storm

Fear can be paralyzing. Fear is one great enemy that will often come as the second phase in a spiritual battle. We often have the faith to handle that initial onslaught, but then come the fears, the “what if’s.”

When I was a little girl of five years old, my parents made the mistake of taking me to see a movie called Spartacus. It frightened me so terribly that, for years, I had recurring nightmares of the tragic crucifixion scene at the end of the movie.

Night after night, my dreams would start with me sitting in a dark theater, waiting for the curtain to rise. I would be paralyzed as I watched the horror unfold. I would wake up, drenched in sweat, and make a mad dash for my father’s side of the bed, comforted that my daddy would protect me.

Now, there was never any danger in the dream. It was merely a bad dream that would end. Yet, over and over, I would still be terrified. I needed my father’s soothing voice and his strong arms to hold me through the night until I fell peacefully asleep again.

Now, I am no longer a child facing recurring nightmares. I am a grown woman, a mother, a grandmother, and a pastor’s wife who has seen a world that is often scary.

Many times, I have needed the reassurance of my Heavenly Father’s love, the knowledge that this too shall pass, morning is coming, and all the shadows will flee away. I need not fear even the darkest valleys.

Every so often, a specter rises and I tremble once again. But then I hear the words of 2 Chronicles 20:15: “Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s.’”

I must not be afraid or unbelieving. Instead, I must believe His Word. He fights by your side and will supply the strength you need to gain victory over all your fears.