The Enemy's Deadliest Weapon

We battle with It daily. If is present when we awake, and when we retire at night. It is present at the dinner table and at the lunch counter. According to one writer, "It is at the heart every terrorist’ attack and oppression. Its goal is to frighten, terrify, and cause to panic to the point that a person or people cannot resist." It affects the sinner and the believer alike. Unlike the rest of the world, "believers don’t have to accept, cope with, or tolerate it in any way."

People, the "It" I am referring to is FEAR. Defined by Webster, "Fear is an emotion excited by danger, evil or pain. It is a feeling of apprehension and dread."

Fear, though real, was never the plan of the Creator. Jesus went through great lengths so that we would not have to cope with this enemy. Just as He annihilated it with the Word, we, too, must destroy it by "speaking, meditating and acting on the Word."

Why is there so much talk about fear? Fear is at the heart of much of the violence in America. Our city streets are filled with bodies riddled by gunfire because of fear. The motto of the Police Department appears to be " Kill or be Killed." Fear is what causes them or anyone to defend themselves. Fear and guns have replaced our promise of protection outlined in Psalms 91. Instead of speaking the Word, we are drawing our guns, and death and destruction are the results.

Where did fear originate? The book of Hebrews declares, "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he (Jesus) also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." Before Christ died, all mankind was subject to bondage through fear. The enemy held it over the believer. This fear is the basis of all forms of fear. Our basic fears such as, the dark, heights, unknown, flying, close spaces, insects, animals, etc. all originated from this fear devised by the enemy.

In order to wage a war on fear and win, we must know its origin. Fear is a spirit. One cannot see or touch it. It attacks the minds and enters the hearts of the believer. Fear can grip us to the point of paralysis and we become enslaved by it. But thanks be to God for sending His Son, Jesus, who destroyed fear at its roots by taking it from Satan.

Although Christ destroyed fear, we still live in a world that’s held captive by it. That means we will encounter it, and have to deal with it. People, our lives are not governed by chance, luck or some psychic phenomenon. Our lives are governed by spiritual laws.

Unlike natural laws that determine how we are to conduct ourselves, Romans 8:2 declares "the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death." This is especially important because anytime we put the laws of sin and death into operation, they will kill us. Why? Because "sin ultimately produces death." When Jesus died and rose, we received authority in the law of the Spirit, and we are now free from the fear of death.

To be victorious, we must get in Fear’s face. Fear is a stronghold that must be pulled down.

The Bible is full of keys which lies in pulling them down. One example occurs when God instructs Joshua into the promised land. "As with Moses, so will I be with thee." Through Christ, "we have authority over everything that walks, talks, or creeps."

We must use the weapons we’ve been given to launch our counterattack. Fear will not go away. Trust me, I deal with it daily. Our success will come when we destroy it daily with the weapon that Christ used; "The Life-Producing Word of the Living God."

By Travestine J. Wright