Are you tired of letting fear bully you? One memorable definition I once heard of F.E.A.R. is "Forget
Everything and Run."
When you "forget everything and run," you allow the enemy to steal the inheritance the Lord has for you. A prime example of this is how the Israelites refused to go into the Promised Land because they feared its inhabitants (see Numbers 13).
They forgot that they had Almighty God with them. They forgot that God specializes in making the impossible, possible!
But Take Back Your Temple member Geri Parisella finally said to fear: "Enough is enough!" She wrote a powerful message called "An Open Letter to Fear."
It was so impactful that I asked Geri if I could share it with the TBYT community at large. Her letter is below. You can also follow Geri on her blog.
I hope you join us in kicking cowardly fear out of your life once and for all. Then you will develop Godly fear, which is akin to "awe." You focus on loving, reverencing, honoring, and respecting the Lord enough to do what He says. This respect of God will spur you on to becoming and doing what He calls you to do:
...but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits (Daniel 11:32)."
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An Open Letter to Fear by Geri Parisella
Dear Fear,
I've seen you steal from me. I've seen you ravage my life, robbing me of joy, connection, feeling competent, feeling adequate, of knowing myself, and knowing my Lord. You succeeded for a while at cutting me off from Him almost completely, flooding my mind with thoughts revolving around me… Keeping me chasing my own tail in an exhausting exercise in futility.
Like a rampant cancer, the self-centered fear devoured me. It took over my mind. It was the driving force in my life. "How do I protect myself from being exposed? How do I hide that I don't have all the answers?" I would ask myself.
You had me chasing things, people, and feelings that would protect me from the shame of my human imperfection. I have borne these dark secrets as a weighty yoke, dragging me around and down by the neck.
You made me afraid to try, to fail, to succeed, to be wrong, to Shine, to stand, to be broken, empty, and weak. You made me ashamed to be human. Then, you used your evil cousins of Pride and Perfectionism to further cut me off from the loving, Almighty God who created me. You enticed me to hide behind their smokescreen, right where you wanted me, you evil liar!! You wanted me behind that smoke so when I looked out, things seemed fuzzy and blurry.
Your evil companions of Doubt and Insecurity handcuffed me to the prison of myself, where the light of my God, who came for me in the form of Jesus Christ, looked so far from me. You deceived me, you lying thief! You had me right where you wanted me, believing your lies, chasing my own tail, terrified to make the very changes that would bring me freedom!
Well done, I'll give you that! But, I'm here to say that it's over!!! You cannot have me anymore!
I belong to Jesus Christ and claim victory through his blood over you, Satan, and every single one of your lousy, evil minions and over each one of your spirit slaves who bow down to you in the fiery pit of hell. I will not bow down to you like they do!
My Lord, my God, my Vindicator, my Savior, my Redeemer, my Protector, Jesus Christ is the only one I will ever bow to. I am His and His alone. He owns me. He's the author of me, and as such, has the only authority over me and my life. I will subject every part of me to Him. You can't touch me now!
So, fear, I won't be needing you anymore! I'm taking off your iron yoke of slavery and springing free of the shackles that I've grown so accustomed to. Instead, I'm taking up His yoke, which is easy and the burden, light. You may try to come against me, but know that by the blood of Jesus Christ, my Savior, you will never again prosper over me!
Go back to hell where you came from!!
His humble child,
Geri
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Be blessed in health, healing, and wholeness,
Kimberly Taylor
Author/Christian Life Coach of the Take Back Your Temple program
P.S. The Bible gives us the basis for overcoming fear in Deuteronomy 31:8:
And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
You can be courageous when you keep the Lord close - taking time to remember that He is with you. Nothing is too hard for our God!
In the Take Back Your Temple program, you'll receive several resources that help you renew your mind to God's thoughts about health and wellness. If you are ready to take back what the enemy has stolen from you, I urge you to join us in this unique program today!