Watching the deadly battles happening in the Middle East and around the world reminded me of my own experience as a reporter in a war zone and the power of fear in the hearts of people.
I first heard the term “Asymmetrical Warfare” while videotaping in Southern Lebanon with the Israeli Defense Forces in early 2006. Battles were raging with Hezbollah and its terrorist allies. We drove through battlefields, saw missiles hit Haifa and learned firsthand the nature of this type of warfare. Asymmetrical means “without predictable order.”
Early one evening, my crew and I arrived at a home hit by a randomly fired rocket. It was a Christian Arab family that had just sat down for dinner. The rocket hit in the hallway, exploded through the walls and put a piece of glass through the neck of the oldest daughter. She was 15 years old. She did not survive.
The next day in Nazareth I visited a family whose two young sons had been hit by a missile strike as they ran to a bomb shelter just a day earlier. They were brothers, six and eight years old. Like little boys, they had stayed out too long, playing after the sirens began to warn the village. It was random, missiles fired without a target, designed to bring fear.
It was a random event, asymmetrical, without any order to it. Asymmetrical warfare is the nature of fear. Scenes that happen from Nigeria to Bali to our own hometowns.
Fear is unpredictable, hitting us seemingly at random.
Fear is one of the greatest tools of the enemy. Fear has great power. The power of fear is rooted in negativity. We think what we fear could actually happen. Fear will immobilize your life. Paralyze your thinking ... it is a tool of the enemy to destroy the Lord's work in your life.
Clean your mind by reading God’s Word. Immerse yourself in God’s Word. Meditate on it. Soak it all in. Perfect love casts out all fear.
Jesus came as the defeat of fear. Here are five scriptures of promise for you.
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“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
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“…For he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ’The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” Hebrews 13:5b-6
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“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7
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“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4
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“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6
Someone you know needs this promise - forward this to them.
Never forget, Hope is alive, Hope has a name, Hope's name is Jesus.
