Mar 30 – In these unprecedented days when many are concerned and worried about what is happening – we again pray into the whole issue of fear, and the Fear of the Lord.
The problem with allowing unsanctified fear a place in our lives is that it can be an underlying issue leading to depression, grief and ill-health. Satan certainly seeks to plant such unclean fear in our lives. Sometimes its roots are in our parent’s attitudes planting their own fears into us as children which then sub-consciously have an unhealthy hold on our lives as well. Dramatic experiences, traumas and unresolved conflicts can all also plant fear deep into our lives.
Father, as we pray and wrestle on the behalf of others – we also recognise that our own hearts and minds can be fertile places for unsanctified fears to grow. We pray that we will not allow such fear to dominate our thinking, reacting and outlook on life. Instead, we embrace and proclaim those words again over our lives: 1 John 4:18, ‘Perfect love expels all fear;’ and 2 Timothy 1:7, ‘For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.’ Holy Spirit, plant holy fear and reverence in our lives so that we will live as God-fearers in full submission to Christ, and truly filled with Your powerful love. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Mar 31 – Father, we pray today for those struggling with panic attacks or high levels of anxiety. A high level of anxiety can come surreptitiously, slowly sneaking up on us as we worry, are distressed about something, or fearful about an imminent stressful situation, experience or event. This could include a stressful work situation or worry about a vulnerable family member getting Coronavirus.
A Panic Attack can arise unexpectedly with no obvious trigger because of health issues, or buried issues. It triggers the body’s fight or flight response creating intense, almost uncontrollable physical reactions. It often creates the fear or worry about having to face another such attack. At its height we feel very vulnerable, and often an intense fear of death accompanies it.
Thank You Lord that there is hope for both conditions. My personal testimony is that I suffered for years from high levels of anxiety, including panic attacks. These affected me from the age of 28 when I first took ME. I lived with an expectation of dying of a heart attack for many years – the ME began with a viral heart infection. Thank You for Isaiah 41:10 which, for me, over the years, has been a key verse, ‘Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.’ Yesterday’s 1 John 4:18, and today’s Isaiah 41:10, were two key verses enabling me to connect with God’s grace and deliverance. I proclaim these two verses over those caught in similar traps to the one I was caught in. Set them free, and lead them into a new place of soundness of mind, power, love and self-discipline. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Apr 1 – Father, the stress of living day by day can get too much. So many people resort to all sorts of remedies to alleviate the stress including drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, gambling, affairs, fanatical physical exercise, Social Media overuse, uncontrolled TV watching, avoidance, and gluttony. Some of us have a natural inclination to view things negatively threatening our mental well-being. The terrible things some have experienced in life, sometimes even the things we ourselves have experienced, can cause high levels of anxiety.
Father, when we are walking in Your fear, we can have confidence that You are on our side – we no longer have to feel so alone. Romans 8:31, ‘What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?’
The person who is walking in Your fear, and living by the whole-life principles presented in the Bible, will have fewer feelings of insecurity, abandonment and fear. There will be far fewer times when salvation is doubted. Your fear produces a strong sense of salvation security and close fellowship with Christ by the Holy Spirit. We proclaim these benefits and blessings over each one in our church, associated with our church, over other Christians in our communities, and to be increasingly experienced by the fearful in our nation as we pray for them, teach and preach these truths, and minister in these areas under the Spirit’s anointing. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Apr 2 – Perhaps you have been bound by fear, just as surely as if you were in prison. Perhaps at times you have tried to overcome it yourself – but each time you end up worse than you were before. I have good news for you today. There is one who loves you unconditionally, and who can set you free from this life of torment – the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our Redeemer, Deliverer and Saviour. He is waiting to set You free – ask Him to set You free to today. He will begin – even though He often has to work at other areas in our lives before His freedom can truly root in us and begin to produce the fruit of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Lord Jesus, You specialise in doing things thought impossible. Many have been able to testify of once being bound by unsanctified fear, and today of being free from the grip of that fear. Isaiah 35:4, ‘Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.”’
Lord, unsanctified fear is our enemy. It binds us to self-protection, to faithless living, to an ever decreasing circle of fearful living. It extinguishes the flame of spiritual adventure, and leads us into the valley of human reason. Lord, this verse tells us that You will come and set Your people free. Come Lord, – set Your people free to live to worship, serve and bring glory to You. Anoint our church to be specifically blessed in the ministry of leading many people into true freedom from unsanctified fear – truly free to live as You call us to live. Amen
Apr 3 – Father, the person who lives in Your fear will be a satisfied person with one goal in life, pleasing Christ. Proverbs 19:23, ‘Fear of the Lord leads to life, bringing security and protection from harm.’ Therefore, this mindset is a big part of the spiritual armour You designed to protect us from the enemy of our souls.
The one who fears You – will be one who will have all their needs met, live in the overflow of the Spirit, and be blessed in every setting of life. When we must have other stuff to make us happy, we will never be truly free! Lord, we pray that we will learn to be satisfied with You first, and with the privilege of walking and living in Your fear – reverently following Christ. We proclaim that, in Him, our souls will be permanently satisfied. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Apr 4 – Father, in Proverbs 19:23, we are told that the one who fears You will not be visited with evil. This person will walk under the wall of Your protection. You will stand on that one’s behalf. Job was such a person. Satan complained to You that, ‘You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is!’ (1:10). This did not mean that Job would always be protected from physical and spiritual affliction; no, but it did mean that You set the limit beyond which the enemy could not step.
Lord, we are praying for men and women, young people and children to learn how to live in the glow of Your favour – in the joy of experiencing Your smile. Instead of living with a sense of spiritual failure – we are praying for breakthrough into a new place, in Christ, of spiritual fruitfulness. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Apr 5 – The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, 277-78, states, ‘There are over 100 positive references to the fear of the Lord linked to faith and obedience. To fear the Lord was one of the things that defined person as a follower of God. Fearing God is often used in the context of serving God (Deuteronomy 6:13, ‘You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him;’ 10:20, ‘You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him, and to Him you shall hold fast, and take oaths in His name;’ 1 Samuel 12:24, ‘Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you’).
It was a part of the Old covenant. In Psalm 25:14, ‘the secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant.’ It is not too much to say that fearing God is virtually synonymous with having a saving faith in Him. Deuteronomy 10:12-13 is an apt summery of what is encompassed in the fear of God: ‘and now, O Israel, What does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees’ (NIV).’
Father, the New Covenant teaches us that these promises are completed and fulfilled in Christ. Anoint us to proclaim these great truths in Christ so that much glory is brought to His name, and many people saved and sanctified in Him. Set people free through the ministry of our church in Telford, Shropshire, the West Midlands, and as far as our ministry reaches online – free to be mature, adventurous, disciple-making disciples. In Jesus’ name. Amen
