The Lord had placed a hedge of protection and prosperity around Job...but Job said "For what I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me." [Job 3:25]
Therefore, it was his fear that broke the hedge down! Like faith, which is the actual substance of things hoped for, fear is the substance of things feared.
His fear and dread was the substance of the holes in the hedge that let satan attack him!
Pop philosophy tells us that FEAR is False Evidence Appearing as Reality.
This is a true statement.
For the eternal things—the things not seen by the naked eye—stand forever. They are in the Spirit, and are the source of all things natural and physical.
The Word
The prophecies about The Messiah were the Word of God, settled forever. Once spoken into the earth, they became The Messiah! The Word made flesh!
The Father created all things through and for Him—the Word—and they became physical reality. And in the same manner, He spoke the Word to and about us, His Body...Jesus is those Words, too! He is THE WORD of God...and we are THE WORD multiplied!
Isaiah 40:8 says the Word of our God stands forever. In Isaiah 55:11, God makes it clear that He sends His Word with purpose—to accomplish what He desires and to succeed in the matter for which He sent it.
So when fear, which is a lying spirit [Job 4:12-17] comes upon us, we have two choices. Believe the lie or believe the truth—the Word.
Here's the thing...we are one Spirit with the Lord. In our spirit, we know the difference. In our Spirit, we have the love of God which was poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit Who was given to us. [Romans 5:5] And God is love!
Jesus said that He AND the Father would live in us through the Holy Spirit [John 14]...the Triune God, living in earthen vessels.
That's why He told us to talk to trees and mountains...why He was always demonstrating the power of the spoken word in the earth. Because He knew we would be full of God, according to John 14 and Ephesians 3, and that's how God operates. He even explained that the least in the Kingdom would be greater than the greatest prophet in the Old Covenant, and that we would do greater works than He did!
How is that possible? Because He knew that we would be crucified and buried with Him at Calvary and be reborn of the imperishable seed, which is the living Word of God! [Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 2:12; 1 Peter 1:23] He knew that the fulness of the Godhead would reside in us, individually and corporately. And He knew how the system works.
So What's the Problem?
The problem is fear. Or to be more precise, our lack of understanding of what fear is and how to deal with it.
Fear attacks the mind, and the mind chooses what to believe. Believe the truth or believe the lie.
But in our reborn spirits, we have the Mind of Christ and know the truth.
That's why Romans 12:2 says:
'And DO NOT BE conformed to this world [which means we have the choice and the power to exercise that choice] but BE transformed by the RENEWING OF YOUR MIND, so that you may PROVE what the will of God is, that which is GOOD and ACCEPTABLE and PERFECT.' [emphasis and comments, mine]
Proverbs 23:7 confirms this:
'For as he thinks within himself, SO HE IS...'
Now, Proverbs 18:21 tells us the death and life are in the power [yad, or hand] of the tongue...and Deuteronomy 30:11-20 makes it clear that that choice is ours.
So we know that if we need transformation in any area of our life, the choice to be transformed is ours, in our mouths. This is the first thing we need to renew our minds to, that we have the power, resident in our tongues!
The second is that God's Word is truth, and forever settled, for us...that every promise of God is YES in Him. That He does not withhold from Himself and that He cannot lie.
To do this, we need to learn to lay aside our thoughts, if they are not in alignment with the Word.
The Holy Spirit, through Paul says it like this:
"We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ...' [2 Corinthians 10:5]
He calls speculations 'lofty things raised up against the knowledge of God.'
Why is this a problem? Because...
"Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the KNOWLEDGE of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His DIVINE POWER has GRANTED TO US EVERYTHING PERTAINING TO LIFE AND GODLINESS, through the TRUE KNOWLEDGE of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
For by these He has granted to us His PRECIOUS AND MAGNIFICENT PROMISES, so that by them you may BECOME PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.' [2 Peter 1:2-4]
It is by the true knowledge of Him that we gain access to the divine nature and to the things granted to us by His divine power.
So we either agree with Him or we agree with the lies. And what we choose to believe accesses the blessing or the curse, life or death, prosperity or adversity.
We choose either life or death, and our lives are transformed accordingly.
Just Lay It Aside
When fear comes, the resulting thoughts are lofty things raised up against the knowledge of God. Why? Because the knowledge of God is where the blessings are, and the enemy knows it. He is the Deceiver, and the Father of Lies. If anything is contrary to the truth of God's Word, guess who the author is? [Yikes...just who is writing all those awful sermons?]
If fearful thoughts, worry or dread are tormenting you, choose to lay them aside.
'...that, in reference to your former manner of life, you LAY ASIDE THE OLD SELF, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of DECEIT, and that you be RENEWED IN THE SPIRIT OF YOUR MIND, and PUT ON THE NEW SELF, which in THE LIKENESS OF GOD has been CREATED IN RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HOLINESS OF THE TRUTH.' [Ephesians 4:24]
'Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and HAVE PUT ON the NEW SELF who is being renewed to a TRUE KNOWLEDGE according to the IMAGE OF THE ONE WHO CREATED HIM...' [Colossians 3:10]
Remember...in our born again spirits, we have the MIND OF CHRIST! [1 Corinthians 2:16]
Just do what the Psalmist did...
'When my anxious thought multiply within me, You consolations [or comforting] delight my soul.' [Psalm 94:19]
Lay aside your wrong, fearful thoughts and return to the Word of God. It will console and comfort, and will renew your mind so that you may be transformed.
Paul put it this way:
'Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
'Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure,whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.' [Philippians 4:6-8]
In other words, expect your prayers to be answered and dwell on only the good—the true, the honorable, the right, the pure, the lovely, the excellent—whatever is of good repute and worthy of praise.
Don't believe the lies—sometimes the answer is no, it may not be His will to [fill in the blank], you screwed up and don't deserve it, blah blah blah.
Lay them aside and choose to believe the truth. You are one Spirit with the Lord, created in righteousness—in the likeness of God—and all things belong to you. You died and Christ lives in you...to say you don't deserve it is to say that He doesn't deserve it, and that's just not right.
Now that's a good and lovely thing to think about!
