Breaking Out!!!

Do you know what the most frequent command is in the Bible?

Don't Be Afraid

Many of you know that I am participating in an extremely in-depth 10-week bible study of the book Esther. I have never picked a part a Book of the Bible as I am doing right now; however, the 45 minutes a day, 5 days week, and weekly 2 hour group study, is truly transforming my thinking and passion for the Lord.

This past week, I was asked by a friend in the Bible Study "What is the biggest thing God has been dealing with you on over the past year?" I quickly knew it was FEAR!! The Lord has been working in this area of my life for many months.

I have struggled with fears of all kinds for many years. Being Scared to death of go to the movies or certain malls, because I feared my car would be stolen. Or scared to death to shop at Big Retailers (such as Target or Wal-Mart) because of the Fear of being attacked. I even feared the thought of my husband driving to or from work, and being killed on his way. I would agonize until he walked back through the door, and safely in my arms.

I began praying and asking the Lord, "Protect Me God as I walk to my car, Keep me safe as I shop at various places, Give My Husband Traveling Mercies as he drives." These were my prayers each and every day, and to be honest my thought process had become: "God is Good, if he does what I say."

Satan convinced me that I had overcome those Fears, by telling God what I thought should be done and trusting the Lord agree with MY WAY. 'My natural human defense was to grovel before God and plead with Him not to let those "FEARS" happen. I had CONDITIONAL TRUST, which truly had me as a target for Enemy Torment. This positioned me as a negotiator and beggar before God instead of a secure child who trusts my Faithful Father with my life.'

(Side Note: Don't misunderstand. 'I'm still a huge believer of praying against what we fear and for the desires of our heart. I also believe as children of God, we are free and safe to voice our worst nightmares to God. In times of crisis and demonic attack, however, our vulnerable souls need something more. And the most critical break through of faith you and I could ever experience is to let God bring us to a place where we trust Him....PERIOD! We have to be determined to trust Him no matter what, even if our worst nightmare befalls us. We will have no greater victory and can render Satan no harsher blow.")

Through the intense study of Esther and a new Sermon Series at Church, called "Break Out", I realized I had to FACE the FEARS and work through each of them (which I am still working on.) I had to ask myself the following question:

And if ________________ were to happen, then ___________.

The fear the Lord is leading me to share with you is the Fear of Losing a Close Loved One.

"If I was to lose someone I loved more than anything on this earth, then I would be totally devastated and the shock and tears would overcome me.

As admitted this to the Lord, he asked,"THEN WHAT WOULD YOU DO?"

"Well, then I would cry for weeks, how could I go out of my house and face the world again?"

THEN WHAT WOULD YOU DO, the Lord asked me.

"Then I would visit those that were close to the person I lost, and share memories. And still cry a lot."

THEN WHAT WOULD YOU DO, the Lord asked me.

"Then I would begin the get all the "business" side of things taken care of."

THEN WHAT WOULD YOU DO, the Lord asked me.

"Then I would slowly organize their things and begin packing them away."

THEN WHAT WOULD YOU DO, the Lord asked me.

"I would bow on my knees, and slowly raise my hands, and begin praising You Lord for gift You blessed me with in that person I lost."

THEN WHAT WOULD YOU DO, the Lord asked me.

"I would finally stand up, and look toward the Heavens and Proclaim, 'My God Will Take Care Of Me. Because My God is Faithful. My God is Faithful. My God is Faithful. My God is Faithful." And I would keep saying this until the peace and love of God washes over me and heals me completely.

You see, if we are answer the end of that sentence: (And if ________________ were to happen, then __________.) any other way than "My God Will Take Care of Me", then the enemy will force us to live in that situation. 'Our distrust of God tattles on us, telling our enemy exactly how to get to us. Many of us habitually rehearse, "If ___ ever happens, then I'll just ___." Our fears become like long bony index fingers pointing our vulnerabilities. Once Satan sees what we believe would be the end of us, he threatens and torments us with it.'

Can I imagine my life without fear? Honestly, I am beginning to live that way. Breaking Free from my fears is going to signify a transformation in my life, where there will be more of Jesus seen and less of me. After all, as a man thinks, so is he." (Proverbs 23:7 - KJV)

So, my new thought process at BREAKING FREE of Fear can be summed up in the following statements. I challenge you to place your fears in blanks, and watch as the Lord finds victory in the areas Satan was planning defeat!

"If __________, then God will take care of me."

"If __________, then God has a plan for me."

"If__________, then God desires to accomplish something monumental in me."

"If _________, then God's going to demonstrate His sufficiency to me."

Portions of Blog taken from Esther Bible Study and Break Out Sermon Series