Exhausted anxiety
Face numb
Chest tightening
Hard to breathe
Lonesome like no other
Thoughts of self-harm
Past haunting
Distress reappearing
Misunderstood
Heavy, so extremely heavy
These words describe the content of my heart this past summer. I just came off a time of dense fear and depression. It was crippling to say the least. The situation I was facing is far too long to describe at this time. In a nutshell, I had trauma from the past resurfacing, and I was panicking and spiraling to a pretty dark place. Thanks to Jesus, I got out by speaking truth, declaring the promises of the Bible, praying, worshiping, and letting the Lord parent me.
Fear is not of the Lord. If you are feeling any sort of anxiety or panic, this is not from Jesus but from the enemy, Satan. We live in a spiritual world, my friends, and we are in a spiritual battle.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).
When we witness and experience rage, gripping addiction, disabling fear, distressing anxiety, and many other torments, there is a spirit behind these things. This is the enemy at work. No fear though, my beloveds, no fear.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). If you have a relationship with Jesus and He resides in your heart, you have authority over the enemy. “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19).
Relationship with Jesus and having Him reside in your heart—what are you talking about, Ashley? Having a relationship with Jesus and Him living in your heart means you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, asked for forgiveness for your mess-ups, and believed that He died on the cross for your sins and was resurrected from the dead. Then you talk to Him. You talk to Jesus and you never stop.
When you have relationship with Jesus, you have confidence that when fear springs, creeps, or stirs up, you can put your gaze on the Lord. You have assurance that Jesus has you and is with you wherever you go (see Joshua 1:9).
One way to help combat fear when it is knocking at your door (or is already inside) is by putting on the Armor of God. If you are unfamiliar with this armor, it is made up of six pieces and is shown in Ephesians 6:10–20. I will list out these six pieces with a short description of how I see them being used. I would encourage you to put this armor on and not take it off. You can put it on by praying these pieces over yourself out loud or inwardly, journaling them, or even drawing a little picture of them. Check in with yourself daily to see if any piece needs a tightening!
1. Belt of Truth—Cling to the truth of Jesus. You can know His truth by reading the Bible.
2. Breastplate of Righteousness—You are in right standing with the Lord because of what Jesus did on the cross. We want to do our best to live a righteous lifestyle too.
3. Feet Fitted with the Readiness of the Gospel of Peace—Repentance, knowing the gospel, sharing the gospel, receiving God’s peace, and sharing His peace. The gospel is what I shared earlier about having Jesus in your heart.
4. Shield of Faith—Your faith in Christ and all that He says will block the fiery arrows of the enemy that want to destroy you.
5. Helmet of Salvation—You are saved and renew your mind with God’s promises.
6. Sword of the Spirit—This is the Bible; use it to strengthen yourself and fight against the lies of the enemy.
Jesus loves you. He loves you more than you will ever know. The Lord is coming through for you. He will perfect all that concerns you (see Psalm 138:8 NKJV). Jesus, I pray for all those reading, let them know You, Your love, and that they have nothing to fear because You are in the room. You are not going anywhere. You are holding them and will not let go.
Lord, we put on the belt of truth. Help us cling to your promises. We put on the breastplate of righteousness. Remind us that we are in right standing with you because of what you did on the cross and help us to live in a godly way. We put on the feet that are fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace. Show us any sin that needs to be dealt with. Help us know and share your peace. We hold the shield of faith, to block the arrows of the enemy. We lean into what you say and not the lies of the enemy. We put on the helmet of salvation. If we have you in our hearts, we are saved and are going to heaven. Help us renew our minds to truth as well. We grab a hold of the sword, your Bible. Remind us to read it daily and apply its guidance. Amen to amen.
