OVERCOMING FEAR TO

FREEDOM

Living victoriously free in Jesus because the chains of fear have been broken from your life today

By

ANTOINETTE KINGSLEY

Copyright 2012

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version ® (NIV). Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.

"Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson,

Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."

Dedication

I dedicate this book to everyone that wants to see freedom in their lives and experience a breakthrough in their mind body and soul. God is here to heal you and set you free from fear, from everything that has had you bound. You are free from fear in Jesus name.

Contents

Introduction 5

What is fear? 6

What causes fear? 12

The effects of fear 15

How to overcome fear in Christ? 18

Scriptures to help you overcome Fear 22

Prayer to overcome Fear 28

Introduction

My definition of fear, it’s like a cancer that creeps into your life, once it’s there and accepted it will eat every part of you until you are dead spiritually emotionally, mentally, physical, fear robes you of the destiny God has for you, once it’s not recognized sooner and destroyed in Jesus name. The Bible says resist the devil and he will flee from you. There is great freedom in Christ once you abide in him and trust him with your life.

Fear creates a negative, imagined scenario about the future Fear makes us think that something negative will happen, when the truth is that we don’t know what is going to happen

Fear manifests itself in many forms. At its mildest, it appears as just a mild form of uneasy or discomfort, a feeling that something is not quite right. At its worse, fear can kill.

Fear is a lifelong battle, but God is our lifelong Protector. He promised to never abandon or forsake us. When we are secure in his love and salvation, nothing can snatch us from him, not even death. By holding tightly to God, no matter what, we will make it through, in spite of our fear. May God bless you and deliver you from the stronghold of fear. In him you are free indeed.

What is fear?

Fear is a spirit: Fear can be an evil spirit that the enemy has sent to attack you. When you have an evil spirit attacking you, you cast it out in the name of Jesus. You are in a spiritual war and you need to realize that when fear tries to attack you, it is spiritual war time. You need to take authority over that spirit of fear and deal with it. (2 Tim 1:7

Fear is a sin: When you allow fear to control your live, you are moving in doubt and unbelief, therefore, you are not moving in faith and have allowed sin to creep in. you know that the kingdom of the enemy is founded on fear and that the kingdom of God is founded on faith. They are total opposites. You cannot have both operating at the same time. See Mark 4:37-41

Fear is torment: “There is no fear in love— dread does not exist; but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out- of- doors and expels every trace of terror. For fear brings with it the thought of punishment. And so he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love— is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection” (1 John 4:18 Amp). Fear is relentless, it will pound you and pressure you. If you open a door to fear, it will attack you physically, mentally and spiritually. As we see in the above Scripture, fear keeps you from maturing. It keeps you from walking in God’s love and being convinced that He loves us. It also keeps you from realizing that Jesus has already delivered you from fear.

Fear is bondage: We can become slaves to the things that we fear. Fear can paralyze our minds, wills and emotions. When paralysis takes place, it keeps us from opportunities that God has for us in life. Fear of failure can keep us from going forward in life and in our work or ministry. Fear of rejection will keep us from getting involved in relationships. If we allow ourselves to be controlled by fear, you can affect others. Anything that is full of fear separates you from God because you are moving in unbelief and not in faith. You are not moving toward the Lord, you are moving away from Him. Wherever fear is, faith is not there. You cannot have both at once; they are opposites. I have found that if I allow fear to come and control my life, it keeps me from obeying God and from doing what He has called me to do. It would be easier to quit sometimes and not battle fear, but that is not God’s will for our lives. God never intended for us to live a life full of fear. He wants us to have a life full of peace and joy.” Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” Heb. 2:14-15 (NIV).

Fear is the producer of Bad and Evil things: Just as faith will produce good things for you, fear will produce for you also—all kinds of negative things. In Job 3:15, Job said, “What I feared has come upon me.” If you allow fear to come in and control you, the very thing that you feared will come in and manifest itself. The devil’s kingdom is built on fear; God’s kingdom is built on faith. The enemy will cause fear to produce in your life if you allow him to do so. Some of the fruits of fear are depression, despair, hopelessness and discouragement. If the enemy can get us to have this negative fruit in our lives, we have no ability to conquer. We need to allow faith, not fear, to be a producer in our lives. God is good; He is faithful! When you are believing the Lord for something, He will never let you down if what you desire is according to His Word.

God didn’t create us to be consumed by fear, yet somehow it always find its loopholes to enter our human system. Once it gets to where it supposed to be, it builds itself like a wall that blinds us to see the real truth. The truth is that Jesus is the way of life, but some people still doubt the authority and the power of the Lord.

Fear enters your mind to distract or divert you from praying. Instead of running to the Lord for help, you do everything in your own way. You believe that God will never be able to help you; therefore, you dwell in your fears. The more you are living with fear, the more you lose the strength of Christian spirituality

Examples of feelings of fear

Tense

Restless

Unhappy

No peace

Ruminating thoughts

Breathless

Agitated

Vigilant

Withdrawn

What causes fear?

