Some of us feel brave by coming out of our Christian closets. But there is a battle that comes from an ungodly realm when we step out in faith. Because holding hands with Jesus threatens the demonic.

And how does the demonic push back? Intimidation. Fear. Lies that threaten our peace.

So, how do we combat that? How do we learn to live in perfect peace? The Word says, “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3)

But what if we don’t? Trust Him, that is?

How do we learn to trust an unseen God? John 3:8 says, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

God’s Touch

We can’t see the wind, but we can feel its caress on our cheek, the tug of its fingers on our jacket. God is always with us (Heb. 13:5). So how do we develop trust in a God we can’t see and maybe don’t feel?

The same way we do with anyone. We get to know Him. We talk. And just like in any good relationship, we listen. Really listen. With the ears of our heart. Quietly being still in His presence (Psalm 46:10).

God talks in pictures and words.

You listen for a word that comes to your mind. A sense of peace. That knowing that comes with an understanding He releases into your mind and heart.

God is good and has good things for us. We have to practice stepping into that flow. . . the flow of His Spirit and learn to connect to His goodness.

The Grid

The grid we look through determines what we hear. When we have a relationship with Jesus, we are seated in heavenly places in Him (Eph 2:6). The cool thing with that is we are seated in a place where the end is already written. Goodness has won. So when we have that perspective, we get to pray with hope and peace, declaring God’s goodness into our situations.

I have a child who has brought calluses to my knees. Amazing child. One of my very favorite people to be around. Gifted, intelligent, hilarious and bent on doing things his way.

So many times I have prayed, “Help him. Help me. Oh, God, it’s not going well.” And I fear the cloud of disaster I imagine rising over his life. Many tears, many storms have brewed between us.

Then one night as I cried out to God, I heard, “Your boy is going to be fine.” It was a knowing that settled in my heart. So I hung onto it.

Too often, we pick apart what we hear. Was that really God?  And the sense of knowing evaporates like morning dew on a spider’s web.

Stand Firm

If we focus on the disaster we see with our eyes, faith gets trampled by fear. As Graham Cooke states, “Fear and faith can’t occupy the same place at the same time. One has to go . . . and you get to choose.”

It’s easy to say that we choose faith, but how do we get fear to go when it’s the loudest voice we hear?

We start declaring truth. That’s where dusting our Bible off comes in handy (and starting to say “Hi, how ya doing?” to its Author). We get to read the word and declare God’s truth into our lives.

When I get scared, I run for my bedroom, lock the door and head for the closet (no chance on anyone overhearing me), and start saying things along the lines of, “Thank you God that you are with me in this situation. Thank you God that you never leave me, nor forsake me. Thank you God that you know the plans you have for me. Thank you God that You are good and You are trustworthy.” You get the picture.

Try it. Speak it with passion. Speak it as if you believe it with every cell of your body. Speak it with vengeance over the enemy and delight in the One who has your back. Speak truth with the authority that Jesus purchased for you.  You’ll be amazed at how the atmosphere around you starts to change. Fear gets pushed back.

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word (Rom 10:17). Speak it so you hear it!

Life and death are in the power of the tongue (Prov. 18:21). Marilyn Braxton once spoke to me, “When you speak fear, demons congregate. When you speak life, angels are sent on assignment.”

Tell Me How You Feel

What do you do to counteract fear?

Declaration by Brielle Sand