FEAR SLAYERS
By Melissa Doll, Honeybee Ministries Iowa founder
We’re living in a pandemic. A pandemic of FEAR. Fear in households, fear in culture, fear in speaking up for what is true and right and good. In my opinion, fear sucks the lifeblood from many hearts, posing the greatest threat to peace.
How I Became a Fear Slayer
For years, my greatest fear was losing a child to death. I didn’t dwell on this fear, but at some point in my life, I allowed a spirit of fear concerning my children to enter my heart. Typically I am a person of great faith, so this fear was a contradiction to my basic SHAPE.[i] At some point, I began to ask God to tear down the strongholds (lies of the enemy) in my life (still praying that prayer!), and soon after, He allowed my oldest daughter to experience a near fatal, head-on car collision.
From the moment we received the call to the long drive to the hospital, through a long night in which she endured two life-saving surgeries and the week of touch-and-go intensive care treatment, faith arose from a well of deep belief that God was in control of the entire situation. Fear didn’t have a chance to enter my heart; years of leaning on God and ‘eating’ His Word led to an instantaneous faith response when tested by fire. Worry didn’t enter the picture. Looking back after her miraculous recovery, I was astounded that a life-long worry--when faced head-on in with the power of Holy Spirit—lay as a defeated, vanquished lie from the enemy! The best part was that in the heat of the battle, faith was so strong that no matter what the outcome had been from the accident, I knew God was good and His ways perfect.
How are you ‘SHAPEd’ ?
My personality is not one that worries, but I am a minority (and believe me, I have other struggle areas!). One-third of the population (people I describe as “Peaches” in our Honeybee Ministries Iowa Destiny training)[ii]ARE wired in a way that makes worry more of a struggle. These nurturers of society are SHAPEd to care deeply about things in a way that—if not surrendered to God—can open spiritual doors to fear that manifests in worry.
In my journey, God has revealed to me this “Kingdom assignment”: Helping one another identify our God-given SHAPEs so that we can best edify others and glorify God. It is one of the reasons I founded Honeybee Ministries Iowa. Looking to Biblical templates can help so much. SOMEONE in the Bible is SHAPEd like you and I are! Their life story provides guidance and hope.
For example, Thomas in the Bible is a prime example of a worrier, even earning him the dubious nickname “Doubting Thomas.” Thomas was shaped to care deeply about/nurture time-honored beliefs and institutions. The disciples’ claims that Jesus had risen from the dead and appeared to them in person following His crucifixion rocked Thomas’s world! He allowed a spirit of fear to enter, which manifested in worry. He did not trust the testimony of the other disciples and worried that they were wrong. “Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25). Thankfully, Jesus redeemed him, and Thomas became a great apostle of the faith. (John 20:26-31; Acts 1:13)
A Creepy Crawly Spirit
Did you know that fear is actually a SPIRIT? Think of a creepy, crawly critter. The spirit of fear is a creepy, crawly spiritual critter that crouches outside our spiritual doors. God did not give us this spirit, (2 Timothy 1:7), so that means satan is the one who spawns fear. God gives us power, love, and a sound mind.
Women are the great nurturers of society. As nurturers, women can experience fear whenever the focus of our nurturing is threatened . . . our personal welfare, spouses, children, homes, friends, careers, etc. Any threat to a woman’s sphere of nurture is an opportunity to indulge in fear.
2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
When fearful life events threaten us--our bodies, our hearts, our spouses, our children, our homes, our friends, our careers, etc.--these earthly events can open “spiritual doors” in our lives. Doors can open via willful sin & disobedience, unforgiveness, inner vows & judgments, emotional trauma, and generational bloodline sins.[iii]The degree of the threat dictates the degree to which a door might open. A small threat can slightly crack a door; a big threat can swing a spiritual door wide open. An open spiritual door allows spiritual creatures to come inside our hearts.
So, how do we keep spiritual doors closed when fearsome life events happen? By responding in faith to fearsome life situations. When we live by faith, spiritual doors remain closed to fear. If, however, we succumb to fear, spiritual doors open to the spirit of fear. The spirit of fear manifests in worry. If we constantly worry about something, we have opened a spiritual door and allowed the spirit of fear to enter.
So how can we not worry, or respond “fearfully,” when that creepy, crawly spirit of fear comes around? Faith is the key to slaying fear! When something rocks our world, BY FAITH--possible only with God’s help obtained via prayer and petition--we can quickly and powerfully resist the devil and refuse to open spiritual doors, even in the face of great upheaval. Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT) encourages the following: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hears and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
Too often, however, when faced with fearsome challenges, as imperfect humans we choose to surrender to the spirit of fear, which means we open our spiritual doors and let the fearful situation take over our mind and/or emotions. This choice invites worry to enter into our spiritual houses. The choice to surrender to fear in a fearsome situation allows that creature named “spirit of fear” to come in and terrorize our spiritual lives. Worry is one result of this choice.
