Do Not Be Afraid
Fear of the Supernatural
There are many Christians today that believe in God and adhere to His Word but still have an active and debilitating fear of the supernatural. Why? Because the supernatural (otherwise known as the spiritual realm) is thriving with what we cannot and do not see with our natural eyes. Yes, God is a God of the supernatural. But the supernatural is also comprised of companies of demons and fallen angels and evil spirits. The Bible tells us that our daily fight to maintain our faith and hope concerning God's promises, is not with other people. This fight is waged in the heavenlies. Ephesians 6:12 .. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
What exactly is high places? It is the heavenly realm. Just as Moses went atop Mount Sinai to convene with and speak with God, there were men and women of the OT that made sacrifices to their gods in high places (2 Chron. 28:4 and Hosea :13). Nobody, Christian or otherwise, truly wants to encounter a demon or an evil spirit. But, we are warned by God's Word that we must be able to withstand these demonic encounters, especially in these last days when the supernatural acitvity is turned up a few notches. And we must always bear in mind that the supernatural is also where God lives and has His being. Our fear of encountering devils may very well cause us to miss God or turn from Him and run (speaking spiritually of course).
In Matthew 14:26 the disciples of Jesus became very afraid when they thought what they were seeing was a spirit walking upon the sea. Jesus immediately assures them that it is He and they are not to be afraid. In Matthew 28:4, the keepers of the tomb of Jesus, as well as Mary Magdalene and company, become immensely frightened when they encounter an angel of the Lord. In Mark 4:41, the disciples of Jesus become exceedingly frightened when Jesus is able to calm the sea. The supernatural act itself, strikes fear into the hearts of men that Jesus dwells with, day in and day out. In Luke 8:37, the people of the Gadarenes (where a legion of unclean spirits lives in a man living in the tombs), become more frightened of this man's sanity than they were with this man's insanity. For the people of the Gadarenes, there was a familiarity in knowing this man was insane. But when Jesus casts the devils out of this man and this man becomes sane and in his right mind, the people of the Gadarenes become so frightened that they ask Jesus to leave their town.
Even in the account of the birth of our Savior, in Luke chapter 2, the shepherd men became quite frightened of the angel that came to tell them about the good news. Our fear of the supernatural can cause us to miss the good news. Our fear of the supernatural can cause us to fear Godly men and women with calls on their lives to bring forth working miracles from the supernatural into the natural. Yes, the devil and his cohorts work in the supernatural but God works in the supernatural as well. What is our job? To put on the whole armor of God. To renew our minds. To fight the good fight of faith. To discern between good and evil. To keep our relationship with God alive and current so that we can recognize His hand. The believer will be followed by signs .. Signs of casting out devils in the name of Jesus. Signs of laying hands on the sick, as recovery is manifested. Signs of speaking with new tongues. Signs of not being taken out by the enemy (Mark 16:16-18). Our fear comes not from the Lord as He has not given to us a spirit of fear. Our fears come from the unknown.. The different.. The changing.. The unfamiliar.. The unusual. We cannot allow our fears to keep us from witnessing, manifesting and believing for the miracle working wonders of God.
