I don't worry, I don't fret, God has never failed me yet

I so wish that I could say that those words (from a song that was popular in the 70's) were true every day for me. I would be delighted to say that every morning I wake up full of faith and no worry.

Alas, it isn't so. I have an enemy that delights in whispering words of fear to me in the wee ours of the morning. That seems to be my most vulnerable time and the trickster must know that. In times past, before I was fully aware that it was indeed an attack, I would wake up in a cold sweat with my mind spinning round and round.

A few years ago, after many years of struggle, God showed me some things that put the problem into perspective for me.

God showed me the source of my anxiety as I looked back at my family and realized that although I was raised in a stable, encouraging family, there was indeed a "history" of anxiety in that family. My grandmother took "nerve" pills for years to combat anxiety. My mother is a wonderful mom, but her anxiety was transmitted to me in subtle ways throughout my life. I adopted an outward peace while feeling anxious inside--masking the fear and thus not dealing directly with that fear.

Praise God that He began working deep within my spirit a few years ago.

First God lead me to begin memorizing scripture. I would walk and memorize the Word every day. This became invaluable a few years ago when we were going through some pretty scary things. When I would wake up with anxiety, unable to sleep, I would repeat those scriptures until I fell back to peaceful sleep. His Word is indeed powerful.

Hebrews 4:12 (The Message)

^12-13God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God's Word. We can't get away from it—no matter what.

Then, worship music became extremely important to me as a weapon of warfare. Some mornings I get up with the enemy niggling at my brain and instead worship music rises up in me and I blast away at the enemy--singing God's praises. I love it that what the enemy meant for evil, God used for His Worship.

Psalm 71:23 (New International Version)

²³ My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you— I, whom you have redeemed.

Just a couple of years ago God spoke clearly to me that the spirit of fear that was still plaguing me sometimes had to go. I woke up one morning with a strong thought in my mind and in my spirit--today is the day to be prayed over--to seek the unity of the body to "kick the enemy" out. Ever had that happen--not only a strong word from God but also in his graciousness the details are included? God told me exactly who should pray for me! AND that day the pastor indicated that God had showed him that we would need to pray as a body for anyone plagued in 3 areas--one of which was the spirit of fear. WOWZER! Could God be anymore clear. Needless to say I leaped up from my seat (husband just missed me with his elbow) and there standing in the middle of the line of prayer warriors as if a beam of light shown on her was the person God told me was to pray for me. She prayed--with a word of knowledge about my childhood--and the spirit of fear was lifted.

Another cool thing that God did was show me that when I begin to have any anxiety, begin to pray. In fact, I often begin to pray for others. I especially understand how immobilizing fear is--so instead of being stopped in my spiritual tracks--I push forward to go into prayer for other needs in the body. Yahoo!! Hallelujah!! Take that enemy!

Lastly, I revel in the fact that often these days the Holy Spirit starts to do battle for me even before I'm fully awake. I now often wake up with the Holy Spirit "fighting" back at the enemy with the Word of God or worship music--praising God. How glorious! Instead of waking up in a cold sweat, I wake up singing God's praises--what the enemy meant for evil, God uses for God.

So instead of being like our dear Chicken Little--looking up to see if the sky is falling, let's look up to God and expect Him to be our source of peace.

Philippians 4:6-7

Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life