Just a few weeks ago, I was out taking my early morning walk when some ladies in my neighborhood yelled, “Be careful, Terri, there’s a skunk up there!” So, I changed my route  to avoid  this  skunk  that  I couldn’t even  see in the dark! This went on for several mornings. One day, I got tired of not getting to take my normal route, so I thought, “I’m just gonna go see for myself, take a chance and go the route I want to go.” I didn’t want to allow this skunk to ruin my path. So, I got closer and closer to where they said the skunk was…. and sure enough, I saw an oval-shaped thing in the grass with a white stripe all the way down the center. My heart was beating so fast! I was praying really hard – commanding him to stay away from me! I was walking as fast as I could, and I was prepared to spray him back with my tear gas!

I saw the ladies ahead and I warned them, “You’re right. The skunk’s up  there  today.” Later  that morning,  I was  taking my daughter to school and as I drove out of our neighborhood, I looked in the same spot that skunk was in earlier – and there it was….an oval-shaped thing with a white stripe down the center just  laying  in  the grass.  It was a  football! Yes,  I was  scared of a  football! It dawned on me, “All this time – we thought that football was a skunk!” I was allowing a football to scare me and stop me from taking the path I want to take!

It’s  been  said  that  F.E.A.R.  stands  for  False  Evidence Appearing Real! That’s how Satan works! He presents thoughts and  ideas  in  our  head  that  completely  PARALYZE  us  from going forward…when all along – it’s False Evidence Appearing Real.

The interesting thing is that I would still think that football is a skunk to this day and I would still be avoiding my favorite path and settling for a small path if I hadn’t seen that area “IN THE LIGHT”. It was only because the sun came up (the light was on) that I was able to see that I had fallen for a lie.

It’s the same with the Word of God. The more you read the Word for yourself and you let it get down on the inside of you – a LIGHT GOES OFF and you begin to see things you didn’t see in the dark. You begin to see that you don’t need to be afraid. You have nothing to fear!

Satan works through fear just like God works through faith! It takes fear to activate Satan’s power in your  life  just like  it takes  faith  to activate God’s power in your life. The scripture that has brought such peace and confi dence to me when I am facing fears (screaming in my head) is found in these seven little words: “Fear not! There is nothing to fear!” – Isaiah 41:10

Whatever you are going through today – no matter how small or how big it is: Fear not! There is nothing to fear! That’s easy to memorize! I have this hanging in my offi ce and I just glance over at it every time fear tries to stop me from going forward!

As I’m entering this new phase  in my  life of speaking more and more to live audiences and ministering alongside my Dad on the TV broadcast, I can’t tell you how many times I have to “build myself up” to overcome fear and just do it! Some people think,  “Oh,  it  just  comes  natural  to  her!” Ha!  I  stand  in  the dressing room confessing over and over, “Fear not, Terri. There is nothing to fear!”

Why  should we  fear not? The  very next part of  that  verse says, “For God is with you!” Don’t you just feel safer knowing somebody is there with you? When I was a little girl, I would sneak out of my bed and creep  into my  sister’s bed and  sleep with her. I just liked knowing someone was there.

No matter how alone you may  feel  in your  life, you’re not alone. God is with you. No matter how alone you may feel in never having enough money? Fear the opinions of others? Fear being  a nobody? Fear  that  you’ve wasted  too many  years  for God to use you now?

Wouldn’t it be sad to get to heaven and see what all you could have been, what all you could have done, and what all you could have had – but you let fear stop you? Don’t let “false evidence appearing real” stop you from God’s plan for your life!

Henry Ford said, “One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.”

I  never  realized  until  I  began  really  studying God’s Word for myself that the biggest struggles I’ve faced in my life have all been rooted in fear. Insecurity, low self-esteem, a poor self-image,  rejection –  they are all  rooted  in  fear. FEAR does not come from God. So, how do you confront your fears? You fight fear with a plan!

Plan 1: Build your confidence in God’s love for you!
Why?  Because God’s  love  will  drive  fear  out  of  your  life! There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear… (1 John 4:18 NIV)

In other words,  the more  you get  to  know God,  the more confident you become in His love for you. The more confident you become, the less fear you have. It’s like when you fi rst start dating someone, you’re not confi dent in their love for you…yet. It takes time to build that confidence. When you fiist go on a date, you’re not going to give someone your heart – you don’t even know them. You spend time with them. You communicate with  them  (that’s  sending  and  receiving  messages).  When you’re convinced they love you and you love them…..you have confidence in them.

