As I struggled to reach out for God in the middle of the overwhelming circumstances confronting me, I heard Him speak. “Do not fear what they fear; do not dread…” came His breath inside of me. He often drops fractions of Bible verses into my spirit to initiate a conversation. Sometimes He’ll even murmur just a couple words, such that I can barely hear Him. He does this so that I’ll lean in to listen extra carefully. Then He knows He has my attention. When I take the time to search for the verse He’s quoting, often time brand new revelation is birthed in my heart. This occasion was no exception.
So I hunted for the Scripture over which He was brooding. This is what I found:
"Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, and he will be a sanctuary…” (Isa. 8:12-14a, NIV)
Conspiracy. What is a conspiracy theory? It’s the mindset that says, “Powers greater than me are out to get me. Circumstances treacherously beyond my control are in a position to steal my wellbeing and happiness.” In this passage, Holy Spirit is communicating to us that He earnestly desires us free from living under that kind of fear and dread. Dread doesn’t just refer to a strong aversion to an unpleasant situation. Dread is the Biblical term for the apprehension that sits on your emotions and makes you feel heavy, unsettled, and fearful when you are imagining the future. It is one of the enemy’s very favorite tactics.
And at that juncture in my life, it was the one with which he was bombarding my soul in a thick, relentless, daily onslaught. There were many moments during that time in which I felt so downtrodden that I could barely take another step forward.
Holy Spirit came to rescue me. He truly does not waste anything. He used those difficult circumstances as a training ground for me. He revealed to me that the time had come to learn, in depth, what it really meant to fear Him and Him alone. “The LORD ALMIGHTY is the ONLY one you are to fear!” was His crucial message to me.
Fast forward back to this distressing period of my life as an adult. Over and over again, my Comforter took me back to Isaiah 8:12-14. He faithfully, repeatedly insisted, “Don’t be afraid, My love. I am right here with you. Don’t let dread rule. Don’t give credence to the demonic mutterings of conspiracy sent into your ears. No one can snatch you out of My hand. I’ve got you, and I AM your sanctuary!”
I needed a specific battle strategy with which to fight the attack that was lambasting me. He gave me one, as I continued to meditate on these verses. What is the opposite of giving weight and attention to the enemy’s threats and imaginary scenarios of chaos and sadness? Filling up your inner space instead with praise for the Holy One!
He went on to illuminate for me the words, “He is the One you are to fear.” With His help, this is what I began to fathom:
To fear Him is…
- to be impressed with Him to the very core of who you are…
- to see Him for who He is in all of His splendor and glory and ENORMOUSNESS…
- to be in awe of how infinitely powerful He is…
- to understand deep in your being that He really did already vanquish whatever enemy you are facing at the cross…
- to SEE with the eyes of your heart Him sitting on His throne, reigning in indestructible might and ultimate supremacy over every force that exists in all of creation…
- to be stunned by His majesty…
- and to worship Him with absolutely everything that’s inside of you.
How? What to do when the devil starts aggressively blowing his noxious smoke into your mind? It’s time to get your fight on. It’s time to shift your focus intentionally onto the grandeur of the I AM who will never let you go.
The best way to do this is to purposefully begin to exalt Him as you simultaneously look right into His face. Use your heart’s eyes. Lift up your gaze to Him where He is peacefully occupying His unshakable victorious position in the heavenlies. If you look closely, you’ll become aware of Him looking directly back at you. See? You’ve got His undivided attention and all of the immeasurable depths of His loyal love that comes with it. Now begin to magnify Him!
In order to get your whole being in alignment with this exercise, find some anointed music that moves your spirit in His presence. Turn it on and SING. Lift up your voice! Don’t hold back! Forget about how you sound and concentrate intensely on looking at Him. Remember, when you use your imagination (mind’s eye), guided by Holy Spirit, to see Jesus on His throne, it is not pretend – on the contrary, it’s the most real thing in the entire universe. He is truly there, and you are engaging your inner eyes through His empowering, to gaze on His beauty as He has invited us to do (Ps. 27: 4).
Lift up your face toward the heavenly realm. Lock eyes with Him. Belt out that praise!
As you do this, I want to share with you some lyrics that have powerfully aided me in getting my focus on the Lord and off the enemy:
“To the One who’s seated on the throne above all thrones…
To the One who was, the One who is, and is to come…
Highest Praises!”
-- Amanda Cook
As I’m singing these words to Him at the top of my voice, I’m seeing Him exalted to the highest place! I am sending all the energy of my being into extoling Him over my circumstances. As I do so, I feel His power being released on my behalf. He literally is enthroned on my praises, and on your praises too – you and I are partnering with Him in establishing His throne over our adversities, as we work out our spirits this way. Through our worship, His government is dynamically exerting dominion in our daily realities. Even as we lift Him up with all that is within us, His kingdom is actively coming on earth as it is in heaven (Ps. 22:3, Mat. 6:10, NKJV).
When you have completely let yourself go in this exertion of magnifying him, you will notice something afterwards. That voice of dread has been silenced. The enemy of your soul cannot bear watching the Holy One receive the glory that he tried so hard to steal! He has run away shrieking with his hands over his ears. YOU have won! You have pulled heaven’s victory to your here and now!
Get militant about this one:
My Lord Jesus, YOU have the name above every name! YOU are the Holy One! You are set apart and far above all else that exists in this universe, in heaven and on earth and under the earth! YOU are enthroned in my praises! I exalt YOU far above these circumstances facing me! I will not be afraid of my enemies’ threats, for YOU are the One I praise! I stomp on dread because YOU are the Author and Owner and Establisher of my hope and future! YOU are the One I reverence! YOU are the One I worship! YOU are the One I stand in awe of! I fear YOU ALONE!!!! I praise You that You created me to OVERCOME!!!
Best explanation ever of what it means to fear God! Thank you! It's multi-faceted, going hand -in-hand with worship. It IS worship! Seeing Him for Who He is. Impressed down to the very core of our being. Love this!
ReplyDeleteYes!! Amen and AMEN!! Praising Him with you, Lindsey!
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