Conflict

Is disagreement through which the parties involved perceive a threat to their needs, interests or concerns. In fact, conflict tends to be accompanied by significant levels of misunderstanding that exaggerate the perceived disagreement considerably. If we can understand the true areas of disagreement, this will help us solve the right problems and manage the true needs of the parties.

Disapproval – rejection

This is such a big cause of demonic bondage, and it's one of the most common things to address in being set free. It seems that almost everybody is affected by rejection to some degree. It's vital to understand how it works, and how to apply the cure. Rejection attacks the very person that we are. It destroys our self-esteem, and attacks who we are and our purpose in life. This is why it is one of the most common tools the devil will use to destroy a person's life. God never wanted us to feel rejected or abandon. He desires for you to know who you really are, and realize how deeply God loves, accepts, and appreciates you, so that you can live out the fullness of what all God has ordained you to be. God's Word tells us that without being rooted and grounded in the love (and acceptance) of God, we cannot experience the fullness of God in our lives

Being evaluated negatively in social situations is usually caused by an intense negative experience from the past. But your mind can also create that fear seemingly without basis. Every time you are evaluated negatively it creates fear in your life which causes failure and you get addicted to things ,habits and situations that is not good for you and will destroy you the in the long run.

Physical illness/injury

When the doctor tells you have cancer or any kind of illness immediately fear gripes our hearts that’s what the devil uses to destroy your life. But you can overcome it through the power of the blood of Jesus

Death/dying – loved ones/self

In the situation where a child loses their parent early on, it can have a lifetime effect of anxiety over the possibility of losing anyone else. It also can promote a fear of abandonment. When you suffer from such fear, it seems that loss is always right around the corner ready to take away that which is most precious to you. It can be difficult to feel secure or let your guard down. I can tell you that such anxiety can be very tiresome and energy sapping. Prayer and the word of God can absolutely help if you suffer from the fear of loss. Jesus is the answer to your every fear.

Pain/distress/discomfort

With the entry of these painful circumstances into our lives often comes sorrow, hopelessness, fear, or confusion. It can be hard to know where to turn. You long for hope to be restored, peace to flood your heart, and healing to replace the feelings of brokenness. You wonder if joy will ever be possible again. I would like to suggest to you that the pain that you are experiencing has a purpose. The pain can be a tool to shape your soul. The pain can become a pathway to restoration and healing in the deep places of your being.

Loss of control causes fear

Caring about the smallest details in their lives makes those who fear the loss of control feel secure However in a world that is changing so fast those who fear losing control never manage to become happy and even when they do they become occupied by the fear of losing control. They feel that they have no grip at life if they are not controlling everything which causes them to be afraid.

Threats to our children’s health or happiness or success

This causes fear in parent’s hearts about the safety of their kids…always living in anxiety which is not good for you…remember to always trust God with your children because fear is deadly if you feed on it daily.

Change/ the unknown

One of the most common setbacks on the path to personal growth is dealing with a fear of the unknown. Growth means that some change is inevitable, and if you’re afraid of not knowing what the changes will bring, it’s really easy to allow yourself to stay stuck. Part of what we need to learn, then, in order to advance our own personal growth is how to conquer this fear.

The effects of fear

-Draw back / Avoid people

-Try to control

Here are some of the controlling behavior we engage in when are being controlled by fear

Learn to LET GO CONTROL and give control to the Lord. Fear causes us to feel that the situation is out of control and is not safe. We try to get back our feeling of safety by trying to control situations and people

A. Being over controlling and overprotective of our children – no you can’t go to a sleep over. No you can’t climb that tree.

B. Trying to prevent anything from going wrong.

C. Being bossy

D. Following a set of ought’s, should’s, and musts and expecting others to do the same.

E. Being over-vigilant in an attempt to prevent problems

F. Being over-organized or obsessed with cleanliness

Faith and trust are the antidote to control. We were designed to live in a dependent, trusting relationship with the Lord. Adam and Eve knew. what it was to depend entirely on the Lord for all their needs. We need to get to the place where we can say “Lord I don’t understand you, but I trust you. I relinquish control and dependence. I give it all to you. Do with me as you wish.” John14:18 says: “Perfect love drives out fear.” When we know how perfectly we are loved by God we can stop being afraid. We can face life with confidence.

-Fear causes us to worry – engage in ruminating anxious thoughts

– Fear causes us to reduce the size of God and elevate the size and opinion of man.

– Fear causes us to lead people in the wrong direction. (Remember when the Israelites wanted to GO BACK TO EGYPT and being slaves because they feared going into the land that God had promised them?)

– Fear causes us to stay quiet when we should clearly speak up. (Mostly because many times we are OBSESSED with what others think about us, see Galatians 1:10)

– Fear causes us to be passive about an issue that the Lord has clearly brought to our attention.

– Fear causes us to seek consensus rather than really seeking the voice of the Lord.

– Fear causes us to not engage the broken, the hurting, the misfits and the neglected because if we include them in our lives and actually invite them into our homes then it could get messy

– Fear causes us to refuse to embrace change because we care way more about being comfortable than being conformed into the image of Christ.

– Fear causes us to conceal sin and shame in our lives when God’s Word is so clear that we should ask others for help – James 5:16

– Fear causes us to seek the easy decision rather than seeking the right one.

