Fear is a massive weapon of our enemy the devil.
Through it he cause believers to doubt the Word of God and remain ineffective instead of confident to benefit from all that the Christian life offers.

I believe this is a pivotal year and we need to be prepared and on the move, obedient to preach the gospel of the Kingdom wherever God leads us.
However fear will hold us back from pushing the limits to achieve all that the Lord is telling us to do.

In that meeting another speaker suggested that we allow God to pinpoint 5 top fears in our life and begin to work on them. The reason being that these are marks that limit you from pressing forward. You may find it helpful to do that as we continue.

Fear connects to the spirit of fear whereas faith connects to the spirit of faith. Fear robs you of operating in faith. Yet the Word of God has something very specific to say as a word of encouragement and proclamation of faith for all believers.

2 Timothy1:7 has this to say
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power of love and of a sound mind”

Yes, there is a spirit of fear but it does not come from God. He is not the source of fear in your life.

Moreover in this passage we see that God provides three, not one, but three powerful antidotes to deliver you from fear.

An antidote is anything which is used to counteract evil or disease in your life. Fear is evil and for many it has the same effect as any disease. So lets take a look at these weapons.

God has given us a spirit of power. God is all powerful in every way. He has placed himself on the inside of us. We have to wake up to this fact. His power is in us and at our disposal. We are not battling on our own. If God is for us who can be against us. This truth has to sink into our very being and bring confidence to us in everything we do. When we get hold of that we will begin to do exploits for God. It will enable us to stand up strong and go into all the world with boldness.

God has given us a spirit of love. God is love so he has given us of Himself in that statement. This year we must begin to manifest His love. So many other passages spring to mind on this but perhaps 1 John 4:18 brings it alive for us the most. “Perfect love casts out fear”
The spirit of love operating in you constantly will drive fear from you. However we have to learn to walk in it, trust in it and then rest in it. This is not just a nice little phrase. It is a powerful truth. In fact the whole of 1 John 4 expands this theme even further and I would encourage you to read it.

God has given us the spirit of a sound mind.
The Word of God declares that we have the mind of Christ. It is there for us, strong and sound.Yet how often do we turn to him as a last resort or not at all. When circumstances hit or decisions have to be made even in the ordinary every day of life. These easily create uncertainty and fear which will cripple you from acting wisely. You have a sound mind. It’s time to activate it.

Indeed that is the real key to combat fear. We have the antidote. We have to use it. We have to give fear no place in us. Not one thought, not one word not one moment of time. Every time you sense the first sign of fear coming on you use your faith and take the antidote. Faith speaks so speak against it and don’t receive it. Declare out loud that you are developing the spirit of faith in your life and that is life in Christ Jesus. As you do you will push the limits this year and victory will prevail.