Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love takes away fear.
(1 John 4:18 ERV)
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.
(Proverbs 3:4 NIV)
Fear is a strange thing. Like the air we breathe, we may not notice it. Or it may smother us. It may have many causes or only one. Pick a news article and you’ve most likely opened a door to some sort of fear. Economic collapse imminent? International gangs taking over parts of cities? Wrong people voted into office? War in the Middle East escalating? Captured industries slowly poisoning and killing people with their products? There are so many fears to choose from!
One eensie-weensie problem. God tells us over and over and over and over and over: DO NOT FEAR.
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10 NIV)
For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. (Isaiah 41:13 NIV)
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV)
You haven’t received the spirit of slaves that leads you into fear again. Instead, you have received the spirit of God’s adopted children by which we call out, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15 GW)
When we call out to our Abba Father, he hears us. He responds with and in love, delivering us from those fears. Imagine what our nation would look like and act like if the demonic forces that caused fears were nullified by a giant wave of God’s LOVE! What a different world we would live in.
All-Powerful God,
From our perspective it looks like a wave of fear was unleashed over this nation and this world as the COVID-19 shutdowns began. Speculation about the disease and potential deaths was rampant from government officials and media outlets and many people absorbed a great deal of this demonic force of fear. Today’s news is equally fear-inciting: economic pressures, international violence, lawlessness, addiction, death, and so much more. It is easy to be overwhelmed by all this and fall into fear. But we know that these fears are NOT of you, Lord. So, in the name of Jesus, we bind this evil spirit and send it to the foot of the Cross. We say NO MORE to this spirit of fear and its influence on our culture, our decisions, and the way we treat each other as people. We declare that we will not fear and dread this demonic spirit but only You, the Living, Loving God who is holy and worthy of worship. We declare that we will not be fearful of mortals or disease or rumors of war or economic collapse because we will not put our trust in government, media, or feelings. We trust you, our Jehovah Jireh. Your Word says You do not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind, so we claim that promise over our individual lives, our communities, our state, nation, and this world. We ask that You would pour a huge wave of your LOVE over this nation and each of her people. We pray that Love would cast out this spirit of fear and that our hope and trust would be secure in You, our Lord and our God. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV)
“Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love takes away fear.” (1 John 4:18 ERV)
“But now, this is what the Lord says . . . “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (Isaiah 43:1-3)
“I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth shall have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth shall have [already] been loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 18:18 AMP)
“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.” (2 Chronicles 7:13-16 NIV)
(adapted from September 26, 2020 and September 22, 2022 posts)