The Secret Place: 21 Day DevotionalSample

WHO SHALL I FEAR?

Isaiah 8:12-14

Fear is a powerful tool in the arsenal of the enemy. It is no wonder that even as children, we are programmed to fear the devil and darkness. It was ingrained in us before we even believed in the power of Jesus, that we are to fear evil, fear the devil. Why do you think the Bible says the devil roams around like a roaring lion and not like a quiet sly fox? Because intimidation tactics and fear mongering is part of his strategy. We know that the spiritual realm is real, it is not a conspiracy. But do not be put off exercising your spiritual authority for fear of what the enemy might throw at you in retaliation. As believers we cannot afford to be frozen in fear over what the enemy might do. Submitting to that fear gives him power over you. You cannot walk in authority over the enemy and also be in fear of him. So it is time to correct the dynamic between us and fear. Fear is something that mostly works against us but the prophet Isaiah teaches us how we can make it work for us. That is if we make God the source of our fear. What does it mean to fear God? Simply put, Obedience. When we traced the genealogy of sin in week 1, we saw that sin came about through disobedience. Instructions were given to Adam and Eve by God but the instructions were not adhered to. This demonstrates that they lacked the fear of God. If they really feared God they would have followed His instructions and benefited from being close to Him. Similarly, we want to benefit from the protection of the almighty God; we must fear Him. Obey Him.

Another thing we learn from Adam and Eve’s story is the power of deception. Eve was deceived, by the devil, into thinking that God’s instructions were different to what He actually said. However, we as Christian’s can deceive ourselves, hearing what we want to hear or not really trying to hear from God. We may know, deep down, that we feel convicted about something but we ignore it. If we truly fear God we will not ignore Him or make excuses for not being obedient. We need to remember that God loves us and has our best interests at heart. “And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose”. We all want everything to work together for our good but are we upholding our end of the bargain? Are we walking according to His plan and purpose? Or have we hardened our hearts to His instructions for fear that God will ask too much of us? If you haven't already, train your ear to hear from God through consistent prayer. What is God asking you to do? What instructions is He giving you in this season? The fear of God must be the only influence. Not the fear of failure or of certainty and definitely not fear of the enemy. The fear of God needs to be the governing principle of our lives. And in return we can rest assured knowing that as we fear / obey God, He will be an indestructible shelter for us.

So everything that we once feared has no power over us as we are covered and protected by the almighty God.