthians‬ ‭3:17‬ ‭(ESV‬‬). You have been set free from the bondage of fear and anxiety. Walk in freedom my friend. It is amazing!