The other night, I woke up suddenly in the middle of the night.
This rarely happens to me. I felt something squeezing my heart, almost choking me.
My eyes stared into the pitch black.
I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but something didn’t feel right.Fear.That’s what it was. It was gripping me…here…in the middle of the night.
It didn’t care that it made me feel sick and scared. It just lingered there.COVID. Fear of COVID. I’ve never felt fear of COVID until that night. Was that a sniffle I just felt?
Was my throat suddenly feeling scratchy?
I laid there for a few minutes with the questions taunting me.
I forced myself to focus on verses of healing and visualized pushing back the enemy who brings fear.
And then, I remembered this verse: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)Caution is important, like when you’re merging onto a highway or when you’re walking down a flight of stairs.
But fear?
Fear is ugly and deceptive and it lies. It chokes and screams all the “what-ifs” in your face. It’s mean, and it pulls the air out of you.
Out of the blue, in the midst of those scary thoughts, I remembered the last image I had seen right before I climbed into bed. I had peeked out our window and seen the big black trash bag my husband had placed on the edge of the driveway near the curb. Trash pickup was in the morning.
I remembered that black trash bag.
Then, you know what I did?
I imagined throwing my fear into that trash bag, tying it up real tight, and walking away from it.
Spirit of Fear, you have no power over me.
God has given me POWER. I am more powerful than fear.
God has given me LOVE. Power without love can be ruthless. I want power with love. ANYTHING without love is meaningless. “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13: 2God has given me a SOUND MIND (KJV). Other translations say self-control or self-discipline. That means I can control my thoughts.
Fear has NO power over me.I kicked my fear to the curb.
Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. That night, I gave my fear away. It was securely tied up, and it didn’t bother me again.
I snuggled back into the warm covers and fell asleep.
What is that thing that keeps you up at night or suddenly pulls you awake?
Tie it up in a trash bag and give it to Jesus. He will carry it away. Remember, fear has nothing on you when you remember what you possess:
Power, love, and a sound mind.
~Elizabeth
Photo Credit: Unsplash
