{Thrive) No Fear

“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” I John 4:4

Each year, I see a trend during the weeks proceeding Easter. Car accidents, suicides, sickness, relational brokenness. Spiritual warfare is heightened and we see with human eyes the manifestation of the battle between good and evil. Easter is the time of year when Christians (followers of Christ) set aside time to deliberately focus on the sacrifice that Jesus willingly made when He chose to lay down His life and die on the cross. He was blameless and never sinned, but He took on my sin and the sins of the world. This was His greatest act of love. Of course, the story does not end there. On the third day, He rose again and He is alive! No other religion on this earth can boast a risen savior, a reigning king. During this season, we corporately unite to celebrate our risen lord.

And, our enemy trembles in his boots. He shakes. He has panic attacks. He unleashes terror and works overtime to torment and taunt the world. He knows his days are numbered and he is scared and desperate. As we come together and lift up the name of Jesus, he has to flee. He is reminded that his fate is sealed, his eternal doom is determined.

So, why do we fear? Why do we shrink back, cower and tremble? We are children of God and He lives inside of us. Greater is He who lives in us than He who lives in the world.

A recent conversation with a friend prompted me to look at my own heart and examine the fears that grip me. She was asking for prayer for protection for herself and her co-workers as a new employee joined their staff. This person has been involved in the occult and the first response was fear. It was easy for me to throw out all the Christian answers and tell my friend not to fear, but it also led me to examine my own heart and the areas where fear has gripped my heart for far too long.

I was transported back in time to my eighteen year old self. I was walking through a sugar cane field, no doubt filled with furry tarantulas, on my way to my beloved village LaSalle. My roommate and I had been assigned this village during our year long stay in Haiti. We trekked there at least three times a week and the village became dear to our hearts. As we entered LaSalle, we were greeted by children who ran from every direction to hold our hands, walk with us and carry our Bibles. We liked to arrive early so we could visit with the families who would not attend the church services. As we visited with one mother and her little ones, we discovered that they had been fathered by a voodoo priest. Haiti is the “voodoo capital of the world” and we saw the evidence of evil around us every day. Many nights we fell asleep to the beat of voodoo drums.

We asked the mother if we could take her children to church with us. I did not think twice about it. I didn’t calculate the risks or fret about the consequences of defying such evil. I loved those precious little ones and I wanted to be certain that they had every chance to hear about Jesus. The mother responded with common excuses. The children had not been bathed. They had no clothes to wear to church (most of the time, we were holding babies who were completely naked). My dear friend and I countered every excuse. We promised to return the next week, arrive early, bathe the children and clothe them. We even offered to take them to church with us so that the mother could have time to herself.

I had no fear. No fear of the curses of a voodoo priest. No fear of the creatures that lived in the sugar cane fields. No fear of picking up a naked baby who may have been ill.

Fast forward to my forty year old self. Replay the reels of film of the past twenty years of my life. I have allowed the fear of man to grip me, to paralyze me. I have enabled hurts that have been done to strip me down to a trembling coward. I have listened to the voice of the enemy and believed that I am worthless and that no one wants me around. I have been crippled by fears, doubts and self loathing. Silly and trite things unnerve me. I want to stand toe to toe with the enemy again, as I scoop up the casualties of spiritual warfare and help transport them to safety.

As I texted my friend and told her not to fear, I was reminded of my eighteen year old self. How I long to live with the same courage that I once did. I typed these words: “Greater is He who lives in you! Maybe He will bring her here because she needs the Jesus in you….This is already bringing good.” She had said, “It is making me cry out more. Make sure of what I believe.” I wrote, “I love how He works. Get your armor on and buckle up. He is moving. I believe you are going to see His power reveled. Something about this feels “good” to me, especially (that she is coming) the week of Easter. Every year I see spiritual warfare heightened the weeks prior to Easter. I believe the enemy tries his hardest to bring down people during this season, Every time we celebrate our risen King, he is reminded of his eternal doom. Take heart! Jesus is alive and He lives in you. He’s placing this hurting soul in the midst of His people. Invite her to go to church with you on Easter!”

Dear ones, I call you out from the shadows and corners where you are cowering. Come out, into the light. Plant your feet firmly on the foundation of the One who was, who is and who is to come. Surrender your fears to the One who is able to bring beauty from the ashes. Trust the One who has never failed you and who never will forsake you. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain. Worthy of your life, your trust, your devotion, your everything. He will hold you up, He will strengthen you, He will heal you. You can trust Him.