Beloved,
Now these 3 remain, Faith, Hope & Love, But The Greatest of These is Love. The most persistent and powerful enemy of your destiny is your own fear. Let me say that again, the thing keeping you from the places and the level God is trying to elevate you is the fear that lives in your heart and your mind. The thing about fear is that it is a chameleon, it takes on new faces and new identities, but at the root it is all the same–FEAR IS ROOTED IN UNWORTHINESS. This world tries to tell you, you don’t deserve the things of God. So each and every day, there is a little part of you that believes the lies of the enemy. I can remember when I first started in the ministry, preaching at church on sunday mornings and still living in fear. There was a secret part of me that still questioned God’s calling on my life. There was a part of me that felt, I didn’t deserve what God was revealing to me. And the more I tried to ignore it, the more it kept creeping into my spirit. I had to face the fact that my fear and my faith could not co-exist and if I was going to follow God–I had to serve fear with an eviction notice!
Jesus gives us a powerful teaching on how to break free from the chains of fear. The best way to break through fear is to build confidence in what you already know. If you know who you are and whose you are, you can relax in the face of any stressful situation. Face your fears by reminding yourself of who God created you to be. If you’re struggling to find a job remind yourself of your God-given gifts and talents. If you’re struggling in a dysfunctional relationship remind yourself of your worth and value. If you’re struggling with low self-esteem spend the day reminding yourself that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. It’s time for you to know who you are. And as you tap into that Godly confidence you’ll be able to face any fear. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Bishop Autie Hines, Pastor