Do you have a spiritual gift of discernment? Perhaps you are not sure, but you do know that you have a heightened spiritual awareness.
Every day, hundreds of people are finding Enliven Blog because of my articles on the gift of discernment.
Many Christians are troubled by fear of evil, or do not know what to do about what they are experiencing, and want it to stop.
I understand how this can occur. As a young child, I was frequently afraid. Then as a teenager, I had demonic encounters that left a long shadow of fear over my life—one that lasted decades. I now see how unnecessary this was.
9 Ways to Banish Fear of Evil
Here is a checklist of 9 keys that have helped me break free of the fear of evil, and I believe will help you live free of fear and anxiety in every part of your life.
1. Know God is With You
‘Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.’ (Ps 23: 4a)
God’s answer to His people who experienced fear was to remind them of His Presence with them.
Knowing God is with you is not about a feeling. You can believe God is with you, because He says so in the Bible and God’s Word is completely trustworthy. When you begin to experience fear, choose faith: thank and praise God that He is with you.
2. Refocus on God
‘The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?’ (Ps 27:1)
Feeling afraid of evil is an indication that your focus is not where it should be. When you are afraid, the Holy Spirit is inviting you to put your focus back on your Father God. In Him, you are completely secure.
In the face of darkness, see God as your stronghold and your shield and His Presence around you as impenetrable.
3. Use Jesus’ Name
The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. (Prov 18:10)
Recognise that Jesus is with you to protect you (Matt 28:20) and His Name is powerful. The Name of Jesus is your badge of authority and with it you can address—and banish—both fear and the evil you are being confronted with. (Luke 10:17)
Know that Satan is already defeated at the cross of Jesus Christ. ‘And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.’ (Col 2:15)
4. Be Filled with the Holy Spirit
‘For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.’ (2 Tim 1:7)
The Holy Spirit will never lead us towards fear (see also Romans 8:15), instead, He will remind us of who we are—children of God, with a loving and powerful Father.
Praying in the Spirit will help empower you at times of spiritual warfare. After Paul talks about spiritual warfare and the armour of God in Ephesians 6, he adds: ‘And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.’ (Eph 6:18)
5. Feed your Faith
‘…for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.’ (1 John 5:4)
Are you being tempted to feel anxious or afraid? Be aware of the input that you are allowing into your mind. Set up a secure gateway by not viewing TV programs, videos, and other media or choices that could promote fear.
Instead, be intentional about feeding your faith. Read and confess Scriptures. Listen to faith-building teaching that reminds you of who you are, Who your God is, and the authority you have in Jesus. You will be amazed at how much difference it makes! Then, speak and pray accordingly.
6. Use Your Authority and Check you are Under Authority
‘Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account.’ (Heb 13:17)
The Name of Jesus is powerful, and your badge of authority. Remember that there is also power and protection through being submitted to authority. Engage in a church community, where there are pastors and leaders who can support and pray with you.
7. Set the Atmosphere
‘For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.’ (Rom 14:17)
Even when you have entered a place where someone else has allowed evil to dwell, you still have the ability to set the atmosphere around your own life and carry it with you.
You don’t need to be like a thermometer, going up and down according to the temperature around you. As a child of God, you can be like a thermostat: you can set the temperature, the atmosphere, and the environment. Don’t settle for less.
8. Adjust Your Perspective
‘You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.’ (1 John 4:4)
Fear is an indication that we have lost perspective, or wrongly believe that the demonic realm has more power than God does in our lives.
Here is the right perspective. God is greater! There is simply no comparison and no competition, God is all-powerful and the demonic realm only has the power that people allow it to have.
9. Be Aware of God’s Heart for People
‘When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.’ (Matt 9:36)
Jesus felt compassion for the lost and broken. God loves that person who is bound by evil, oppressed, or demonized. He has mercy towards those being used by the enemy to threaten you and others. The Father looks into their hearts and He sees the source of their own pain and the place where the enemy gained entry. God sees the bondage and atmosphere of evil as a cage from which He desires to set them free.
We need to see people with the eyes of the Father who loves them—and when we love, fear will lose its hold on us.
Related Posts:
8 Signs You May Have the Spiritual Gift of Discernment
What is the Spiritual Gift of Discernment?
Does Seeing Demons Mean that I Have a Spiritual Gift?
UNLOCKING THE GIFT OF DISCERNMENT E-BOOK
$5.95 AUD e-Book
Are you sensitive to what is taking place in the spiritual realm? Have you ever been adversely affected by a negative atmosphere?
You may have the spiritual gift of discernment.
The gift of discernment of spirits is a powerful weapon in times of spiritual warfare, and can be of great assistance when ministering freedom to individuals.
And yet many who have the gift of discernment have difficulty knowing what to do with what they are feeling or sensing.
‘Unlocking The Gift Of Discernment’ incorporates wisdom from Enliven Blog as well as additional valuable material on how to be protected as a discerner in times of spiritual warfare.
To view ‘Unlocking The Gift Of Discernment’ in our e-store, click here
© 2014 Helen Calder Enliven Blog – Prophetic Teaching
Enliven Ministries: Prophetic Ministry for a Revival Generation
Helen Calder is a prophetic minister and writer, and founder of Enliven Ministries. Helen has a unique gift of equipping in prophetic ministry and prayer. She is known for Enliven Blog (est. 2009), an online resource that reaches thousands of people globally.
