Power of a Praying Woman 10/17/06 9:02 AM Page 211
Lord, Free Me…
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What kind of input are you receiving from the world? Is any of it causing fear in you? How could you change that? Do you go to scary movies or watch frightening television shows? Read the Word instead. If watching the news scares you, either don’t watch it or use it as a time to pray for the people and situations you hear about in it. Do whatever you can to stay close to God (for instance, you could play worship music or sing praise songs). Fear disappears in the presence of the Lord. 3. Get rid of ungodly fear by being in the Word of God. Many times in my life when I was afraid, I found that all fear left me just from reading the Bible. Knowing what God’s Word says about our fear and the promises He has given us can make all the difference. And in the face of fear, speaking the Word out loud is a powerful weapon against it. You don’t even have to be reading or speaking Scriptures speci?cally about fear. Reading anywhere in the Bible can take away fear, because the Spirit of the Lord can be found on every page. 4. Get rid of ungodly fear by living in the fear of the Lord. The more you get to know the Lord and understand who He is, the more you will reverence Him and fear His displeasure. This is called the fear of the Lord, and it makes you want to obey Him. It’s what draws you closer to God and increases your longing for more of Him. It makes you forget all the things that cause you fear, because they pale in comparison to His awesome power. When you have the fear of the Lord, you fear what your life would be like without Him.
Godly Fear
Noah is a good example of godly fear. The reason he spent all that time preparing the ark for the coming ?ood was because he had the fear of the Lord. “By faith Noah,