Men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
—Luke 21:26, NASB

Reflection:
We are living in the end times, beloved. This means the presence of fear is increasing, because calamities are becoming more frequent. Jesus spoke of this time, saying that people will be fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

We see this prophecy being fulfilled in our present age, which means the end of time is coming soon. As the world becomes more unstable, people will become less secure, and their hearts will be engulfed with fear. The world is becoming more chaotic, violent, fearful, and lawless. Jesus said that these things would occur. He called it the beginning of sorrows.

These sorrows will continue to increase as Satan devises new ways to attack humanity. In light of this, it is important for us not to keep our fears to ourselves. We must talk about our fears instead of keeping them buried within. By so doing, we can externalize our fears instead of owning them and internalizing them.

Opening up about our fears is sometimes the first step in the deliverance process. The enemy tries to cause us to be afraid to talk about what we are afraid of. But when we learn to bring our fears into the light and stop hiding them, the blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse us from all sin. We are not to be afraid of fear, and we are not to be afraid of opening up to those God is calling us to confide in.

If we confess our sins, including the sin of fear, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Fear loses power when it is brought into the light before God. It loses power when we stop hiding, stop burying, and stop internalizing what the enemy wants us to own.

There was a time of intense pursuit, seeking the Lord with all the heart, encouraged by the truth that God is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Yet after a whole day of seeking the Lord, a violent spiritual attack came in the night. The experience was so horrendous that the thought came: maybe you should not be seeking God so much, if this is going to happen to you.

Beloved, always resist messages such as these from the enemy. When we begin to seek God in earnest, the enemy may attack using strong fear tactics, but we cannot give in. We are to keep on keeping on, never giving up on our pursuit of God.

You will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. For the Lord your God is a compassionate God. He will not fail you. The devil sometimes tries to intrude in our lives when we are seeking God with abandon. Yes, God is our shield, but He wants us to know how ferocious the enemy is at times.

God said to the children of Israel, I have given you this land, but it was their responsibility to drive out the enemies who lived there. We must do the same with our enemy today. The Lord could have gotten rid of these enemies for them, but He wanted the Israelites to be involved in the process.

Application:

• Bring your fears into the light before God, and open up to those He is calling you to confide in.
• Resist every message from the enemy that tells you to stop seeking God because of fear.

Prayer:
Father, I bring my fears into Your light. I do not want to keep them buried within or internalize what the enemy is using against me. Cleanse me by the blood of Jesus Christ, and forgive me where fear has taken hold in my heart. Teach me to keep seeking You with all my heart and all my soul. Strengthen me to resist the enemy’s fear tactics and keep on keeping on in my pursuit of You. Thank You that You are compassionate, and You will not fail me.ake me into deeper depths in Yeshua, and let joy and gladness break forth from within me.