“A few weeks ago I thought I was going out of my mind. At the time I didn’t realize I was experiencing a form of an "Anxiety Attack." My heart raced with fear as thoughts came to my mind of all the things I hadn’t accomplished that day. And the fear of failing the people around me made me want to get sick. I was constantly thinking of all my mistakes I have made over the years…How I lacked in being a godly man. How I have not been there for my kids like I know I should be. It was so paralyzing that I couldn’t even function at work. And my husband and children suffered the most because I unknowingly shut out the world around me. I did the least to just get by. Then one night out of desperation I cried out to God for help. I opened my bible to 2 Corinthians 10:5 "Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing EVERY THOUGHT into captivity to the obedience of Christ." And like blinders being pulled up from my eyes I could see that I was believing a lie. Every thought was designed to destroy me. And I knew those thoughts were from the enemy and not of God. Then the scripture, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus" echoed in my mind. I surrendered my feelings of failure to God that day. I gave Him my fears and anxieties. And my life was changed by the power of Jesus Christ. Every day when those thoughts would haunt me again, that scripture about condemnation would echo louder and I again surrendered them to God. I learned that it was a life change and not a moment change. That I am to surrender daily all that is in me that is not of God.” – Esther (“Heinvites.org”)
• All face defining moments when there is the company of the Foe (person, place, thing that immobilizes you), Fear (the first evidence of being in prison to the Foe) and the Force (the presence of the supernatural, all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present God – the alternative!)
• Text – illustrates the reality of the three “Fs” and how we can live a life of victory in spite of the veracity (reality) of life’s ferocity.
Step one is recognizing
1. The Foe (6:8-12)
• Today’s politic race to the Prime Minister’s office. Slurs, slanders, and accusations. There is a constant barrage of put-downs and criticisms in an effort to discredit the opponent to gain favor with the people and get the power-seat.
This is not unlike the political and military story of our text. King of Aram was out to get Israel. The king of Israel was constantly warned by the man of God (Elisha) of the places where the Arameans set traps for Israel. Israel always avoided these snares. The Aramean king suspected a traitor in his own camp, getting word back to Israel’s king. His own aids notified him that the problem was the man of God who heard the very whispers of the king in his own chambers!
• A type, a representation of a larger reality
• We are Israel
• The Enemy (not flesh and blood – see 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.” - is always, with every conceivable means possible, working to snare us. We are at war, people of God. We are not playing church. This is a life and death struggle and we will all live and conquer or die and be lost eternally.
• No fewer than 10 references in the gospels of the devil trying to trap Jesus – through people; some were members of the church (Peter – “Get away from me Satan” (Mt.16:23). Tried to trap him in religious debates, as a law-breaker, as a blasphemer among other things - many forms and varieties
• E.g. Life-threatening illnesses; concern for children who are out of our care; a failing marriage; people opposing us with criticisms, hurtful remarks and lies; or an inner sense that I’ve never amounted to much and my family doesn’t think well of me; some hurt as a child or earlier adult life that breeds deep pain in the deepest places of one’s heart.
• Uncle Sam (no, not the USA Uncle Sam! – the Baytona Uncle Sam story!)
• My experience with flying – heightened fear and the plaguing questions of the Foe, “Where’s your faith in your great big God?”
While there is the presence of the Foe, there is the presence of
2. Fear (6:13-15)
• v15 “O my lord, what shall we do?” Certainly a question to Elisha (i.e. master, teacher) but one can heard the panic expression, blurted out from many lips in a moment of overwhelming fear, “O my lord…”
• Esther in our opening story – thoughts from the Enemy attacked her. Every day the Enemy tried to seize her heart with fear and anxiety. Every day she was bombarded with feelings of failure and amount-to-nothing charges. Every day she lived with regret and guilt. Acknowledging the fear, she surrendered again, and again, and again, to Jesus Christ.
• Why significant? As a drug-addicted person must admit to the addiction if they will be saved from it, we must admit and recognize our fears if we will have victory over our enemies. Denial saves no one.
E.g. Fear of surrender – don’t know what God will expect – so we rationalize and avoid the issue. We don’t realize that often surrender means living life on a spiritual high, experiencing a beauty of what life that we cannot even imagine! We see it as a horrible, God-will-strike-me-down-or-take-someone-I-love experience. This is because the Foe is present and instills Fear. We look at surrender through the Foe’s definitions but need to look at surrender through God’s eyes! “Turn your eyes upon Jesus!...”
• Face your fear and tell God why you’re afraid; not that He doesn’t already know; but He’s waiting for you to face the truth – and the truth will set you free! (John 8:32)
There is the Foe – a spiritual power and person, not flesh and blood – battling for the mind, the source of power and purpose. That Foe uses Fear to immobilize us and paralyze us. The only way to overcome is to see and experience
3. The Force! (6:16-23)
• STAR WARS TRILOGY – Darth Vadar, Han Solo, Jedi Knights, Clones, good versus evil – “The Force is with you!”
• Elisha’s prayer for his servant: “Open his eyes that he may see” (v17). Wanted the servant to know “The Force is with you!” The servant saw the Forces of God on chariots of fire! Imagine how this changed the servant’s perspective! The evil force was not nothing more than a blip on God’s radar of cosmic plans and purposes!
• Fascinating process of events – Elisha prayed for the Enemy’s blindness and led them to Israel’s powerhouse in Samaria, pretending to lead them to himself! When in Israel’s camp, Elisha prayer for the enemy: “Open their eyes so they can see” (v20)! They saw the Forces of God in the humanity of surrendered lives!
• Elisha and his servant saw the power of God through the supernatural manifestation of God; the enemy saw the power of God through the natural manifestation of God through normal, everyday people!
• We must ask for a vision of the Forces that are with us. We must realize the vision and experience of the Psalmist who wrote in Psalm 34:7 “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”
• Other Forces that God puts at our disposal include, but are not limited to:
i. The Bible
ii. Dialogue with God (prayer)
iii. Experience His presence
• My flying fear – how did I overcome (or shall we say, manage it?) A: Promises in the Bible of my life being mapped out for me:
o Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.”
o Jeremiah 29:11 “I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord.”
o Psalm 139:3 “You chart the path ahead of me.”
When flying - I’d read and pray…and I saw the chariots of fire that were more than the sum of my fears
• Why a great feast for the enemy (v23)? Does this mean that acts of love and kindness win the battle?
• One reality – the enemy would have been taking notes, scouting out the stronghold. Being in the company of the people of God opened the enemy’s eyes to a Force that they soon realized they had better not mess with!
• Verse 24 (when the Arameans came back) was a period of years. Probably forgot their earlier blinding experience!
When the Enemy is in your company, do you scare him?
WRAP
• Don’t be fooled – there is an Enemy, a Foe attacking you every day for claims to your soul
• Fear is one of his most powerful weapons to shrink you down to an ineffective, powerless follower of Jesus Christ
The Force of God’s presence and heavenly fighting force is on your side!