I must say so far this is the best website for understanding the gift of discernment of spirts cause every thing starting to make sense to me now i saw shadows and on 9 ways to banish of fear of evil the 9th point is playing a big role in my life exactly what is said in those points happening to me
when I was 9years old at a big church some where in d city I grew up in,d reverend came up to d kids section n handpicked a few of us,d rev asked d whole church to pray for d 5 kids before them for we were chosen by God for pastorship or so. later on in life years past, two other leaders of ministries very independent from each other told me d same thing I had as an encounter as a kid,by now I have to say growing up was never like other kids cos,I could sense presence,evil,event b4 they happened,at a time I became like a walking theater,always experiencing wat I think I may av tot of moments before d said event takes place,moreso,d personalities involved most times always seem identical,once I think about it,it will surely happen b4 I get there,after I left there, or some1 might just summarize to me what happened,while I was much younger I use to sense evil especially if am sent to fetch something in a dark place, ppl use to laf at me but surely I was never always blabbing or wrong….I grew up in a broken home,so sometimes my mum would weep or look sober n as a child I would console her with words I never knew I said n truly,something will happen to change her worries to joy…I never knew I was her favorite cos I was never good at lying, stealing fries,or naughty tins kids do for fun,each time I try such I will always surely be d game changer cos I will b caught n then others follow suit, I remember her telling me SAVIOUR,u can’t do dis n dat not cos u r not incapable of but bcos u r very different from other kids,I never used to understand but now I SEE
It is true fear has been at my side all the time. Especially now because the spirits know since i am finally i believe going to be free they are trying to scare me but they will not because God is always with me. :)
Its great know i can serve God with my gift of discernment though it will not be an easy road though i am happy i can just help others.
Also i was going to ask if you have any knowledge of how a generational curse can bound my gifts of site. I see things though not as much as i should but i see other things too but its confusing. Also i was going ask if you knew anything about generational curses because i have one of well i can not say what it is for i am ashamed and i was just a little girl and i still am and it hurts i have dealt with this but its for a reason and i thank God for always holding on to me when i needed it. He has always been through and if it was not for God i do not know where i would be right now.
Hi Marinda, it sounds as though you could benefit from some prayer ministry. Here is an article I wrote about it: https://www.enlivenpublishing.com/blog/2012/09/11/prayer-ministry-ideas-and-guidelines/
Yes i truly do need prayer. I had a deliverance for the demon of fear but it did not help and i did not feel any different. Though now i need one for my generational curse sadly i must break it because it truly has caused a lot of things in my life these demons have from hurting others around me to attacking me in my sleep as a little girl and now. I will read your post again thank you:)
Hello, Helen-
I am so grateful to have found your blog. I have been blessed with the gift of discernment, and am searching for what to do with it. As a child, I kept most things to myself, fearing estrangement from others. I felt like I WAS different, too, but didn’t know why. As I grew older, I began to research the ability to “feel” and see spirits, having prophetic dreams, and the ability to read people so well. I began to see these abilities as the gifts they really are. I have been praying for guidance on what to do with any encounters I might have. I found your blog and McCracken Ministries once before, and was grateful then. At that time, I didn’t subscribe, then changed computers and “lost” the website.
The other night, searching for your blog and the ministries, I came across several other websites that warned Christians against ANY interaction with the paranormal. Anything roaming the earth was demonic, according to them. It actually scared me! I thought to myself, “Is what I see and feel demonic!?” For the first time in my life, I was actually scared of what I might see or feel. But the thought “came” to me that almost nothing I had ever encountered “felt” evil in any way. I believe God was telling me not to be afraid of the gift I’ve been given. Today, I found your blog again!! Not only that, but found the “signs you may have the gift of discernment” and “9 ways to banish fear of evil”! Both of these have been very helpful to me. I believe now more than ever that I have been given these gifts from God, and I appreciate the Word on banishing fear of evil. It reinforced what I felt from God the other night.
Thank you. I have subscribed, and hope to read many more blogs and ministries!
Helen,
This article hit the nail on the head for me. You are absolutely right! I can’t thank you enough for sending this to me! The reason I reached out to you and asked for prayer was because I recently encountered something I have never seen/felt/or sensed before. I have never seen an unearthly being. I had no idea what to do, or who to ask for help, or who I could even talk to about it. I felt it’s evil and saw it standing in my living room looking right at me. I became ruled by fear. I was scared to be alone, to be in the dark ,or even go to sleep. What I saw and felt (extreme fear, anxiety, alone, empty, depressed, hopelessness) consumed me. Until tonight, when I decided I would check my e-mail and saw the response you gave to my prayer request. I clicked on the blue link knew within the first minute of reading my priorities were off!! Lately, the routine of every day life has had all of my attention. (making sure the house is clean, cooking dinner, laundry, being a mom, wife, play dates, planning cookouts, family reunions, summer vacation, making sure we have plenty of bug spray and sunscreen, cleaning up spilled milk and doctoring boo boo’s ). By focusing all my time and emotion on those things I had put Jesus on the back burner. He wasn’t first in my life. Thus causing me to go through what I went through…Reading this has helped me to remember the importance of always staying prayed up, studied up, and keeping my attention on Jesus.
Thank you for all you do! I ask that if you could please continue to pray for me, as I will for you and this ministry.
Your sister in Christ,
Carmen
Hi Carmen, I’m glad to hear that! Yes I pray that you will continue to grow in your faith and strength. God has great things for you!
Awesome teaching really helped
That’s great, Kathy!