Blog Post by Sue Butts
Maybe you can relate, but I need to be reminded of what I already know too often. I remember well the time God healed me of anxiety and panic attacks. It was my first mission trip out of the country. When I stepped over the airport threshold on that trip, I did not experience an inkling of anxiety for four years. In February, four years later, my husband had an incident that put him in the hospital overnight. I watched as they cut off his shirt and placed the paddles on his chest while administering medication to increase his heart rate, which had fallen to 10 beats per minute. This incident lasted only a minute but frightened me to the core. Anxiety on again! As the days went by, I was constantly concerned when my husband didn’t answer his phone or text back immediately. I would begin to panic inside, wondering if he was ok.
I would immediately pray but held on to the worry until I knew he was ok. Fear and anxiety were always just under the surface and, during the next five months, began to grow into other areas. It was not debilitating, I could function, but fear began manifesting its way into areas never before. My health, our children and grandchildren, the what ifs, and the should haves! As fear grew, asking myself why became the focus, sometimes more than praying. I had anxiety about having anxiety and wondered if I would get anxiety. And all the while asking why I am anxious causing more anxiety.
Analyzing “why” instead of recognizing this is a moment that God is not surprised by. I wanted to know why so I could fix it. Can you relate? Prayers continued, but my fight waned. Until one day, in a meeting with my counselor at Christians United Ministries, the Holy Spirit spoke into my spirit, “You have been lazy.” While I could have been offended or wondered where that thought came from, I was not! That word penetrated my heart and my mind. I knew it to be true. I had been praying for God to help me through anxiety, sometimes begging, while not realizing I was lazy about telling the enemy to flee and repent for entertaining thoughts of fear. The enemy was trying to take away the gift of healing God had given to me. I believe there is always purpose in waiting, and we should learn something from every situation. In this one, God was teaching me to trust Him and to fight with what He has empowered with – His Holy Spirit. At that moment, I felt my spirit rise and raised my eyebrow at the enemy. He knows what that means, and he had to flee! So friends, be reminded of what we already know. God has placed in us the power to fight the enemy. Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Standing firm in our faith relies on the power of the Holy Spirit to walk us through whatever we face. When we feel anxiety and worry, remember to call on the authority Jesus has given us, tell the enemy to flee and ask God to forgive us for entertaining thoughts of anxiety and fear. Raise your eyebrow toward the enemy—show him the power of Jesus that lives in you. – Sue Butts
Prayer
Father, thank you for the gift of your Son and the authority we carry in His name and by His blood. We are able to stand against every lie and wiles of the devil. We raise our eyebrow and take our stand in Jesus name. Amen.
