God doesn’t want us to fear—not even a little. That’s because fear contaminates our faith. We can’t move in faith and move in fear at the same time—and faith is the currency of the kingdom.

Hear the word of the Lord: “Fear is a manifestation of the enemy's lies. Satan is the father of lies, the father of fear, the father of destruction and devastation. I have not and will not give you a spirit of fear. I have given you a spirit of power to overcome the fear that's trying to overcome you. I have given you My love that combats every feeling of fear. I have given you a sound mind to discern the subtle voice of fear that speaks against your dreams. Don't allow yourself to fear for even a second. Call out to Me and My love will deliver you from every fear.”

God didn’t give you a spirit of fear—but that doesn’t mean you don’t have one. You may know you have fear—or fear may be deceiving you with its wily whispers and sneaky strongholds in your soul. Those anxieties that have plagued you, those voices that have prophesied to you, they must bow in the name of Jesus!

My Deliverance From Fear

Fear once had such a tight grip on my soul, if an e-mail came that I thought offered bad news I would close my eyes, forward it to a friend, and ask them to read it and tell me what it said. One time I ordered pizza and when the delivery boy knocked on the door it scared me so bad I locked myself in my bedroom. Then I called to complain that the pizza never showed up!

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That fear was a bondage that affected every area of my life. But fear is not always so obvious. I did some research and discovered a phobia list. There are literally dozens of diagnosed phobias. Some are common and some are so ridiculous you know it’s got to be the devil. Here’s some of the ridiculous ones:

Fear of flowers.                                 

Fear of feet.

Fear of numbers.                     

Fear of ugliness.

Fear of books.         

Fear of teenagers.

Fear of mirrors.                       

Fear of cooking.

Fear of clocks.                        

I saw a lady on TV who was scared of pickles. Another lady was afraid of cotton balls. She said they made a noise. These fears were literally ruining their lives. You and I aren’t dealing with anything so ridiculous. But we could be dealing with subtle fears that are robbing God’s best for our lives.

There are many other “fear ofs” we may not even know we face, like: fear of failure; fear of lack; fear of success; fear of disappointing people; fear of losing a job; fear of loneliness; fear of making decisions; fear of conflict; fear of rejection; fear of losing relationships and so on.

Fear is the most difficult to overcome when its influence is so subtle it’s hard to trace a behavior to the root of fear. It’s an invisible enemy. If you have a fear failure, you may not even know it because your coping mechanism, your response to it has become part of your personality.

When fear influences you, you take action based on your fear instead of based on your faith. You keep failing because you don’t have the faith to succeed. You won’t make a decision because you’re afraid you didn’t hear from God. You won’t try to make new friends because you’re afraid of rejection. You won’t sow because you fear lack.

The Overarching Answer to Overcoming Fear

The Holy Spirit told me this: “When you have a healthy fear of the Lord, you become so consumed with pleasing Him—you become so full of faith in His power—that there is literally no room for the devil’s fear tactics. We won’t take thought to his suggestions because we believe God!

I’m scared not to believe God! Fear is part of the curse of the law (Deut. 28:66). Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13). God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7). Fear dilutes your power, causes you to doubt God’s love—that perfect love that casts out fear—and makes your mind unsound. Reverent, worshipful fear of the Lord carries a revelation of the love of God. It carries a revelation of the power of God. It carries a revelation of the truth of God’s Word. It’s all wrapped up in the fear of the Lord!

I challenge you today to meditate on the fear of the Lord. Fear is a fierce enemy but your God is more fierce than any spirit of fear. If God is for us, who can be against us? Jeremiah 20:11 (The Message) says, “But God, a most fierce warrior, is at my side.  Those who are after me will be sent sprawling—Slapstick buffoons falling all over themselves, a spectacle of humiliation no one will ever forget.” And Numbers 1:2 (Message) assures us, “God is serious business. He won’t be trifled with. He avenges his foes. He stands up against his enemies, fierce and raging.” Amen!

Jennifer LeClaire is senior editor of Charisma. She is also director of Awakening House of Prayer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, co-founder of awakeningtv.com, on the leadership team of the New Breed Revival Network and author of several books, including The Next Great Move of God: An Appeal to Heaven for Spiritual Awakening; Mornings With the Holy Spirit, Listening Daily to the Still, Small Voice of God; The Making of a Prophet and Satan's Deadly Trio: Defeating the Deceptions of Jezebel, Religion and Witchcraft. You can visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter. Jennifer's Periscope handle is @propheticbooks.