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TRANSFORMING
ANXIETY INTO KNOCK-DOWN, DRAG-OUT FAITH
By
Have you ever wondered how men like the Apostle Paul, King David and the prophets Daniel and Elijah made it through their ordeals? I have. I have pondered for years what turned these men and others into the dynamos of faith they finally became. You might wonder--were they ordinary mortals? Did they struggle the same way we do? Of course. It’s clear from scripture--the outstanding men and women of faith listed in the annals of Christian history were ordinary mortals, who were, at one time or another, knocked down in their struggles to stand. In fact, being knocked down only made them stronger. Consider this subject with me. It is important to me that these men were mere mortals. I identify with the struggles of David and Elijah, knowing that they, like me, dealt with fear and dread on a daily basis. In fact, in their day, you could easily be put to death for demonstrating your faith. So what made them strong? What made them say with Job, “Even though He may slay me, yet will I serve Him.” The answer isn’t ‘what choice did they have?’ It wasn’t an attitude of resignation, of giving up and letting fear consume them. It wasn’t collapsing on the spiritual battlefield and weeping in surrender. In fact, scripture says they were resolute, always abounding in grace and power. Here’s what made them different. They saw the big picture, a vision of the heart of God Himself. They caught the fire of heaven, as it were, in their hands and held onto it for all they were worth. And we can do that too.So how can we be prepared?For one thing, it’s time to stop ‘playing games at the foot of the cross’, and instead, get into the battle. It’s time to stop sitting on the sidelines bemoaning the fact that things are just getting more difficult. And the tough times ahead will undoubtedly do one amazing thing; they will separate out the ones who are serious about the things of God and those who are believers in name only. Scripture says those who win the battle of the ages are those who endure to the end. Let’s be clear about this. This battle will not be fought in the flesh. The flesh will fail, leaving standing only those powerfully anointed by the Spirit of God. Those who stand in faith. Others will not be included ‘in the beloved’. Now I don’t know about you, but I want to be included in that number, so I am digging in for the long haul. It doesn’t take a genius to see that the power of believing conquerors was the connection to the Source of that power, Jesus Christ Himself. I am going to make a bold statement here. He is ready, I believe, in these last days, to pour out on His people as much as we can handle. More revelations of Himself, more pure words of knowledge, more provision, more power. But the enemy would love to distract us, keeping us focused on the things we fear most, lack of jobs, lack of provision, lack of food, lack of health. Though important, in a spiritual sense, these things are actually the piddly stuff. The little foxes that spoil the vines. Focusing on fear is not the way Daniel made it out of the lion’s den in one piece, and it is not why God called David a ‘man after His own heart’. Recently, the enemy struck me with fear and dread like I’ve never known before, and it threw me for a time. Fear produced doubt that nibbled away at very roots of my faith, until I remembered I didn’t have to take it lying down. I had, at my fingertips, every weapon of warfare to shatter that fear and dread. At the moment I prayed, asking for wisdom, the Lord made it crystal clear what was happening. The enemy was sifting me. But he couldn’t win, because, at that moment, I put on my armor and stood in faith, speaking to the enemy in faith. In faith, I was able to say, “Satan, this battle isn’t mine, but the Lord’s and He’s already won it. I am a child of the Most High God, bought with a price, the precious blood of Jesus. He has defeated you, disarmed you and shattered your power. You can no longer harass me with fear and dread. Be gone in Jesus’ mighty name.” And do you know what happened? He fled. Turned tail and ran, leaving me feeling flooded with the peace of God that passes all understanding. I was in awe. Now I didn’t say all this so you’d say, “Wow, look at her.” No. I said it, because just like me, you will shortly see the enemy coming against you like a flood. But scripture says in Psalm 92: “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Lord raises up a standard of righteousness against it.” That means you and I simply have to take out the weapons of our warfare and use them to “speak into being the things that aren’t as though they were.” To simply pray, thanking God for His provision, and then rest in faith. Scripture promises we are already equipped for every good thing. The Word, faith, the garments of salvation—they’re all there for us to wear. But nothing will happen until we put them on. We can let them sit on the floor, gathering dust as the enemy wipes up the floor with us, and causes us to lose sleep in fear, or we can put them on and choose to stand. It’s our call. But make no mistake about it. God is looking for ordinary guys, like you and me, who are tired of living ordinary lives, who will say, “God, I will stop cowering in fear. I will take You at Your Word, believing that You are my Abba, Who will take care of me. I will choose to stand, speaking into being the things that aren’t as though they were. I will give you praise now, before I even see the answer, because that is faith that pleases You.” And God cannot deny Himself, nor leave unanswered the prayer of faith. He simply cannot do it, because it goes against everything He is. What you ask for in true faith is already done. God wants us to walk in power, listening to His voice, operating in faith. We can hold Him to His words, and He will not fail us.Take hold of this thought. God has given extraordinary power to ordinary men all through the ages. Remember Elijah? It took a close relationship between them for Elijah to listen to God. It took mighty faith for him to say to the widow woman, “Go get all the jars you can find.” It took faith on his part to say, “God, I am going to stick my neck out here and speak what I believe You want me to say. And I believe You will fill every jar with oil.” And what did God do in response to his faith? God filled every jar and changed the course of history, building up Elijah’s faith even more. Consider Daniel, praying three times everyday where others could see him. When push came to shove, Daniel had to decide. “Am I going to stop praying--according to the edict of the king, or am I going to choose to stand, putting my money where my mouth is in faith?” Standing at the line drawn in the sand of time, Daniel chose to stand, to risk it all. And we all know the end of that story. Even the king had to admit God’s sovereignty in protecting Daniel from certain death. I particularly love the Psalms, where David expresses the same struggles with fear that I endure. But he is also a wonderful example of faith to me, and here’s why. David wrote chapter after chapter about how the enemy, and it wasn’t merely a physical enemy, hounded him, assaulting him with fear and dread. He missed entire nights of sleep, worrying and fretting in the early chapters of Psalms. But where was the turning point for David? We know he didn’t get his reputation as a mighty warrior for cowering in fear. For all of us, just like David, comes a moment of decision, where we either stand there shuddering in fear, or choose to stand and fight in power and might. God has chosen us, my friends, to stand at the pinnacle of time, where the battle of the ages will determine our destiny. How will we respond?Just like the men in scripture, God has empowered us to do things never before dreamed, even by the prophets of old, as great as they were. His Word says, “Greater things than these, ye will do.” What we say in faith He will honor. What we speak, according to the urging of the Holy Spirit, will come to pass. His Word also says, “Be it unto you according to your faith.” That means we can stick out our necks and watch God not only protect us, but even use us to minister in might and power. After speaking it in faith, thanking Him before we see the answer, we can rest in the assurance of His provision, just as David and Elijah did. Then we can go on to the next thing.
Copyright 2003, Nancy Arant Williams. Used by permission.
http://www.nancyarantwilliams.com
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