The knock on the door was loud and unexpected. I immediately felt that familiar feeling of trepidation. Uneasiness. Dread. But mostly fear. It was a perfectly safe neighbor at the door, but no matter how old I get, I still have flashes of these emotions. Let me take you back about three decades and you’ll see why.
I grew up in a family full of cautionary tales. There were four daughters, and our safety was paramount to my parents. They made sure we were aware of all kinds of dangers as we attended school, learned to drive, went places by ourselves, and moved into our own homes. I was taught to never answer the door alone, to lock my doors and always wear my seatbelt. I was warned to look around as I exited a store, keys in hand, ready to sound an alarm if needed. I knew to drive to the police station when I was followed by a man in a truck one night for a scary long time. We were aware of every car that parked on our street, every strange noise in our house, and it seems we were constantly on the defense, waging a war for our safety.
Then I became an adult. I will forever be thankful to my parents for keeping me safe, but as a Sanctified woman, Satan has used fear as his greatest weapon in my life. Fear has always kept me from absolute peace. Fear has kept me from certain careers, from countless opportunities, and from testifying in church on a regular basis, therefore not telling everyone what God is continually giving me. This year, at 49 years old, it stops. Here’s why: In the last 10 months, God has shown me incredible things about not being afraid, and with God’s help and a humble heart, I want to share it with you.
2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” God ‘highlighted’ this verse for me and gave me the thought that Paul did not just write this to casually say, “Oh, c’mon, don’t be scared…you’ll be fine.” A thousand times to the contrary! He means that when God first pours out His Sanctifying spirit into our waiting empty hearts, there’s not even one DROP of fear in that Holy rushing fire! FEAR is NOT written in that recipe at all. Power, love and a sound mind. All the ingredients we need to live Sanctified, to know how to treat people and raise our children, and the reasoning to recognize the devil’s devices against us. It’s a perfect recipe. Psalm 18:30 “As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.”
God has shown me repeatedly this year that fear is ALWAYS absent from perfect peace. I John 4:18 tells me that “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” Isaiah 26:3 says “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” And Psalm 91 is full of comforting promises of being rescued, protected, answered, delivered, and covered with his feathers and under his wings…all in perfect safety.
We recently sang, “Let the stormy breezes blow, their cries cannot alarm me, I am safely sheltered here, protected by God’s hand, Here the sun is always shining, Here there’s naught can harm me, I am safe forever in Beulah land”. I felt God nudge me on that one, and it struck me with absolute clarity for the first time ever that no matter what happens to me physically, whether I live or die, I am SAFE forever on God’s mighty arm. My soul is safe here with God, and my soul will be safe in Heaven with God. I felt my heart change and shift perspectives, and Satan got knocked down. Today, if there’s a trip to the ER, or some other calamity, I’ll still be safe, and if someone knocks on my door, I’ll answer with perfect peace…because I am not afraid.
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