How To Overcome Fear Part 1, by Bernard Smalls

Understanding The Spiritual Law of Reciprocals How to Overcome Your Fears



WHEN VICTORY SEEMS LOST
You've done everything you know to do. You've taken a stand of faith. In your heart you know that you can have victory in this circumstance, yet victory just seems lost. Some way, somehow, you know you can beat it with the power of God, but still, you find yourself trapped in defeat. Instead of being overtaken by the blessings of God, some portion of the curse is clinging to you. It might be sickness or financial lack, failure in relationships or business dealings. But whatever it is, it is clearly of the devil and it is sticking to you like gum to your shoe. Spiritually, you're smart enough to realize that God is not your problem. He is on your side. And neither He nor His Word ever fails, yet victory just seems out of reach. You might be tempted to believe the devil is your problem. But, the fact is, you know better than that too. Jesus whipped him completely 2,000 years ago and took away all his authority.
The question is: If God isn't the problem, and the devil isn't the problem...who is?
If you've found yourself wondering that lately, don't feel bad. Every believer who has ever walked by faith has asked that question. At one time or another we've all found ourselves unable to succeed for reasons we don't understand. I know I have.



THE LAW OF RECIPROCALS
Back in the early 1980s when we were struggling to keep food on the table in Anchorage, Alaska, I heard a teaching that changed my life forever. It was entitled "The Law of Reciprocals" by Kenneth Copeland. So I give him credit for sharing his understanding of this powerful topic and acknowledge his teaching as a major influence on this series on fear. I will share part of his teachings during this series. Thank God for Kenneth Copeland!



SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLES
Now I want to share with you a lesson in reciprocals. For the most part, we haven't grasped the basic spiritual operating principles of this planet. We've learned a little about the force of faith and the principles of God. But there's more going on here than that. A lot more! You see, for every force and principle God has created, there exists a reciprocal.
When God first told me that, I had to get out my dictionary and look up reciprocal to find out exactly what that meant. I found it referred to something which corresponds to something else, but is reversed or inverted. The reciprocal of north, for example, is south. North and south are both directions on the compass. The difference is one is the opposite of the other. No matter how far you go north, the moment you turn around, you will be going south because they are reciprocals. If you were the navigator of a ship, you'd be at a great disadvantage if you didn't know south existed, wouldn't you? If the only direction you were aware of was north, you'd get off track very easily.
That sounds silly but the truth is many Christians are trying to do that very thing in the realm of the spirit. They are trying to navigate by faith without taking into consideration the reciprocal force that can, and will, take them in the opposite direction if they do not guard against it.



FEAR IS THE RECIPROCAL OF FAITH
What is this reciprocal force I'm talking about? It's the force of fear. "Oh, I don't feel like I'm afraid of anything," you may say. That doesn't really matter because fear is not a feeling. It is not an emotion. It is a spiritual force. And although it can and does affect your emotions, it can be in operation even when you don't feel it.
To understand just how powerful fear can be you must first realize that the devil didn't create it. He can't create anything. He is not a creator. He is just a fallen angel and the Bible says, "there is no truth in him" (John 8:44). If he had ever originated anything, it would be a truth. But he hasn't. All he can do is take what God has created and pervert it. So that's exactly what he does. He takes the powerful principles God put in force to bless mankind and twists them so they work in reverse and bring a curse instead.

IS YOUR FAITH IN REVERSE?
Faith Reversed Becomes a Curse. That's what happened in the Garden of Eden. Before the devil got involved, Adam and Eve were living in total blessing. They were ruling with the authority God had given them over a planet that was governed by one Master Law-the Law of the Spirit of Life. Heaven and earth were spiritually connected by the Word of God so everything good that comes from that divine life flowed freely without obstruction.
What happened?
You know the story. The devil came and questioned the Word of God. He said to Eve, "Yea hath God said?" Then, once he had her attention, he flatly contradicted God's Word. "Ye shall not surely die," he said (see Genesis 3:2-4).

He deceived Eve into breaking fellowship with God and His Word through disobedience. Adam followed suit, though he knew better. By the time he was done, the devil had gained dominion over mankind, and therefore over the earth God had given them to rule. He had taken the Master Law of the Spirit of Life and perverted it into its reciprocal: the Law of Sin and Death (See Rom 8: 1-3).
Under the Law of Sin and Death, every blessing became a curse. The ground which had once produced abundantly began to withhold its fruit, and prosperity became poverty. Health was turned to sickness. Success became failure. Victory turned to defeat.
What's more, faith-the creative power of God that He had given to man to use to rule the earth-became fear. So when God came walking in the Garden in the cool of the day to fellowship with man, "Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid..." (Genesis 3:8-10).
If you have been struggling with victory in any area of your life start turning your life around by switching the gear from reverse to power-drive by faith. Faith is the opposite of fear! Be sure and read every article in this series. it is critical for the times we live in.

In Peace, B