Some time ago I wrote about and dealt with the issue of helplessness—which is a form of trained fear. Today I want to deal with breaking the bonds of containment, which fear produces in your life.
Proverbs 23:7 tells us, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Let me give you an example: you are on your way home with a lot on your mind. You arrive home and don’t even remember stopping at the stop sign or any of the familiar places.
Why? Because that familiar way, those actions and responses, were so ingrained in you that you didn’t have to concentrate on going home.
Now this is not a smart thing to do, but we all have done it. These actions were automatic. It’s the same way with trained fear. It is so much a part of you that you don’t notice the problem.
However, the first step to freedom is to recognize the mountain.
Lets take myself for example. I was dealing with some things in my life and the Holy Spirit had to show me where I had become numb and unresponsive in my dealings with certain circumstances.
The Lights Finally Came On
Time after time the issues of life would occur and response patterns or forms of fear would manifest. They manifest slowly and steadily. They would appear as small but the end result was big! Why? Because I would respond out of fear!
When the Lord showed me these things I would hear myself saying on the inside “I can’t do anything about this!” This phrase was so much a part of my thinking in that area that I wasn’t even aware of that negative attitude.
But when the Holy Spirit revealed it to me the lights came on and I saw the containment that was in my life. Well, let me tell you something, it didn’t take long for me to begin praying.
My first step was to confess my sin, Romans 14:23, tells us if it isn’t faith it is sin. That kind of action or the lack of action isn’t faith at all and now you have to begin to see it as wrong and to refuse it any more power in your mind and life.
The second step was that I began to work the Word. I soon realized that where my mind and thought processes were concerned, I no longer was helpless, paralyzed with fear; I was free and realized I could do something about that area.
I began to do what Joshua 1:8 tells us to do: meditate, mutter to myself that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! I can! I can do all things; I can do all things through Christ.
I was putting the living Word in my mind and it was washing over me and enabling me. It was working because I was working it. The Word was working mightily in me.
I was doing what Second Corinthians 10 1-5 tells us. Bring every thought and make it submit to the Word of God. Now when you hear the thought “I can’t help my self,” remember and bring that thought to the Word that says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.
The third step was to start drawing on the burden-removing, yoke-destroying anointing of God to un-numb my mind, heal my emotions, and free my will. You do this by faith—regardless of how you feel.
I’ll never forget on one of my trips to South Africa. I was holding a meeting on a large farm of about 1000 acres. It was a horse ranch where they trained and raised racehorses.
Step Out In Faith
Well, I went into the meeting room and there were people there drinking, smoking, and talking. A perfect setting for miracles, right? At least in my mind I didn’t think so.
My first thought was I didn’t hear God, I need to preach salvation with a strong emphasis on a hell to be shunned. But no, the Holy Spirit told me I was to preach on healing and to have a healing line.
Well, I didn’t feel like it, I didn’t feel the usual anointing but I stepped out in faith anyway. People came up in the line to be healed and went back to their seats with no outward response.
After the meetings as people were going home, one of the ladies that I prayed for who was blind, turned her head and looked out the window and said “My, aren’t the stars beautiful tonight.” Kate (the one driving) almost ran off the road! The lady was completely healed!
There was no outward feeling on my part that made me feel like she got healed when I prayed for her, but the Word says I lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. So I act on that Word. God will confirm his Word with signs following! He watches over His Word to perform it.
Glory to God. His Word and your faith will work for you and release you to freedom. In Him you’ll start living free from fear like you have never known before.
Remember—no fear here.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Reverend Barbara A. Thorne was born again in 1945, at the age of nine and began fulfilling the call of God on her life in 1969. By 1970 she was working in the ministry as the pastor of a small Methodist mission house in Tuscumbia, Alabama. It was during this time that she experienced what most charismatic Christians would call revival.
During this six and a half-year outpouring of God's Spirit, Reverend Thorne saw many saved, healed and delivered by God's awesome love. When the revival ended God led her to Rhema Bible Training Center to learn the word of faith. Since then she has gone on to pioneer churches abroad, in South Africa and in Europe.
Currently, Rev. Thorne was founder and pastor of Harvest Family Church, a non-denominational Christian fellowship, located in Somerset Massachusetts.
She was also founder and dean of International Bible School. Rev. Thorne served the Lord for thirty-two years, traveling the globe, preaching and teaching the uncompromised Word of God and ministering in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Her heart was to raise up faith-filled leaders, in the Body of Christ, for the work of the ministry, both in the U.S. and internationally - to teach believers to fulfill their calling and live victoriously in Christ through the unfailing love of God.
