“Who Dares Wins.”
This widely admired motto of the British Special Air Service (SAS) has often been repeated by the United States military during special or dangerous missions as motivation to overcome and conquer. In essence, it is a call to defy fear to achieve victory in the face of perilous circumstances. It is a call to rise boldly above everything the flesh tells you to think, feel and do.
As Christians, we can see a similar theme throughout the Bible. He who dares to believe God, stand in faith, face persecution, and take God at His Word, wins. To dare means to have the courage to confront something boldly without questioning yourself or thinking about the “what ifs.”
At KCM, we’re declaring war on fear. Do you dare join us? Do you dare to look fear in the face and talk back with the Word of God? Do you dare to have faith when everyone around says you should be afraid? To help you prepare for battle, we’ve put together 5 Battle Strategies To Win the War on Fear that will turn you into the spiritual warrior you were created to be.
1. Get In Fear’s Face
“God has not given us a spirit of fear.” –2 Timothy 1:7
Some of the greatest soldiers in the world—particularly special forces units—are trained to deal with fear head-on. That’s because they know fear is a great threat to success. It causes all people—not just soldiers—to make poor decisions, often resulting in failure.
It’s that same reason Jesus went to great effort to deliver us from all fear and oppression. Jesus didn’t cope with the works of the devil. He destroyed them. That was His whole reason for coming to this earth (1 John 3:8). He destroyed the power of sin and death, and delivered us who were in bondage to fear (Hebrews 2:14-15).
While most of us will never face the life-threatening experiences of a special forces unit, we can take a hint from how they prepare. They practice, they laugh at fear, they see themselves having a successful outcome, and they guard their inner dialogue. Sound familiar? Those are each in line with how the Bible tells us to respond to fear. In other words, we’re called to get in fear’s face and refuse to allow it the last word.
Though we no longer have to be subject to fear, we still live in a world that’s held captive by it. This means we will encounter it, and we will have to deal with it. There’s a huge difference between just coping with fear—trying to “make it” through life while still allowing ourselves to be subject to all its oppression—and being delivered from fear where it’s totally and completely out of our lives forever.
Do you dare to get in fear’s face when it tries to come on you?
You’ll need to prepare, practice and see yourself getting in fear’s face before it happens. See yourself resisting the devil. See yourself winning. Speak only the truth of the Word. The devil cannot ever win against the Word.
2. Use Counterintelligence
“For we are not ignorant of his devices.” –2 Corinthians 2:11 (NKJV)
Your enemy is planning to use a weapon against you. It is quite powerful, and often very effective at defeating its intended victim. But there is a weak point in the weaponry, and only one thing can destroy it—without fail.
To win the war on fear, you’ll need to use counterintelligence in your battle strategy. The good news is that this information has already been compiled for you. Here is the summary:
1. Your enemy is planning to steal, kill and destroy everything he can (John 10:10).
2. He is going to use fear—every form of fear—to cross your borders and gain access (Isaiah 41:10; Proverbs 29:25).
3. The weaponry of fear is powerful and can only be defeated with one anti-fear missile (1 John 4:18).
4. The anti-fear weapon is this: LOVE (1 Corinthians 13:8).
Once you’ve identified the threat and determined the course of action, it’s time to win the war on fear by deploying your anti-fear weapon—LOVE. Perfect love casts out fear. Psalm 91 protection comes from dwelling in the secret place of the Most High. Dwelling in the secret place is only possible if you receive His Love; love Him with all your heart, mind, soul and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself.
To win the war on fear—study love. Read about it everywhere you can find it in God’s Word. Read books about it (Kenneth E. Hagin’s Love: The Way to Victory is a great place to start). Listen to teachings (like Kenneth Copeland’s Faith in God’s Love audio series). Speak love scriptures. Refuse to leave the love line under any circumstance. Keep firing your anti-fear missiles of love, and you’ll be sure to win the war because love never fails.
3. Plan a Threefold Attack
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” –Joshua 1:8 (NKJV)
One of the greatest warriors in the Bible was Joshua. One of only two who had the faith and courage to take the Promised Land, he succeeded Moses before spending decades of his life in battle, as he took the land section by section. God’s instructions for success? Three things.
1. Don’t Stop Speaking the Word.
2. Meditate On the Word Continually.
3. Do Everything Written in It.
In other words, God’s presence with Joshua was not enough to win the battle against the terror he would soon face and overcome. Joshua had a part to play as well. Joshua was to speak the Word…meditate the Word…and do the Word. And he was to do all three continually. Only then would he defeat fear, prosper and have good success.
So, what did God tell Joshua to meditate on?
The Word of God…the Love of God. Because it’s that Love that casts out fear. When you’re focused on the Word of God, fear will disappear into thin air. You won’t see it, smell it or taste it. It will just be…gone.
Getting rid of fear takes some action on our part. Like Joshua, we have to meditate—constantly give our attention to—the Word of God.
That means keeping our minds stayed on Him, keeping our minds stayed on His WORD, and keeping our minds stayed on His Love. And we have to do that until we receive revelation of 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?’”
These days, we cannot saturate our minds with all the media reports of death, destruction, biological and chemical warfare, and terrorism, and still walk free of fear. We have to get our mind off what the world says and onto what the Word says.
Take God’s plan for success for Joshua and put it into practice as your own battle strategy. It is a guaranteed plan of attack to win the war on fear.
4. Keep Your Spiritual Composure
“Having done all…stand.” –Ephesians 6:13 (ESV)
It’s no secret that the devil uses rapid-fire artillery against the people of God. It’s what Pastor George Pearsons calls “the pileup technique.” One thing after another, after another—all at the same time. This technique is designed to wear you down and force you to quit.
To win the war on fear, when one thing after another is fired at you to try to get you into fear, it is critical that you keep your spiritual composure. That’s what Paul was saying when he instructed us to put on the armor of God for spiritual battle. Once we’ve done all, the next thing is to stand.
But standing isn’t a passive act. It is an intentional decision to stand firm in faith without fainting or giving up. That’s because you cannot afford, as Andrew Wommack would say, to “fall apart like a $2 suitcase” every time something challenging comes your way.
You win the war on fear when you keep your spiritual composure—no matter how many fiery darts are launched your way. Don’t give up. You’re about to win.
5. Don’t Ever Ring the Bell
“We will reap, if we do not give up.” –Galatians 6:9 (ESV)
During Navy SEAL training, known as some of the most intense physical and mental military training in the world, a brass bell stands in the center of the training compound in perfect view of all the students. On Day 1, all SEAL hopefuls are made aware that if they want to stop the hardships, the pain, the cold, the brutal workouts, all they have to do is ring the bell—all they have to do is quit.
In war, fear is designed to weaken the enemy and ultimately get him to retreat—to give up. That’s what your enemy is trying to do, too. He wants you so far in fear, you’ll get weaker and weaker until you just give up.
Here is the most important battle strategy of all—don’t ever ring the bell. When you quit, you give up your rights. When you quit, you let the devil win. When you quit, you lose the bold-as-a-lion grit that always gets the promise.
No matter how hard it is right now—don’t you dare quit. Don’t give up on what God has put in your heart. You have it in you to get there. Jesus Christ paid a high price to give you everything you need to win. You can win the war on fear, and live a life filled with joy and peace!
Don’t ever ring the bell.
These five battle strategies will help you win the war on fear. Do you want to win in this life? Dare to look fear in the face, and resist it in Jesus’ Name, no matter what the circumstances look like. Dare to have faith when everyone around you says you should be afraid. Dare to keep holding on even when you don’t think you have anything left in you. “Who Dares Wins.”
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