1 Peter 5:7 advises humans to “Give all your worries and care to God, for He cares about you.” (NLT)
When we have “gone there” -- made the wrong choice and let fear invade our hearts, resulting in worry, 1 Peter 5:7 gives us the clear solution: “Give all your worries to God.” The King James Version says to “cast” them upon Him, which implies a strong heave-ho.
We sin when we allow the spirit of fear to enter our spiritual houses and take up residence, resulting in worry. We have chosen fear over faith. We must repent of this sin. A repentance prayer is as simple as saying:
“God, I give You my worry over (xyz). Forgive me for letting the spirit of fear enter my heart. I ask you to cleanse my heart of all worry and to drive the spirit of fear far from me. I take authority in Your name, Jesus, and close this open door in my life. Thank you for Your great love for me. Amen.”
As impossible as it sounds, perfect peace is possible, even in the worst circumstances! If we ask God to remove all worry, willingly resist opening the door to fear, or repent of doing so if we’ve already made that choice. “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)
Need some fear slaying bullets in your arsenal? Here are some I have found most helpful.
Melissa’s “Fear Slaying” Bullets
· Pray on the Armor of God daily. Faith is the great weapon against worry. Daily, I “pray on” the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18), intentionally “picking up” and “positioning” the Shield of Faith over my life and the lives of those in my “territory” (1 Chronicles 4:9-10). Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (NIV 1984)
· Memorize and meditate on Philippians 4:19. Being SURE of what we hope for (Everlasting life with Christ) and CERTAIN of what we do not see (Jesus, our risen Lord, Savior, and advocate) enables us to believe “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Faith that God is providing for all our needs leaves no room for fear or worry.
· Reach out to prayer warrior sisters and brothers. Reaching out to others in our times of need defeats the enemy’s goal of keeping us isolated, alone, and filled with worry. The best tool I have found when I am weak in my own faith is to reach out to prayer warrior brothers and sisters and ask them to raise their Shields of Faith over me. In Honeybee Ministries Iowa, we developed SDP—“Stop, Drop, and Pray.” Currently, we have several small group, text-thread “SALT Teams”—Saints Abiding in Love and Trust (SALT term not original to HBMI). When faced with daunting life circumstances that threaten to sink our spiritual ships, or cause us to open doors to the spirit of fear, we encourage team members to reach out via text and request immediate prayer. The rest of the team has promised to SDP when an urgent prayer need arises.
· Target weakness with “an army” of warring, fear slayer prayers. Even if you’re not being trained by our ministry, you can do this with prayer warrior sisters and brothers. I’ll explain here how we do it. We spiritually place the person in the center of our prayer group and collectively raise Shields of Faith over them so that the fiery darts of the enemy cannot reach them in their time of vulnerability (Ephesians 6:16). At the minimum, all whisper an immediate prayer on behalf of the person requesting. Often, someone will send a beautiful texted prayer; and many times, God will call us to pray continually, effectively, and fervently for the need in the day/days that follow. Invariably, the person prayed for experiences an immediate lifting of the spirit. Hope arrives on the scene, and the enemy is driven back by the prayers of the saints. Over time, we testify as to God’s goodness in meeting our shared needs. The testimony edifies all and brings glory to God. Revelation 12:11 speaks to the importance of this follow-up testimony: “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”
· Remember that the opposite of fear is faith. Faith is the key to locking the door against fear! Peace is present when fear is absent. For a person, space, or place to have peace, fear must not live in that space and place. Faith must reign! True peace only comes through faith in Jesus Christ. When we respond by faith in Christ to the fearsome things in life, NOT fear, we are MORE than conquerors…we are true fear slayers! “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us,” Romans 8:37 (NKJV).
About Melissa Doll
Melissa Doll is wife and mother of four who left her job as a school teacher to respond to a life-long call to ministry. As the founder of Honeybee Ministries Iowa, she is passionate about EQUIPPING saints for Kingdom service, EMPOWERING believers, and EVANGELIZING through retreats, workshops, seminars, worship services, and community service projects along with other faith-shaping and impacting modalities. Melissa imparts a fresh and unique perspective about “feeding and nourishing the Body of Christ as God’s Honeybee,” which you can learn more about at www.honeybeeministriesiowa.org .
Melissa’s reSOURCEs
Her suggestions related to this blog:
**About generational bloodline sins: Shadow Boxing by Dr. Henry Malone
***Learn about SHAPE and DESTINY through our Honeybee Ministries (Iowa) programs.
Blog Footnotes:
[i]Purpose Driven Church, The. Pastor Rick Warren, Saddleback Church.
[ii] “Dive Into My Destiny” Personality training. Melissa Doll, Honeybee Ministries Iowa.
[iii]Shadow Boxing. Dr. Henry Malone, Vision Life Ministries.