How to overcome fear in Christ?

1. Awareness. Before you can begin overcoming fear, you have to know that they are causing havoc in your life. It’s easy to get so attached to your thoughts and feelings that you think they are all that exist, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Trust in God with all the fears you have and He will take it away. God say’s in His word he has not given us the spirit of fear but of love, power and a sound mind.

2. Identify. Get specific about what exactly you’re afraid of. Look at the pictures you have in your head about the situation. What is happening in them? What are you really scared of? Become an observer of your inner space and realize your identity is in Christ and not in people, situations, possessions, or your surroundings. You were made in the image of Christ.

3. Curiosity. it certainly won’t do you any harm when investigating your fears. Get curious about what thoughts generate your fear, where do you feel the fear, and how do you react to it? Again, be an observer of what is going on. Always ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the things you most afraid of and Jesus to heal your mind completely from the stronghold of fear.

4. Gratitude. Whenever you feel fear, switch it over to what you are grateful for instead and thank God for he say in his word you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. If you’re afraid of public speaking, be grateful for the opportunity to communicate with so many people, and that they are there to genuinely listen to what you have to say.

5. Journaling. Getting your fears down on paper is important, because trying to think them through never works. You get caught in endless loops of negativity that only lead you further down the rabbit hole, and make your life miserable. Once you write them down and pray over them and ask God to help overcome the spirit of fear.

6. Talk to someone you trust, but how often do we hold the negative thoughts in because we are afraid of how others might react, or because of some other reason? Talking helps, but don’t throw a pity party for yourself. Talk to someone in search for help and deliverance from fear in Jesus name.

7. Read the Bible, the word of God brings healing to the heart and soul. All the answers we need to overcome fear are in the word of God. Once you start reading Gods word daily you will discover that Jesus’ love casts away all fear.

8. Release Control to God. We want control and predictability, even though it’s impossible to get. Where we don’t have control, we experience fear. We have to let go of things we can’t control and let God lead us into total freedom because when we trust our fears with God, He will take it away and feel us with peace and love when we let him.

9. Kingdom perspective. Overcoming fear is all about putting your negative thoughts in perspective and transform your mind in the image of God. We tend to focus too much on the negative, always remember this negativity is the devil’s playground that he uses against you. When you walk in the flesh you will have negative thinking but when you walk in the spirit you will have the mind of Christ and experience positive thinking that will affect your inner being and erase every fear and doubt.

10. Pray whenever you feel afraid and fearful the lord God almighty always hears your call, so pray for guidance on how to start overcoming your specific fear. Prayer is very vital in a life of a Christian especially when we are faced with situations or habits that challenge our faith. Remember God is the York breaker and he destroys and breaks all the chains that have had you bound all these years in Jesus name.

Scriptures to help you overcome Fear

Declare these scriptures daily to help you overcome your fears

Joshua 1:3-9

I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you ... No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. (NIV)

1 Chronicles 28:20

David also said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished. (NIV)

Psalm 27:1

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? (NKJV)

Psalm 56:3-4

When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? (NIV)

Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (NIV)

Isaiah 41:13

For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. (NIV)

Isaiah 54:4

Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; For you will forget the shame of your youth, And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. (NKJV)

Matthew 10:26

Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. (NKJV)

Matthew 10:28

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

(NKJV)

Romans 8:15

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

(KJV)

1 Corinthians 16:13

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.

(NIV)

2 Corinthians 4:7-11

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. (NIV)

Philippians 1:12-14

Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly. (NIV)

2 Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. (NLT)

Hebrews 13:5-6

For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" (NKJV)

1 Peter 3:13-14

Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." (NIV)

1 John 4:18

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (NIV)

Prayer to overcome Fear

Dear Lord,

My fear has trapped and consumed me. But I am tired of living under the weight of my fears. Please give me your love and your power to replace these fears. Your perfect love casts out my fear. I thank you for promising to give me the peace that only you can give. I receive that peace now as I ask you to still my troubled heart, I confess that I have allowed fear to control me and that lack of faith is sin. Thank You for Your forgiveness. I recognize that “…You have not given me a spirit of fear but of power and love and discipline.” 1 Timothy 1:7. I renounce any spirit of fear operating in my life and ask You to reveal any and all controlling fears in my life and the lied behind them. I desire to live by faith in You and in the power of the Holy Spirit because you are with me, I don't have to be afraid. In the name of Jesus, I refuse to fear, because God has not given me the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. I bind the spirit of fear in my life in the name of Jesus. Every power behind every activities of fear in my life, receive the wrath of God and be consumed in it, in the name of Jesus. Everything that I’m afraid of will not come upon me in Jesus name. The local wickedness I have ever been afraid of will not have a hold on me, in the name of Jesus name

~Amen ~

BE BLESSED IN JESUS’ NAME

AND DAILY ENJOY YOUR FREEDOM IN CHRIST

Table of Contents

Introduction 5

What is fear? 6

What causes fear? 12

The effects of fear 15

How to overcome fear in Christ? 18

Scriptures to help you overcome Fear 22

Prayer to overcome Fear 28