It has been said that F-E-A-R stands for “false evidence appearing real.”
Too many times the enemy tries to fill our minds with fear and make us feel trapped—backed into a corner with no way out. He makes what is false look so real!
It’s important to remember that fear comes from our enemy—Satan. Whatever good things God tries to give to us, the enemy tries to ruin with some kind of poison. Satan uses fear to keep us from having everything God wants us to have.
However, for every poison the enemy tries to bring into our lives, God has the antidote: faith. Faith is the countermeasure for the poison of fear. We don’t have to stay stuck in a corner surrounded by fear (false evidence appearing real). We can break free, release our faith and walk in victory.
Fear always makes everything seem worse than it really is and sometimes causes us to do unreasonable, even ridiculous, things.
When my husband, Dave, and I were first married and I was pregnant with one of our daughters, we lived in a place that had mice, and we began to see them here and there. I can’t stand mice and would scream when I saw them.
Well, one day I went into the bathroom, and there was a mouse in the bathtub. I just freaked out. I was petrified. My heart and mind were racing, trying to figure out how I could contain this “monstrous” mouse and keep myself safe.
How ridiculous! I’m sure that mouse was more afraid of me than I was of it. The point is that fear can make us do things that are quite unreasonable—even foolish.
Breaking News. Spirit-Filled Stories. Subscribe to Charisma on YouTube now!
Before we react in situations, we need to remember that fear will push us to a level of emotion where we will do things that make absolutely no sense. Our human nature tends to react in fear because we think the situation is so much bigger than it really is.
Fear appears huge and overshadowing. However, when we shine the light of faith on it, fear begins to diminish. The minute fear comes into our lives, all we have to do is release our faith. When we do, the feeling of fear doesn’t always go away, but our faith will keep us going … even if we have to do it afraid.
You see, God wants us to keep going forward and do what we believe He wants us to do. He doesn’t want us to back off because we feel fear. As Psalm 34:4 (NKJV) says, “I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”
There’s no way to count all the people who totally lose their God-ordained destiny because of fear. When they try to step out in faith, fear comes to them, asking all the “what ifs.”
What if I fail? What if people don’t like me? What if I don’t have all of the answers?
Sadly, there are relatively few people who push past fear and end up boldly doing everything God has planned for them to do in life. Too many consider the fear instead of the evidence of God’s Word about overcoming fear.
Everything God has for us is better and more powerful than anything Satan has to offer. No matter how powerful and overwhelming fear feels to us, we need to remember that faith is greater.
The Bible says that each one of us is given a measure of faith (Rom. 12:3). What does this mean exactly? It means that God will give us the amount of faith we need to do what He has called us to do in life. The evidence is clear.
Whatever you’re going to face in life—whatever is coming in your future—God has already given you the faith for it. It may not look like it, and you may not feel like you have what it takes to overcome, but appearance isn’t everything.
God has given you His Holy Spirit, and He’s all you need to handle whatever life throws your way. The enemy would like for us to believe that we don’t have a chance in life, we’re too weak, too poor—too whatever. But God has a different view of us. God sees us through the eyes of love. He sees what we can be—not what we see or what others see.
But it takes faith to move forward and overcome the situations of life. And faith does you no good if you don’t know how to release it. You have to release it in order for it to work. We release faith through our words, actions and, of course, through prayer.
Some people seem to go through harder times than others, but God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34) and will give each of us the faith we need for every part of our journey in life. However, it’s up to us to act.
You can’t sit around and think fearful thoughts and continue to walk in faith. What we think about and meditate on is very important. First John 4:4b (KJV) is a Scripture we quote a lot, and almost anytime I say this verse in church or a meeting, everybody claps and cheers. But I wonder, how many people really believe it? It says, “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
You and I don’t have to be fearful. I don’t mean that we won’t feel fear, but it does mean that appearance isn’t everything. It doesn’t matter what the enemy wants us to see or how things might look. Our faith overcomes through the one who lives in us.
First John 5:4b (NKJV) says, “This is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” It’s so simple. What do you need so you can overcome the things that come against you? Childlike faith!
That means simply believing God more than you believe anything else. It means believing His promises. It means believing what you know in your heart more than how you feel, what you think, what your friends say, what your circumstances look like or what the enemy tells you.
Fear doesn’t have to rule your life. Remember, it’s false evidence appearing real! And when you make a decision to stand in faith and consider the truth of God’s Word, fear will disappear—and you will win the battle.
Join Charisma Magazine Online to follow everything the Holy Spirit is doing around the world!
For more on this topic, order Joyce’s four-part teaching resource “Overcoming Fear With Faith.” You can also contact us to receive our free magazine, “Enjoying Everyday Life,” by calling 800-727-9673 or visiting www.joycemeyer.org.
Joyce Meyer is a New York Times bestselling author and founder of Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc. She has authored more than 140 books, including “Battlefield of the Mind” and “Overcoming Every Problem” (FaithWords). She hosts the “Enjoying Everyday Life” radio and TV programs, which air on hundreds of stations worldwide. For more information, visit www.joycemeyer.org.
Please note: The views and opinions expressed throughout this publication and/or website are those of the respective authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Joyce Meyer Ministries.
