Do You Have A Spirit Of Fear? from Pete Wilson:
I think a lot of us have a spirit of fear that we are wrestling with every single day. You’ve got a lot of fear and anxiety and worry that may have to do with your relationships, your finances, your children – whatever it is that keeps you up at night.
If that’s you, I want you to know two things:
1. You are not alone. I wish I could grab you by the shoulders and make you believe that! God has not abandoned you; draw near to Him and He will draw near to you! He’s there, even if you don’t feel him or see him,He is with you!
2. I want you to run! Don’t run away, run to your hiding place, your true hiding place – not to the corner of the house that makes you feel safe, not under a blanket, or behind a bottle. Your true hiding place is in Him, because He is the only one who can give you the peace that you’re searching for.
I promise you, maybe not today, maybe not even tomorrow or next week, but eventually, you will walk away with a tremendous amount of courage. The kind of courage that can only come from trusting in a God that is much bigger than our fears.
"Give up your success-and-failure patterns. Seek grace in Christ, humbly and honestly. Understand that a conviction of sin does not make you neurotic, but rather it spells the beginning of the end for neurosis. After all, what is a neurotic? Simply a hurting person who is closed off to criticism in any form and yet engages in the most intense, destructive self criticism that produces neither hope nor help.
What a marvelous relief God’s grace in Christ offers. I had been totally criticized, and at the same time I was completely forgiven. As I rested in the work of another, my heart was at peace with God; and for the first time, I felt at peace with myself. "
— Rose Marie Miller, From Fear to Freedom (Colorado Springs, Co.: WaterBrook Press, 1994), pages 72-73
