Topic: Freedom from Fear [Joyce Meyer Devotional 19 September 2020]
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In [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off].— Galatians 5:1 (AMPC)
According to the dictionary, the word freedom means a state of exemption from the power or control of another; liberty; exemption from slavery, servitude, or confinement.
Jesus died so we could be free from the slavery of sin and overcome the attacks of the enemy, who “comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10 AMPC). Oftentimes Satan will try to accomplish his goal by establishing strongholds of fear in our thinking.
It’s so important to realize that our fears don’t only affect us, but they also affect the people around us. Nothing is more uncomfortable to me than having to tiptoe around someone because they have fears that make them touchy, nervous, and uptight. I feel compassion for them and pray for them, and I also know that I don’t want to be that kind of person anymore.
I used to deal with constant fear because of the abuse I’d been through in my childhood. That fear had me bound in so many ways, especially in the areas of legalism and relationships. The longer I walked with the Lord, though, the more I learned that every fear can be demolished when we recognize it, confront it, and evict it with His Word (see 2 Corinthians 10:4-5). Over the years, He helped me conquer the fears of trusting people and making mistakes, and now I’m living in a level of freedom that I never thought I could have.
You may be the way I was—afraid other people won’t approve of you, or afraid of an authority figure in your life. Whether you struggle with this fear or other fears, the path to freedom is the same: Study God’s Word and apply it to your life, ask God to help you face the fear and conquer it, and walk out each step He leads you to take. As you do, you’ll experience more and more freedom than you ever imagined was possible!
Prayer Starter: Father, thank You for equipping me with Your Word to conquer the fears I’m facing. Please help me start to apply it to my life today so I can begin to have the freedom that You died to give me. In Jesus’ Name, amen