Authority Over Fear
by: Mary Lauren Hudson
June 19, 2024
“I saw Satan fall like lightning from Heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. Luke 10:18-19”
As Christians, we can be oblivious to the ways Satan tries to steal our effectiveness for the Kingdom of God. One tactic I’ve seen Satan use to cripple me from walking out my God-given purpose is through giving me a spirit of fear.
My husband and I experienced 3 deaths in the family right around the time we got married, and the enemy used these events to sow seeds of doubt, paranoia, and anxiety in my heart about suffering and dying before the Lord’s ordained time. Whether you struggle with the same fear of death and suffering, fear of man, or any other type of fear- It is very clear in Scripture that fear does not come from God, is rooted in deception, and can be a result of a lack of faith in Jesus.
For a long time, I tried to ignore these fears, shove down these oppressive thoughts, and numb the ways I felt fear creeping into my life. Satan would love for everyone to keep their fears secret and never experience the freedom offered in Jesus. The second we confess, expose, or bring things to the light, we are positioning ourselves to walk in fellowship with other believers and to experience the healing and cleansing power of the blood of Jesus.
The more I uncover the lies and schemes of the enemy in my own life, the more I realize how powerless Satan is compared to the power of the Holy Spirit inside of me. The only reason we have the ability to overcome the lies, schemes, and fears from the enemy is because God overcame him first and has given us His victory. He has also given us weapons to fight with before and after Satan attacks.
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. They have divine power to demolish strongholds and everything else that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. He has given us the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. We have to know the Word in order to use it as our weapon. The Word reveals God’s promises. Satan has no power to steal God’s promises- they are ALL a yes in Christ and amen to the people inheriting them.
Even now when the enemy tempts me to believe a lie, I have to make a daily (sometimes hourly) decision to either live in faith in Jesus or in fear. The enemy’s main goal for my life is separation from God. There is no greater lie he can tell God’s people than the lie that God isn’t with you and that He doesn’t love you.
Romans 8:39 says, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
The more I grasp His love for me, the less fear has a hold on me because “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” 1 John 4:18.
We can no longer allow fear to keep us paralyzed. We must allow the Lord to continuously perfect us in His love so that we can walk in authority and victory over fear and all other oppression from the evil one.
Worship
Prayer for Today
Father, we love You. Thank You for making a way through your Son Jesus to not only come to you in confidence, but to walk in power and freedom over the lies of the enemy and the world. Holy Spirit I ask you to reveal ways I have allowed fear to cripple me in my walk with You, keep me from enjoying You, and living in the freedom + power + joy You call me to live in on this side of Heaven. I confess that I have given the enemy power to affect me and I have not claimed the victory and authority over Satan that You promise to those who love You. I repent from my wicked ways and turn from living a life of victimization and self-preservation that looks more like the rest of the world than it does Your redeemed. My life is not my own, I have been bought with a price, and all the days ordained for me are written in Your Book. I trust You with my life, and I rejoice in Your steadfast love that is better than life itself! Thank You for ransoming me, saving me, and for freeing me from the power of the evil one. Thank You Lord for living inside of me and for giving me not a spirit of fear, but of power, love, self-control, and everything else I need for life with You. I continually choose to lay my fears at Your feet + ask You to help me start seeing all reality through the lens of the cross. I repent for putting my faith in lies instead of the unchanging Truth of Your Word. Help me to remember that I have been crucified with Christ, and the life I now live in the flesh I live by FAITH in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. Thank You Lord that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Further Study
Luke 10:16-24, Psalm 91, 1 John 4, 1 Timothy 1:7, Romans 8
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To love well as Christians, we must grasp the depths to which love went for us and understand how deeply we are loved. The Bible tells the story of a good Father who passionately loves His children, giving the most valuable possession of heaven to redeem us. Love paid a high price for us.