“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! Interlude” Psalms 46:1-3 NLT
Fear. Panic. It seems to be everywhere. On tv. At the grocery store. It’s driving the stock market. Turn on the news for just a moment and you can feel your blood pressure rise as the newscasters make you feel like simply stepping outside for a breath of fresh air will cause you to fall prey to the virus. No doubt this is a difficult time. Many of us under fifty have never seen anything like it in our lifetime with mass school closures, grocery store panic, and travel restrictions. It’s all new. It’s all scary. And it’s completely normal to feel fear knocking at our door. What I am learning is that each of us has the choice of whether we will answer the door and allow fear to take residence in our homes and hearts or we will choose to fight. I’m going to be completely vulnerable and say that this has been a struggle for me. The other night after watching too much of the news and seeing too many terrifying posts on Facebook (which seriously people-why are we posting things that only fill people with fear?) I felt fear taking control. I had to make a choice. Was I going to let the fear control my life or was I going to fight it? “But how do you fight the fear when there are legitimate concerns?” I began by praying. I poured out my heart to Jesus, told Him my fears, and asked him to help me overcome. I prayed in my spiritual prayer language and filled my mind with scriptures like the one above. I filled my mind with songs that combated fear. Basically, I did good old-fashioned spiritual warfare. Then I fell asleep, got up and did what I needed to do that day without fear. I’m sharing this hoping it will encourage you to do the same. The reality is that this is a hard time for everyone. But life is full of hard times. Jesus told us they would come, but He promised us that through Him we could have peace even in the hard times. “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”” John 16:33 NLT
This peace will not come magically—it’s not fairy dust. Instead, each of us needs to choose to pursue it. When fear comes knocking at our door, we need to use our spiritual weapons to overcome it. We need to recognize that fear isn’t just an emotion, it has a spiritual component. When the enemy attacks us with fear we need to take control and cast in into the pit of Hell in Jesus’ name. We need to pray. We should have a list of Scriptures that helps us remember God is in control. Create a song list that fills your mind with words of faith. Pray in the spirit. It amazes me how speaking in tongues calms my fear and anxiety. This is important: Limit your negative intake—limit your news intake and avoid twitter altogether. This is what I am doing. It helps. Remember, God is in control. I think that’s why I like the opening of Psalm 46 so much. It reminds us that even everything is terrifying (mountains shaking and falling into the heart of the sea is so pretty wild stuff) God is still in control. He is our refuge and our strength. He is our ever present help in trouble. That is why we don’t have to give in to fear. Hope this helps!
---Adessa
Adessa Holden is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God specializing in Women's Ministry. Together with her brother, Jamie, they manage 4One Ministries and travel the East Coast speaking, holding conferences, and producing Men's and Women's resources that provide practical Biblical teaching for everyday life.
When asked about herself, she'll tell you "I'm a women's minister, a sister, and a daughter. I love to laugh and spend time with people. My favorite things are chocolate, the ocean, sandals and white capris, anything purple, summertime and riding in the car listening to music. It is my absolute honor and privilege to serve Jesus and women through this ministry.