It’s the same with God. The closer you get to Him, the more confident you become in His promises to you that He will never leave you nor forsake you, He will never let you down, He will always provide for you. That confidence is developed the more you receive His love for you.

Plan 2: Build your faith!
Fear and faith are two opposite forces. You are either full of faith or full of fear. Fear is the result of listening to Satan’s lies MORE THAN God’s  truth.  If you are full of fear, that  reveals whose voice is the loudest to you.

In order for anything to live, it has to be fed. If you find a stray dog and you give him a bowl of water and some dog food, he’ll be back back tomorrow. If you feed into the fears that Satan has planted  in your mind  (by thinking about them, talking  about them, worrying  about  them),  they’ll  stay. You have to starve what you want to die and feed what you want to live.

Lester Sumrall said, “Starve your doubts and feed your faith.”

How does  faith  come? Romans 12:2  says,  “Faith  comes by hearing  the Word…” You’ve got  to  start hearing God’s Word more than you’re hearing Satan’s lies which means one Sunday morning message is not enough. I’m speaking from experience. Listening to the Word has to become a part of your daily routine if you  truly want  to overcome  fear and  step out and do what God wants you to do!

What you don’t know can hurt you! The Bible says, “People are destroyed for a lack of knowledge!” Get on a quest to learn God’s Word for yourself. Start with one book and determine to  read  it  this month. Highlight  it. Meditate on  it. Don’t try to hurry through it just to check it off and move on to another one. Study it.

Satan is a liar, and he works through fear! God’s Word says, “Fear not! There is nothing to fear!” Nothing means nothing! You have to educate yourself in the Word. Build your knowledge of God’s promises to you. Nobody can make you do it!

Plan 3: Build yourself up in the Holy Spirit
Jude 20  says, “Build yourselves up on your most holy  faith praying in the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is a gift God has given you to build you up, strengthen you, comfort you, guide you and help you. All you have  to do  is use  the  language He gives you. Make a plan to spend some time every day praying in your heavenly language! No, it doesn’t have to be for 1 hour a day in your prayer closet at 4:00 a.m. Commit to five minutes a day and watch what happens to you inside! It will do wonders for your spirit! It will give you the strength to confront those fears that are intimidating you!

No, it doesn’t make sense to our minds. It seems strange to pray  in  your heavenly  language  and believe  that  courage will come! I’m telling you from first-hand experience, it works! Every time Satan  tries  to  torment me with  fear, I  just go  in another room and walk around praying  in my heavenly  language until that peace comes  .  .  . and  then  I have  to make myself  just do what I know God’s telling me to do (regardless of how I feel!).

Remember, consistency is the key to change in every area of life. As you develop the habit of daily time with the Holy Spirit, you will gain strength, courage and wisdom little by little.

Plan 4: Build up your courage!
How? Speak courage over yourself. Some  things will never change  in  your  life  until  you  begin  speaking  the Word  over them! I have battled with  fear  in many areas of my  life, but I have overcome many  fears  and  this  is how! Speak  the Word! Speak the Word! Speak the Word! Yes, the bible says that you can have what you say, but you will not have what you say if you don’t SAY anything! You have  to  speak  it out!  I have  listed 5 excellent scriptures for you to start confessing today. These are powerful verses that address fear and they are the very ones that I speak over myself daily!

Scriptures to confess over yourself:
I sought the Lord and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. – Psalm 34:4
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; they rod and thy staff, they comfort me. – Psalm 23:4
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. – 1 John 4:18
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? – Psalm 27:1
Fear not! There is nothing to fear, for I am with you… – Isaiah 41:10

Someone  once  said,  “What  you  repeatedly  hear,  you  will eventually believe”. And you believe your own voice more than anyone’s. As you begin consistently speaking faith-filled words over your life, fear has no choice but to leave!

Plan 5: Do it – no matter how you feel!
You can’t wait for the fear to go away – you  just have to do what you know God’s telling you to do! And you have to trust that God is right there with you holding your hand. You can do whatever God tells you to do. Starve your fears and feed your faith consistently. Determine that you will not allow fear to stop God’s plan for your life! Fear not! There’s nothing to fear!