And you thought I was weird.

Phil.


> by Neil Anderson
>
>
> THE FEAR THAT EXPELS ALL OTHERS
>
> Proverbs 14:26
> In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, and his children will
> have refuge
>
> I was conducting a conference for the leadership of one of America's
> flagship churches. The pastor is one of the most gifted Bible teachers I
> know and his
> staff is among the best. I asked the 165 leaders present if they had ever
> experienced a direct encounter with something they knew was demonic, such
as
> a frightening presence in their room or an evil voice in their mind.
> Ninety-five percent answered yes. I went one step further to ask how many
> had been
> frightened by something pressing on them that they couldn't immediately
> respond to physically. At least a third raised their hand. Are these
> Christian
> leaders mentally ill? No, and neither are you or your children when you
> struggle against demonic influences in your life.
>
> We warn our children about strangers in the streets. Don't you think we
> should warn them about "strangers" in their rooms? Our research suggests
> that 50
> percent of Christian kids have encountered an evil presence in their
rooms.
> Most of my students at seminary have had such an experience, and by the
time
> they complete my class on resolving spiritual conflicts, several tell
about
> having such an experience that semester. Would you know what to do if you
or
> your child was terrorized by a presence alone at night? Do you fear such a
> possibility?
>
> Most people fear demonic things they can't see, but have no fear of God.
> That's just the opposite of what Scripture commands. We are told to fear
the
> Lord
> (Proverbs 1:7), but we are never told to fear Satan. Fear of the devil is
an
> inappropriate response to the reality of the spiritual world. Knowing his
> schemes and learning to resist him and take authority over him is the
> biblical response.
>
> Isaiah 8:13, 14, reads, "It is the LORD of hosts whom you should regard as
> holy. And He shall be your fear, and He shall be your dread. Then He shall
> become
> a sanctuary." The fear of the Lord is the one fear that expels all other
> fears.
>
> Prayer:
>
> Lord, You are the only legitimate fear-object in my life. You are the
> omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent God.