“God wants you to have a blessed life. He wants you to reach farther than you have ever reached and to bless so many others” (Edward John).
by Edward John
It’s important to know that God wants you to succeed so you can live a rewarding and fulfilling life. On the other hand, you also need to be aware that the enemy wants you to fail. He does this by pulling you down and holding you back with fear.1) Here are some of the greatest fear factors that he uses to hinder you from reaching your destiny:
Fear of man
Fear of loneliness
Fear of failure
Fear of God
No one said it would be easy and no one promised us a ride on angel wings, but you and I can have the assurance that the power of the Holy Spirit is available to help us.2) According to the Bible, anyone who believes and confesses Jesus Christ as Lord has access to His resurrection power.3) Because the Holy Spirit resides within us, we can experience the energizing power of God to live life more abundantly.4)
Fear of Man
As soon as we think we’ve got to measure up to what others think, the fear of man kicks in. To overcome this snare, we need to be more concerned about what God thinks instead. For it’s His opinion that really counts. No matter what others think or say, we can place our trust in Him by standing upon His Word, upon His promises, and upon all the things that He has said. Of course, we should love and respect people, but we must honour God first.5) He should always be number one in our lives. When you place your trust in Him – rather than in another human being – the fear of man will be broken.
Fear of Loneliness
What a beautiful thing loneliness can be if you understand what God does in the midst of these times of solitude. Moses was out in the desert, all alone, when God appeared to him in a burning bush, announcing that he had been chosen to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt.6) It was while confined in prison that God prepared Joseph to become one of the greatest rulers in history.7) David was out by himself in the pasture field caring for sheep when he was appointed by God – eventually becoming one of the most famous kings of the world.8) This leads us to Jesus Christ, the “King of kings and Lord of lords.”9) Often surrounded by people, Jesus would withdraw purposely and go to a quiet, solitary place.10) The “King of kings” knew that unless He spent these special moments alone with His Heavenly Father, He would never become all that He was destined to be.
So don’t be afraid of loneliness and definitely don’t start complaining. Murmuring and complaining will just take you away from the presence of God. Rather, take time to enjoy being alone in His presence. Make this decision so you can move up to the next level and become all that He desires you to be. Remember, it’s important training ground.
Fear of Failure
We are all so afraid of failing, aren’t we? Yet, as humans, we’ve all made our share of mistakes.11) But it’s the attitude of our hearts that’s going to determine whether we’ve failed in the eyes of Almighty God.12) If your heart is geared toward pleasing Him, He is going to make sure every mistake you have ever made works together for good.13) He also promises, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”14) No matter what you do – as long as you abide by the Word of God – you will always succeed.15) So friend, don’t be afraid of failure. Rise up, become like a lion on the inside and say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”16)
Fear of God
Many people think that we need to be terribly afraid of God. Although the Bible does state that we are to have a reverential fear of Him,17) it is not to be confused with being frightfully scared. Rather it’s referring to our need to honour and respect Him as our Heavenly Father.18) The healthy boundaries He has set for us in His Word are not meant to make our lives boring or difficult, nor are they designed to make us fail. To the contrary, He lovingly gave them to us so we could avoid all the things that will sidetrack us from reaching our maximum potential.19) By walking according to His healthy boundaries, we’ll be able to abide in His love and peace.20) “God is love” – perfect love – and “perfect love casts out fear.”21)
Endnotes
1) 2 Timothy 1:7
2) John 14:26; 15:26
3) John 10:10
4) Acts 1:8
5) Matthew 22:37-39
6) Exodus 3
7) Genesis 39
8) 1 Samuel 16
9) Revelation 19:16
10) Matthew 14:23
11) Romans 3:23
12) 1 Samuel 16:7
13) Romans 8:28
14) Hebrews 13:5
15) Joshua 1:8
16) Philippians 4:13
17) Psalm 11:10
18) Malachi 1:6
19) Deuteronomy 5:33
20) Romans 2:10
21) 1 John 4:8,18
Born in Oslo, Norway, Edward John always excelled in sports as a youth, becoming one of the country’s top junior ski-jumpers and a promising professional soccer player. One day, while on the field, he heard a voice saying, “Are you going to run after Me like you run after that ball?” Edward knew it was a clear call from God, and decided to dedicate his life to Him. He has since become an exceptional artist, musician, author, TV host and speaker – touching audiences around the world with the Gospel.
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