Knock, Knock - Fear is at the Door
You’re busy at home when you hear someone knocking at your door. You open it to find a very pushy door to door salesman. He is telling you that something is wrong with your home and you need his product to fix it. You say, "No." but he continues to push. "No!" again but he continues to insist. What do you do? Do you submit to this sales person and buy what he is selling or do you shut the door? The enemy comes much like this salesman, knocking on your door trying to sell you something. He tells you things like, this disease is going around I heard you cough you might have that! Your spouse is no good! They don’t love you, you should leave them. Your finances are getting worse by the moment there is no getting out! Your children are lost they won’t be saved! Your doctor said you have that disease and it’s going to kill you! Now what? Do you open the door to the enemy and invite fear in? Do you pretend like these things aren’t happening and ignore them? Or do you deal with it right there then slam the door in his face? Usually when these situations come up in our lives the first temptation is to fear. Knock knock. It isn’t a sin to be tempted, Jesus was tempted, but giving into that that temptation is. You have to deal with the temptation by saying something like, "I'm tempted to fear but I know I don't have to fear because..." This is when you talk about what Jesus has done! You talk about what the Word says, the truth opposite to what the enemy is saying. Refusing what he is standing at your door trying to sell you. However, if you refuse to acknowledge whats happening and just walk away like it's not there, then you are making the choice to fight this battle on your own, leaving the door to the enemy open. What will happen is the temptation to fear will continue and continue, until it actually weakens you and you buy what he is selling. Denial is like trying to hold a ball under water, it's a lot of work and eventually you'll get tried and that thing will come up with great force and smack you in the face.
1 Timothy 6:12 Wuest traslation Be constantly engaging in the contest of the Faith, which contest is marked by its beauty of technique. Take possession of the eternal life into a participation of which you were called and concerning which you gave testimony to your agreement with the good profession [you made] in the presence of many witnesses.
This is a battle and pretending you don’t have an adversary is foolish! It’s like being a boxer going into the ring. If you ignore the other fighter you will be knocked out quickly and hurt badly. On the same note, if you’re not trained, you will be like a person flailing their arms around, like a scatter shot, not landing a single blow.
1 Corinthians 9:26 (NLT) 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.
A fighter trains, prepares, listens to his coach and is ready for the fight. Spend time training with The Holy Spirit, get the Word, your sword for this battle, and leting Him teach you the “beauty of technique”. Learn His plan of attack, “Taking possession” of all He has already given you. Then you go to work training, continuing to say what Jesus said, over and over punch, block, jab, allowing The Word to grow stronger on the inside of you. Each swing of that sword brings your faith up another level, causing your faith muscles to grow, your reflexes to be quicker, and each blow to be with purpose and a moral hit. Now when he knocks on your door, you’re ready. The temptation to fear will be there but you’ve trained. You deliberately climb in that ring facing your opponent knowing you'll win because you’ve brought Jesus, The Word, in with you! This is a fight, so he will come again and again but as he does you will block every attempted attack. You will cast him down, putting him under your feet, down for the count. 1…2…3
2 Corinthians 10:4-6 (AKJV) 4 (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6 and having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
