I was saved 18 years ago, and since then, I have been in countless situations that have given me a good reason to feel fear. Some of them have been my own doing, situations, and anxiety caused by my own sins. Others have been situations caused by other people’s sins. No matter what causes it, fear can paralyze you holding you back from doing what needs to be done in your life. As a Christian, born again saved by the Blood of Jesus, we should be able to have victory over fear should we not? At least that is what we are told in mainstream Christianity how the name of Jesus gives us victory over fear.
Can you honestly say you have victory over fear? If your life is smooth sailing right now, you would probably answer yes, but if you are caught in a hurricane right now, your answer would probably be no. So why do we have to struggle as Christians to gain victory over fear?
When my wife and I allowed old wounds to dictate how we spent our money, we ended up with a mountain of debt. We have since then repented and been forgiven of our sins, but the consequences are still there. For the first years, we had to deal with a vast amount of phone calls and letters from debt collectors. I can still remember how scared I was and how ashamed I was, and how my fear and shame made it impossible for me to open those letters and answer those phone calls. I wanted to, but the fear and the shame was just too intense.
I did not understand why, considering I was a born again Christian, saved by the Blood of Jesus, and I was promised victory over fear and shame because of His name. No matter how hard I confessed “in Jesus’s name!” how much I prayed in tongues, how much I focused my mind on the promises of God, nothing worked. The shame was still there, and the fear only grew stronger and stronger.
We were so thankful for being approved for chapter 13 because suddenly, we had hope that we would be able to pay off our debt within five years. But when the payroll office at work suddenly started making mistakes with our paycheck we faced (and are still facing) the possibility we could lose our chapter 13 because of the payroll officers’ sins committed against us. The very idea that we could lose our only hope of ever being debt-free, because of other people’s sins, terrified us. This was almost more terrifying than having to do with all those letters and phone calls because what can potentially happen now is not because of our own sin. It is because of other people’s sins committed against us. So each month on payday, for the last year, we have struggled with stress, fear, and anxiety, not knowing if this were the month, we would lose it all.
Every time we turned on Christian TV, or we listened to our pastor speaking about fear, we were told Christians have victory over fear and shame in the name of Jesus. We were told if we would confess His name and believe in the cross, we would have peace that surpasses all understanding amid the storm, and if that did not help, we should praise Him. To be honest, none of that has ever worked for my wife and me. What about you?
Are you caught up in a storm in your life now, struggling with fear, anxiety, worrying, and shame? Do you not understand why you dont have any victory in Jesus?
For my wife and me, everything changed the moment we started believing the Bible obeying the Torah. The Bible says Yehovah is a strong tower, a refuge for those who obey the Torah. The Bible says many are the trials of the righteous, but Yehovah saves all those who are obedient to Him. When my wife and I started obeying Torah, taking shelter in our minds in the name of Yehovah, we suddenly had the peace that surpasses all understanding amid the storm.
We are still in debt, but we are slowly but surely making our way out of it. We still have to face the possibility each month that we could lose our chapter 13, because of other people’s sins, but we are not worried about it. We know that we know Yehovah is our shield, our strong tower, and He will deal with it for us and tell us what to do about it. And if we lose it, Yehovah will save us and find a way for us to become debt-free.
The shame of being in debt has also been taken away, and now for the first time in my life since all of this started, I can log on to our online banking without fear. For the first time in my life, I can stand up for myself and confront the payroll officer at work with all his mistakes and sins and demand justice. I dont know how to do it or when to do it, but I am not afraid to do it now.
We are still in debt, and we dont have much money to live on each month, but for the first time in our lives, we are not worried about it. We have no idea what is going to happen, but we have hope that something will happen, and something will happen soon; it is just a matter of time.
Why have we suddenly found this peace and freedom from shame amid the storm? Because we are obeying the Torah, and the Torah says Yehovah and not Yeshua is the source of our peace, our shelter, our high tower, and our refuge.
So what about Yeshua?
The Bible says Yeshua is our high priest who makes intercession for us in heaven. Without His Blood reconciling us to Yehovah, we would not be allowed to take our refuge in Yehovah’s name. So we are dependent upon Yeshua, and the cross for all of this to happen, and the divinity of Yeshua is never in question. He is God, He is Yehovah, but He is not Yehovah the Father.
Do you want this peace and this freedom from shame? It is available to you as well; the only requirement is obedience to Yehovah’s Torah. If you obey Him, be reconciled to Him through the Blood of His Son Yeshua, you to can take shelter in His name and see the power of His name work in your life.
Apostle Ernie