MONDAYS WITH KERRI
This week we are going to look at Fear. Fear is the ultimate arrow from the enemy camp launched straight for our jugular each and every day. It is the manifestation of any lie or shame that has not been rebuked and replaced with the truth. Until your deepest fears are brought into the light and truly covered in the blood of Jesus, they will control you.
In Genesis chapter three verses eight and nine read, “Toward evening they heard the LORD God walking about in the garden, so they hid themselves among the trees. The LORD God called to Adam, ‘Where are you?’” God knew where Adam and Eve were. He also knew they had been with the Betrayer. Adam was afraid so he hid from His creator.
Fear is so powerful that everything in the domain of darkness is specifically designed to forcefully shove us into it. Fear is taking even one step back from who we were created to be for the Kingdom of God. Fear is always the result of a lie that has taken root. It twists in our minds so we become confused and the truth about who we are is completely distorted.
One of the most obvious tactics of our enemy is to cause confusion. He is the author of it. This is evident in the fear that besieges us. Unfortunately, few of us are taking the time to identity the fear we are living in to see how irrational and confusing it is. For example, you may fear both being loved and never being loved or have the fear of getting married and the fear of never getting married. As we learn to recognize the fear in our lives, we will notice how counter intuitive it truly is. Fear from the enemy is not rational. Therefore, it loses its power when viewed through the lens of the Holy Spirit!
Everything The Betrayer does, one hundred percent of the time, is designed to bring us into a place of fear. It is his favorite ploy, the great enemy of love–The One thing he is intent on destroying. Our most powerful weapon is love–to love and to know we are The Beloved. It is the only thing that saves, heals and redeems us. It is the only thing worth living for. Once our enemy leads us into fear through lies and shame, he can basically walk away. We chose to take it from there. Fear cuts off our connection to The One who is the source of all love. Once we are apart from him, not abiding in Him, we live as The Betrayed.
Fear, especially in the context of relationships, will most often manifest itself in two primary ways. Imagine a zip line, on one end is pride and the other insecurity. We are constantly being catapulted from one end of the line to the next. This is why we so often grab our heads and say, “I feel like I am going crazy!” Fear paralyzes us. To further complicate and confuse us, our enemy doesn’t allow our fear to show itself in ways we will recognize. Do you want to know how fear is evidenced in your life? Ask your closest friends. They will be able to tell you what they observe and do so with absolute clarity. We need each other in a big way on this one. We cannot see our own fear as clearly as we can see the fear in the life of someone else. If you don’t have any friends that you have allowed close enough to observe the fear in your life, then you have the first manifestation already figured out. You are afraid of intimacy. Interestingly enough, this is a form of pride. When we isolate ourselves, we are essentially operating in the lie that no one else has anything to offer us and that we are just fine by ourselves. Often, in this place, we also believe that our involvement in the life of others is either a waste of time or will not meet our needs and expectations, so why bother? Have you ever believed that? I know I have and it is an awful realization to make. Yes, our fear leads us to pride and it is such a subtle attack that we, on our own, will almost always miss it.
Have you ever thought, “Wow, if only these people would step aside and let me do this it would be completed so efficiently and expeditiously? What is their problem anyway? I could do this so much better, why is no one asking me to run this thing?” Then the next minute (or the next day) you find yourself in another scenario in which you are completely undone and inconsolable. You feel like the little dust bunnies behind the couch as you think, “Who, me? Do that? No way! I can’t possibly be responsible for that. I am not nearly educated, experienced, or important enough to pull that off. Who do they think I am?” Yes, your fears can manifest in extremely opposite ways, but they will have one thing in common-fear always puts you at the center of life and you can only see yourself. The enemy’s objective with this weapon is to cause you to make too much or too little of your own life. Either way, it takes your eyes off of The One who created you and, just like Eve in the Garden, you are easy prey.
This battle strategy works, it always has. Over and over again the enemy assaults us with lies, pounding on our brain as he tries to force feed us a constant stream of deception. He repeatedly seeks to program us with anything we will eat that is diabolically opposed to what God has to say about us. Immediately we are tempted to reach out for what we perceive to be control and when we do we are consumed with shame. Shame then becomes our false, demonic identity. Shame moves past what we have done, which is guilt, and into whom we believe ourselves to be. We wear shame like a scarlet letter, allowing it to confirm our defeat as we step back into the shadows of fear.
It is so helpful to view these weapons of lies, shame, and fear found in Genesis as the forms of artillery they are. Imagine arrows being launched, spears being hurtled and bullets being fired from the enemy’s camp. The Betrayer has always sought to destroy the ones the Father calls His Beloved. His weapons are launched to destroy us on a regular basis. They are constantly spiraling towards us for the purpose of taking us out of the war. Our enemy knows that he can’t have us, that we are sealed in blood of Jesus Christ, so he seeks to seriously wound us, knocking us down on the battlefield, hoping we won’t get up.
Yes, we are taking “hits” on a regular basis, primarily through our relationships. Therefore, it’s time for us to learn how to recognize the enemy’s artillery. Then, we can rebuke his power over us and truly claim our identity as The Signet Ring on the hand of God. Remember, many Christians have the battle confused in their minds. They don’t like to speak of spiritual warfare, claiming it puts too much emphasis on the enemy. They simply don’t understand. Ultimately it is through recognizing the enemy’s lies, shame, and fear that we are called out to stand in our passion and purpose for The Kingdom. Everything the enemy intends for evil, The One who created us will use for our good. The war against us gives us an opportunity to claim the power and victory that belong to us as His Beloved!
The lies, shame, and confusion from the
domain of darkness are always sent by our enemy to lead us to fear.
The truth, hope, and freedom offered in
the Kingdom of Light
will always lead us to love.
Love and fear are constantly at war within us, but
the choice is always ours to make.
– Kerri Kenyon
//Questions//
What are you afraid of? Being alone? Not achieving what you think you should achieve? Not measuring up? Not being used by God?
Do you often feel confused or paralyzed in your relationships?
Do you find yourself gripped in fear at home, in your relationships or at work?
//Action Step//
Ask a close friend to help you see any lies, fear or shame in your life.
Commit to encouraging one another with what is true according to God’s Word through speaking words of life.
Read and apply the truth of God’s Word to any and all lies, fear and shame that are manifesting in your life.
To read more on this topic order Kerri's book
Comments